Mike Burbach presented “What I’ve Learned, I Think” in this year’s Communication Appreciation Day Hagerty lecture. Burbach was the Editor-in-Chief of the Dakota Student and graduated in 1982 with a degree in Journalism and German.
He started his career at the Grand Forks Herald and went on to become the Managing Editor of the Aberdeen South Dakota American News and an Editor of the Minot Daily News. Burbach then became the Editorial Page Editor of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press in 2006 and was appointed the paper’s Editor in 2011.
Communication Department Chair and Graduate Director, Soojung Kim, and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Brad Rundquist, introduced this year’s presenter, UND alum and longtime journalist.
Burbach reminisced on a story about how his relationship began with UND while still attending Pembina High School and enrolled at UND years later in 1977. As a middle-class kid coming from a small town, he reflected on his journey at UND and the Dakota Student. Working in different states and eight newspapers, Burbach shared how important it is to know where somebody comes from.
“It helps figure out what they might be saying, what they might mean, how they came to mean it, and whether it was that additional context that makes sense to you or not,” he said. “I’m coming from all the experiences, good and bad, along the way. From a vision altering look into the abyss and from a place of immense gratitude. That’s where I’m coming from, and here’s some of what I’ve learned, I think.”
First, objectivity is a myth, and we should not pretend to it. He means that we should work hard to recognize our own biases and assumptions and listening to understand rather than to just hear it.
“Our perception is a product of our own biology, our own environment, our own experience in that environment, and it’s ours. What we see is what we see, whether it’s what it is or not,” Burbach said. “Actual objectivity is human impossibility, but the pursuit of it is useful and for journalists essential.”
Second, we should take everything with a grain of salt. We all come from somewhere, and we might not always agree with or connect with others.
“Purposeful skepticism is the right amount of salt, [and] cynicism is too much,” he said.
Third, compound interest is a miracle.
“One thing leads to another and the next thing we know, we know something else and then something else in our world becomes ever more intriguing,” he said.
Burbach shared several experiences and many more lessons from his time at UND, career in journalism, and parenthood for students, aspiring journalists, and faculty alike.
The Jack Hagerty Lecture and Grand Forks Herald Endowment was established in 1984 by the Hagerty family in the Grand Forks community to honor the late Jack Hagerty upon his retirement.
“After 25 years with the Grand Forks Herald, including many years as editor, the Hagerty lecturers over the years have brought leading journalists to Grand Forks to talk on current issues in the profession,” Rundquist said.
Jack’s wife, Marilyn Hagerty, longtime Grand Forks Herald columnist and recipient of an honorary degree from the UNDA a few years ago, was also present at the lecture on Communication Appreciation Day.
Kelsie Hildebrand is the Dakota Student Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at [email protected].
