Behind the byline: ‘A true Caribbean’ – The News-Press

"A true Caribbean" is the compliment I received for sailing a Martinican yole during a practice. Yole racing is more beloved on Martinique than mardi gras. The boat has no keel so it has to keep moving or it will capsize. It's steered with an oar, and balanced with five crew on either side ride on wooden poles, providing balance and ballast.(Photo: Patricia Borns)

Ive been a cornhusker, race track groom, artist and high tech executive speechwriter.

But eventually, we become our parents. My ancestors came toFlorida in the 1920s and developed real estate. But my mother was a journalist with a social conscience, and I became one, too.

Burnt out from a Fortune 500 high tech gig, I signed up for journalism in 2011 the way some people enlist in the military: wanting to serve my community, help the smallest voices be heard, protect the vulnerable and keep corruption and abuses of power at bay.

Its why, on my real estate beat, I write about attainable housing as well as luxury high rises; dig into public records to see why some real estate projects move at warp speed; and study the land use mumbo jumbo to understand what their proposals mean to the rest of us.

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Journalism, we often hear from you, can be maddening in the way it frames the conversation. At times, I feel that, too.

In our haste or inexperience, we may take a too-simplistic look at an important issue. Because we work under tight deadlines with limited copy space, we must be selective as well as balanced. Although were usually both, its easy to feel your point of view was short-changed if you have a dog in the fight.

But, knowing what I do about the talents and motives of my colleagues, the recent outpouring of vitriol towardour profession baffles me.

Myth:Journalists have an agenda

Reality: Journalists are among the few people who venture into neighborhoods where youve never been and might be afraid to go, and knock on the door -- not to ask for money or votes, but to ask what you think.

Myth: Journalists only tell one side of the story.

Reality: Ever hear a corporate VP tout the competitions merits, or a politician include the oppositions talking points? Journalists are among the few who are required to tell a story from two or more points of view, or your editor will send you back to the well.

Myth: Journalists report alternative facts.

Reality: How do you know wearent spinning alternative facts? Those of us doing the real thing take pains to get the facts right because if we dont, we can be fired or sued.

Myth: Journalists are biased.

Reality: Journalists cant donate to political campaigns or even politically supported causes. Editors comb our sentences for turns of phrase that hint at opinion. The only point of view allowed is the sources.

Myth: Journalists are bought and paid for.

Reality: Media ethics don't allow us to accept gifts or even a cup of coffee from PR reps or government officials. Once when I was short a dollar for a public record, Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson offered one. I paid it back.

Myth: Journalists can't be trusted.

Reality:Heres how an anonymous source tested the trust question, and how an entire newsroom protects that person to this day:

A tip came to me in 2013 about some shady dealings of a corrupt Miami-Dade mayor. The source met me at night in a rented townhouse, and showed documents proving the claims. The only way I would be allowed to copy them was to promise a story would follow. But only top management can make such a guarantee. Iwas an intern at the time.

The managing editor sent me back out with the head of the investigations team to verify the story. From then on, the source and I communicated through a pseudonym. The promise was made and kept. Four years later, the stories have run, the mayor has been arrested, and the source remains anonymous; and always will.

Maybe one reason for the wave of anti-press feeling is that journalism isnt about us; its about you. Rarely do we reportin the first person. Almost every sentence we write must be attributable to someone or somethingelse.Its easy to attack people who give others a voice, but dont wield one themselves.

The other reason, of course, is what we write.

No politician wants to read the voices of an outraged community in print. No PR rep wants opposing data to interfere with a carefully crafted press release.

For asking hard questions and reporting what others may not want to hear, journalists receive insults and threats on a fairly routine basis. Lee County shut down staff communications with The News-Press because of stories like our reports on CommissionerLarry Kikers lobby logs. I'm surprised the courage of reporters to persevere through the mess isn't more recognized and valued.

Journalism may not be alI I imagined when I started down the road in 2011. We can always do better, and more.

But since entering the field, Im grateful every dayfor all the people whove trusted their stories to me. That were paid to tell them amazes me.We might not be able to afford a luxury box at the Super Bowl, but we havea front row seat to the brilliance and pathos of our world.

A byline is a great privilege that I try to earn every day. You can suggest stories, offer a tip or tell me how Im doing at (540) 280-7490 or pborns@news-press.com.

On a personal note,I love the outdoors and sailing, and was never more honored than when a Martinican said during an island circumnavigation, Patricia, youre a true Caribbean!

No, I'm not among the racers crossing the finish line here in La Trinite, Martinique. But I sailed one of these boats called yoles during a practice, earning the compliment, "Patricia, you're a true Caribbean!" The yole has no keel, so it has to keep moving or it will capsize. It's steered with an oar, and balanced with five crew on either side riding on wooden poles, providing balance and ballast.(Photo: Patricia Borns)

To maintain the reputation, I dopro bono work a couple of weeks a year in the islands. Hope you enjoy the photo galleryfrom my recent trip to Haiti, shooting video for a healthcare clinic.

Follow this reporter on Twitter @PatriciaBorns.

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Behind the byline: 'A true Caribbean' - The News-Press