Inez S. Wilson, home economist of the National Livestock and Meat Board, leaned back in her office chair, with a characteristic twinkle in her eye, and introduced her two right hand men: Miss Florence Plondke, who, among other things, arranges certain WOI talks; and Miss Mildred Bast whose pleasant voice is heard each Wednesday rooming over NBC.</p

Williams, Berniece

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

A leading home economist gives news notes on home econonucs on the air You and I and Radio by Berniece Williams I NEZ S. WILSON, home economist of the National Livestock and Meat Board, leaned back in her office chair, with a characteristic twinkle in her eye, and introduced her two right hand men: Miss Florence Plondke, who, among other things, arranges certain WOI talks; and Miss Mildred Bast whose pleasant voice is heard each Wednesday rooming over NBC. "I like to feel," said Miss Wilson, "that a writer or radio speaker has a genuine, inclusive attitude toward the audience -a 'you and I' attitude. Just to illus-trate, a speaker once said, 'You will re-member when John Barrymore in The Royal Family' did so and so. I doubt if a soul in the audience had been to New York to see the play, but he included them in his experience. If he had said, 'When I was in New York,' thus putting himself in a special category of those who go to New York, he would have built up a barrier of resentment. "However, this 'you and I' attitude has at times been over-preached. The result is apparent insincerity. Trying too hard to sound 'visity' sounds like condescen-sion. Above all, writing for radio or anything else must be sincere. The best way to 'ring true' is not trying to be anything other than just yourself. Sometimes the tendency toward clever-ness runs away with us. We don't have to be funny to tell how to make a pie. The information, if it is complete, is worth while in itself. "The importance of getting all the facts can't be over emphasized," Miss Wilson continued. "Exhaust the sub-ject matter! If you are just giving a few facts about pork chops, know all there Miss Florence Plondke places a roast in the oven. The Iowa Homemaker Inez S. Wilson, home economist of the National Livestock and Meat Board is to know about pork chops before you write it. "A good many foods programs on the air are written as dialogues now. I think it is more difficult, especially if the dia-logue is with another home economist. I learned this in a very embarrassing way." (Miss Wilson has a delightful story telling talent and likes to tell them on herself.) "After carefully writ-ing out questions for the radio station home economist to ask-with the answers all there for me to give, the lady said, 'It's all very good, but I would like to make some changes, if you don't mind. You see, I might not know all these answers, but for the sake of my job, my public and employers must be-lieve that I do.' So I learned to write such facts in dialogue form as: 'You too, no doubt have noticed--,' and 'I suppose you have discov-ered--.'" According to Miss Wilson, the field of home economics joumalism is just open-ing up. "Advertisers have a right to de-mand adequate editorial treatment, and newspapers are waking up to the im-portance of employing more home eco-nomics trained women. "I believe the ability to write can be developed. There may be exceptions-people who simply cannot express themselves in writing, but with practice there will come a time for many when talks and articles will need but little editing." Miss Wilson admits she is a crab for good English, and that she is sadly dis-tressed by unwarranted mixtures of singulars and plurals and all such gar-blings of the king's grammar. "I know your Home Economics courses have to be crammed with science-and you'll use it, but as a last bit of advice, squeeze in all the English and journalism you can." 3 

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You and I and Radio

https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/handle/20.500.12876/39634

You and I and Radio

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