THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994 TAG: 9410280577
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY REGINALD WORLDS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Television news anchor Don Roberts emphasized one idea - ``make a difference'' - in a speech to nearly 300 area high school students Thursday.
Roberts, author of the book ``Rap to Live By,'' told young people at Elizabeth City State University on Thursday to find their niche in life and expand it.
Roberts, an anchorman at WAVY TV-10 in Hampton Roads, was the featured speaker at a workshop for media students and advisers from schools as far away as Hyde County. The workshop was a collaboration between ECSU and the North Carolina Scholastic Press Association.
Citing examples from his book, a journal of experiences written into positive rhymes, Roberts used current events and journalistic rules of thumb in talking to students about their choices in life.
``Rap can be used to convey many ideas - positive and negative,'' said Roberts, who rapped through stories of both success and failure. His rhymes described a high school girl who went on to Harvard and a woman who became addicted to drugs.
Roberts urged young reporters to look for the reasons behind stories they report and to seek solutions to the problems they identify.
Linda Callahan, chairwoman of ECSU's Language, Literature and Communication Department, said she was excited by the school's effort to educate middle and high school students about media fields.
``It is about time that we expand our role as a resource for the community,'' said Callahan.
The workshop also featured advice on writing, photography and broadcasting from ECSU professors, WRVS radio staff, high school advisers and staff members of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
Callahan said she hoped everyone would be able to take something away from the session. ECSU plans to hold a similar event in the spring, she said.
In his speech, Roberts also encouraged students to take initiative in their lives.
``You want to keep writing. Writing is one of the most important things you can do,'' he said. ``Keep knocking on doors and some will open.'' by CNB