NickDG 23 #1 November 6, 2005 Since the publicity we BASE jumpers receive sometimes stems from rather spectacular accidents I've always thought it a good idea to go out of our way to generate positive buzz on our own. It's an uphill endeavor, however, as the mainstream media will always focus more on our missteps. There have been some noteworthy exceptions here in the U.S. this year like Miles' record number of jumps in one day, a sweet Go Fast Games and another great Bridge Day. But, then a single jumper caught in the tower wires cancels it out by getting more publicity and airtime than all the rest. So when a college magazine reporter called me a week ago and asked for some help with writing about BASE jumping I agreed. I've always had good luck with college students. A similar call in the past from students wound up becoming the film "Stealing Altitude" which may sound negative but put the sport in a good light for the many thousands that saw it. I've also written several articles for college periodicals over the years that were about us, but more importantly written by us. One thing I always insist on with any reporter is a hard mention of our history. Nothing gags me more than a BASE jumper who's granted some coverage but acts like it's all about them with no homage paid to where we came from. I was delighted when this college reporter mentioned Carl Boenish before I did. It showed he did at least some research before calling me. So the other night we took him on an urban adventure and this afternoon I'm taking him to visit Jean Boenish, who still lives in the home Carl grew up in. There he can sit in the same chair Carl did, hold his old cameras, see his studio, and in general soak up some BASE history. The people who write for college newspapers and magazines are the "mainstream press" of tomorrow, the people who read college newspapers and magazines are the leaders of tomorrow, and we can influence these people one mind at a time . . . NickD BASE 194 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DexterBase 0 #2 November 6, 2005 Damn the reporters, that's something I'd really enjoy doing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nathan601 0 #3 November 8, 2005 I look forward to reading it. Where will we find this historic look at our sport from the press? I'm going to order a copy and check it out.Night Base 107 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
