The Ethics of Travel/Adventure Journalism

For one of my journalism courses this semester, I completed a case study concerning the ethics of travel/adventure journalism. For this research project, I read the following nonfiction books (P.S.--They are all GREAT reads!):

New Movie Based on Aron Ralston's Book "Between a Rock & a Hard Place"

The movie came out at the beginning of November. Unfortunately, it is not playing in Oxford, Miss. I will definitely will renting the DVD when it becomes available. What do you think? Will you be checking out this movie?

Eating Organically in Oxford, Mississippi

Since one of the main aspects of traveling is experiencing local foods, I decided to include this post on my travel blog. A colleague (Dani Ligato) and I have been constructing a website that is dedicated to raising awareness of & educating residents on organic efforts in the Oxford area. The site is still in the works, but has some interesting info. Click the following link to be redirected to the site: Organic Oxford. Let me know what you think! Feedback is much appreciated!

My Turkey Day Travels

Every year for Thanksgiving, I head back to my hometown of Brandon, Miss. to celebrate Turkey Day with my wonderful friends and family. This year turned out to be particularly special, as my family had much to be thankful for.

A couple of month's ago, my father was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Anomalous Coronary Artery. Most babies born with such a defect don't live past the first year of life. However, the diagnosis allowed my father to correct the problem via a bypass, and now he is recovering slowly but stronly. God is Good!

The following are a couple family photos snapped at my Mimi's house during our Thanksgiving Feast last night :)


Brian (Dad), Chelsey & Julianne (Sisters, Me, and Aryne (Mom)



Dad & Mom

I need your opinion...

I'm considering choosing Hunter S. Thompson's "Hell's Angels" as my final read for my research study concerning the ethics of travel/adventure journalism.

So far, I've read: Lincoln Hall's "Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest"; Aron Ralston's "Between a Rock and a Hard Place"; Richard Halliburton's "The Royal Road to Romance"; Carl Hoffman's "The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World...Via its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes"; and Eric Weiner's "Geography of Bliss."

What do y'all think? Could Thompson's book be a good fit?

A Self-Proclaimed Grump's Search for Happy Places

In "The Geography of Bliss," Eric Weiner, a former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, decides to embark on a journey that will allow him to discover the happiest people and places on earth. He begins his travels in the Netherlands at the World Database of Happiness--yes, such a place does exist!--where he dives into piles of revelatory quantitative happiness studies.

From the Netherlands he travels to Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, Great Britain, and finally back to America. A couple of these destinations turn out to be blatantly unhappy places, but he has reasons for including them in his study. Overall, this book provides the reader with an introspective look into Weiner's personality, as his writing undoubtedly includes a strong subjective element.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? What place do you believe to be the happiest on earth?

My Latest Read

I just finished reading "Travel Writing: The Self and the World" by Casey Blanton. This book was really interesting, and extremely beneficial to the project I'm working on for one of my journalism classes. I'm in the process of researching the ethical questions that travel journalists are faced with, and one prevalent theme (not necessarily ethical) I've found is that many writers insert themselves into their stories.
"Travel Writing" examines the role of the author in his or her book in a very in-depth manner. It also provides a historical context of the evolution of travel writing from Herodotus to Marco Polo to Christopher Columbus to 20th century writers. Extremely thought-provoking read for those interested in travel journalism.