October 2, 2019

Eileen Curran is speaker on second night of deanery mission

REGIONAL
Story and photos by David Martin

 

HOLYOKE — Teaching her audience how to become good news consumers by sorting out the truth in news stories and being able to detect if the source comes from a responsible, sincere journalist – that was the purpose that longtime journalist Eileen Curran shared in her speech “How do you know what is real news and what isn’t?”

Curran spoke as part of the Greater Holyoke Deanery three-night mission at Blessed Sacrament Church in Holyoke on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.

Curran began her journalism career working for “The God Squad” at the Passionist Radio and TV Center in West Springfield, which later became Catholic Communications Corporation. While there. she produced the radio program “Crossroads.”

“I loved every minute of it and learned so much. I had never done radio, but when I interviewed with Brother Terry Scanlon, he said, ‘Can you write?’ and I said yes, so they taught me all the skills to record and edit the show.

“They had these two TV shows, ‘Chalice of Salvation’ and ‘Real to Reel,’ so I started volunteering to carry around cameras and set up lights and after a while they just hired me. When there was a reporter position open for ‘Real to Reel,’ they hired me for that. They could not get rid of me,” said Curran.

More than 200 people attended the evening to listen to the hour-long program offered by Curran. She gave an account of how she began her news career as a producer at Channel 22 and then went on to work at Channel 30 in Hartford, Conn., and Channel 40 in Springfield. She left for the Boston area, working at Fox 25, became a news anchor at WBZ, and then worked for three years as a reporter for New England Cable News.

Curran is currently the senior director of national public relations and media relations for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Curran said the dawn of the internet made a big difference in the validity of reporting news. She cautioned that because something is in print or on social media, does not make it accurate. She said one way to determine if the website reporting the news is reputable and trustworthy is to look to see if it is well written. Look for grammar mistakes and typos and unprofessional phrasing.

Another tip that Curran got from a fellow reporter is to look and see if there is a section that says “contact us,” because a lot of fake new sites will not have it, since they do not want to be contacted, while the reliable ones will want you to contact them to offer corrections, different angles on the stories, and also news tips; she said good journalists will want to know this.

Curran suggested that her audience have well-balanced media literacy by getting news from a variety of sources, not just one such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox News. She said it is important to see both liberal and conservative sides, and also to see what each side reports.

Curran said when looking at a news story it is important to look for and distinguish what is fact and what is opinion.

“When I was taught as reporter they always said what you say, your voice in the story, should be facts. When you have a sound bite with, like a grieving parent or a politician, those are opinion. You are the facts, these people give the opinion. You are not to give the opinion, you give the facts. I will say I have thrown many shoes at the TV and screamed, ‘You are giving an opinion not a fact,’ at good reputable stations,” said Curran.

The evening began with a performance by the Holyoke High School Madrigal Singers under the direction of Mark Todd. Curran was introduced by Father Mark S. Stelzer, the administrator at St. Jerome Parish in Holyoke and a faculty member at Our Lady of the Elms College.

Father Stelzer said the mission was a great opportunity to invite lay people to come and speak about their own faith journeys. He said they chose three broadcast journalists who have witnessed firsthand the struggles of the church and to speak about how their faith has strengthened them.

“Eileen is just well known in Holyoke as a native of Holyoke, and a journalist in western Massachusetts. Her work with the St. Patrick’s Parade as the commentator each year… she is really beloved by the people here and I know they eagerly await hearing her tonight,” said Father Stelzer.

On Sept. 30, Ray and Maureen Hershel gave a talk with the title, “Test of Faith: Why I Remain a Catholic. When the headlines challenge your religion, how do you keep your eyes on the cross and keep the faith?” On Oct. 2, Catholic Communications reporter Nick Morganelli and his wife, Jeanne, will speak about “Building our House on Rock.”

A video version of this story will be featured on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS and in the Berkshires Sunday mornings at 5:30 on Albany’s Fox 23, WXXA.