2/25 - Eric Danton Summary, Kate Monohan (Daniella Henry)

Speaker: Eric Danton Summary
Notes by Kate Monohan
Discussion leader: Daniella Henry

Eric Danton brought up the Courant’s audience several times in his talk to explain what kinds of bands he has to cover. Daniela began her discussion by asking how much the target audience influences his coverage. A student replied that it was significantly influenced by the baby-boomer type audience the Courant has. He won’t focus on alternative music that 20 year olds listen to if they aren’t going to be his readers, the student said.

This discussion also turned to talking about what Danton himself listens to in comparison to his readers. A student said that he writes what is “mainstream” for the printed newspaper; they went on to say that he focuses on mostly smaller local acts.

Daniela then went on to ask if the class thought his blog /the Internet was an outlet for more “his age” music. One student said he listens to and reviews what he wants to on his blog, and openly talks of his favorite bands, not holding back much. Another student corrected this comment, and argued that Danton does not present any bands on his blog as “favorites.”


One question that was posed to Danton during his talk, and that Daniela brought up in the discussion, was whether or not he had a background in music. He said that he knew some guitar and had played in some bands that didn’t work out, but that was it. The class was fairly divided on this subject, but in the end, most felt that a background would be beneficial to him.

Amy said she was surprised that Danton didn’t have a musical background, since she had looked at the requirements to be a food critic and found that most in that field go to culinary school as a base knowledge for their reviews. Another student explained that his lack of knowledge was OK since he doesn’t cover jazz, orchestra or other more technical forms of music with a specific, knowledgeable audience. Instead, he covers pop, and only focuses on the performance/entertainment value. Another student agreed, and said that as long as Danton has a passion for music, there’s nothing wrong with him not being well a versed in musical theory.

Katie, who works with Danton, said he is involved with the local music scene. She said he knows what sounds good due to his ample exposure to many different bands. She likened his knowledge in music to a sports writer who may have never played a sport, but watches sports frequently, and as a result knows what teams are good. She also said that Danton is writing general reactions to Top-100 radio, and an education is unnecessary for such music.

Someone else said that, “teeny-boppers” aren’t reading the Courant, and if someone is off pitch, Danton should have the education to hear this. In other words, with an adult audience, perhaps a music background would be more appropriate.

Erin said that she agreed that Danton’s work was quite good, but she herself knows how to play guitar too, but didn’t think she would feel comfortable criticizing others’ music. She didn’t think it was enough to make his critiques have authority.

Someone said that they thought that he didn’t need a background because, in broadcast sports for example, the reporters are almost always a former coach of player. It is easier in sports to get into print that it is to work in music and turn to journalism.

Ortiz? said that all that counts is having a “knowledge of what you love.” If a critic constantly reads up on the history and constantly reads new publications in their field, then they should be fine to be a critic in it. Another student agreed to this, saying that a musical background is a bonus, but not a requirement.

Prof. Dufresne interjected that he thought that there was a question of which was more important: being a good reporter, but not an expert or being an expert, but a poor reporter. This contrast suggested that reporting skills are tantamount. Particularly since, as someone mentioned, it isn’t important for a deep analysis in the Courant, since 90 percent of the audience wouldn’t understand the lingo of a well-educated music critic. If he started referencing specific notes, chords, (etcetera) and used a great deal of jargon, many readers would be off put.

The final note by Baron was that good writing is more pertinent than knowledge. He used an analogy comparing the critiques a movie critic might make on something like “Transformers,” versus “Citizen Kane.” For the former, one would focus on entertainment value and experience, he said. For the latter, one would expect a serious analysis of the content and quality of the film.
The main conclusion the class seemed to come to, is that being a good reporter with foundational skills in hard news will be the best way to prepare for a specialized reporting job.

It also seemed that Daniela’s discussion brought about questions of the value of Danton’s reviews and most students agreed that if he was writing for his blog, or a niche magazine, he could write at a higher level throwing in more specific musical critiques of the concerts he attended. At the Courant though, this is not appropriate, and he must pander to the public he serves, providing objective reviews and keeping his stories simple and readable. My take-away card didn’t get taken, I just said that I though that learning to write front page news was a good idea for all journalism students, since the economy is poor. In this climate I think eventually the specialized reporters (like the environmental one who was laid off at the Courant) will fade away.

The take-away cards are as follows:
Katie Bushey- offered the first good insight into the world of newspaper writing
Chase Carnot- I don’t think I could do this job. Imagine having to see Nickelback
Jesse Grab- I found out more about how to seamlessly blend personal opinion and actually quality of the music
Alex Sanders- I thought it was interesting that he doesn’t use “I” statements because he needs to speak with authority, but reviews seems to carry a strong opinion anyway.
Mike Northrup- Even if you don’t personally like a band or artist, you don’t have to review. It is important to write a fair review for the fans of that band or artist that are out there.
Aaron Roy- Provided me with insight into a (site??-illegible) of journalism I had not, as of yet, had a perspective into. I like the concept of being able to switch between reportage and opinion, so his job for the most part seems like an enjoyable occupation. Nice to hear some happier journalism news for once.
Amanda Wisnioski- I was surprised about how critics write their reviews. They must be objective as possible.