Former reporter sets out to record oral histories of notable N.D. journalists
By Brandi Jewett, Grand Forks Herald | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
It wasn't a national TV crew interviewing the 88-year-old newspaper veteran this time but
Finneman is out to record an oral history of
"We have so many notable journalists in the state, and I really feel that
The pieces would be added to the current
"We think it's great, it's a great idea," Nelsen said. "We take everything we can in to our archives."
Finneman anticipates having all the oral history materials for her first three interviews compiled and in the Heritage Center sometime in October.
Recording process
Each history is no easy task for Finneman and her subjects.
She keeps list of about 100 questions, which can take about three to four hours for her subjects to answer. That's actually on the short end as some oral histories can last eight to 10 hours, Finneman said.
"What I'm doing -- the three-hour ones -- aren't quite as detailed as perhaps they could be, but I think it's a really good start to capturing
Afterward, the interviews are burned onto DVDs and CDs and transcripts are produced. The process can become expensive, but Finneman said the
In addition to Hagerty, Finneman has interviewed
More subjects will be added as funding becomes available. Finneman has expressed interest in recording the histories of former Herald Publisher
Broadcast journalists are also of interest to Finneman and she hopes that industry comes together to record its history as well.
Nelsen recognizes the importance and value of the project's preservation of history.
"I think it's very forward thinking of them to do these videos," Nelsen said. "Just to get three to four hours of
Lost knowledge
While the current display consists of one kiosk, Finneman wants that to change.
Down the road, she said she hopes the display will expand beyond the computer kiosk and into an exhibit featuring
"We'd love to have something like that," Nelsen said.
The project does come too late for one of Finneman's former bosses,
Gackle, who passed away in 2012 at 83, served as owner and publisher of
He also was a founding member of the
Finneman jokes that she has worked for half of the state's newspapers since 1999. She highlights her time with Gackle, her first publisher, as some of the most influential of her career.
The loss of Gackle's knowledge is one reason Finneman said she wants to insure the histories do find a place in the Heritage Center's archives.
"That's one of the reasons it's important to do oral histories because when you lose legends like
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