"You Got to Have Passion to be a Columnist."

EUGENE KANE WANTS TO save the world. And it all started because Kane, a Dobbins and Temple grad, thought the media portrayed his North Philly neighborhood in an unrealistic manner. He became a journalist to alter people's opinions about the world.

Here are a few things that stood out for me from his visit to class:

- He says that columnists can't straddle the fence. They need to take one side and support their opinion.
- Many of his columns stem from news events. He does further reporting for his column.
- "You got to have passion to be a columnist," he said.
- Journalists can't ever be completely objective, he believes. They are subjective simply by choosing what stories to write.
- "If you have any curiosity at all, it's fairly easy to find column ideas," he said.

- The idea of being post-racial is absurd, he said. "Race is still a pretty big issues in America."
- A reader recently called him a "racist imbecile."
- "A lot of people will not like anything you do," Kane said. "You got to have thick skin to be a columnist. You shouldn't be in journalism if you don't have thick skin."
- He wants his columns to stir a reaction. If they do not evoke a reaction, what is the point?

- "Print will never die," he said.
- He remembers the days when you could smoke in the newsroom.
- Twitter is not a frivolous media unless you treat it like a frivolous media, Kane stated.
- He is not "The Angry Black columnist." He writes about social issues, which often deal with the African-American community.
- The media tend to portray minorities in a negative light, he said.
- If you are interested in becoming a columnist, you need to develop your voice and perspective.
- Blogs are a way to develop that voice.
- Focus on what you know, he said.
- Get an internship. Now.
- Combined with Bill Cosby, Kane is worth more than $300 million.

What stood out for you?