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Let's face it, gossiping has a bad reputation. Even so, new research finds that most of us do it, a lot more then we'd like to admit or maybe even realize. Just to clarify: gossip is the act of talking about someone who isn't there and it does not have to involve spreading rumors. Radio Rookie Amina Tariq is a senior at a private Islamic High School. She readily admits that she gossips a ton...even though she's not proud of it.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Let's face it, gossiping has a bad reputation. Even so, new research finds that most of us do it, a lot more then we'd like to admit or maybe even realize. Just to clarify: gossip is the act of talking about someone who isn't there and it does not have to involve spreading rumors. Radio Rookie Amina Tariq is a senior at a private Islamic High School. She readily admits that she gossips a ton...even though she's not proud of it.
2 Comments
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Review of Amina GossipWonderfully done for a "rookie reporter." Notably, the use of ambient sound is to be complimented here. The way the surrounding sounds are woven in and out of the story, it really helps us ease out of one section and into another. It is almost if we are walking in between rooms. (Although... during the "Mean Girls" scene I thought it was a little bit sound heavy, and could have been scaled back). The surprising twist in which we come to understand another culture through a story about gossip is very neat. That is really the catch here... what makes this piece unique. South Asian Muslim culture explained through the guise of girls gossiping is a neat place to take us. Only change I would have made is to hint at this point a little more in the beginning, so we know what we are getting into. The use of the "expert" is creative, and really helps us connect and understand more. While no groundbreaking territory is unearthed, it is a good reminder of what we exactly are doing when we gossip. Final note: Visual language is very creative here. I can really see what the reporter is describing. And the lapses into casual speech help characterize here as a real person, again making it easier to connect. Matt Terrell
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Broadcast History
WNYC Radio, February 2006
Transcript
Amina, Narration: Me and my friends gossip all the time.
First Girl: "And she actually got pregnant by him a couple of times!"
Second Girl: (Gasps)
Amina, Narration: And our gossip has a very juicy flavor.
First Girl: ...that girl has a bad reputation, she would always get an abortion and her parents didn't know, but like...
Amina, Narration: We do it everywhere ? at school in the lunchroom, hallways, and bathrooms.
Amina, Narration: I remember one time we were at community center in Queens for a Bhangra dance class.
(Sounds of Bhangra dance music)
Amina, Narration: We learned some dance moves, but after class we sat down, got comfy, and did what we really came to do...
First Girl: She was like getting on his nerves, so he just...
Second Girl: she reminds me too much of a dumb blonde!
Amina, Narration: We talk about people who weren't there.
First Girl: She was like what woul...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Host Intro:
Let's face it, gossiping has a bad reputation. Even so, new research finds that most of us do it, a lot more then we'd like to admit or maybe even realize. Just to clarify: gossip is the act of talking about someone who isn't there and it does not have to involve spreading rumors. Radio Rookie Amina Tariq is a senior at a private Islamic High School. She readily admits that she gossips a ton...even though she's not proud of it.
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Martin Burch
Posted on July 28, 2007 at 06:22 PM | Permalink
Review of Amina Gossip
From field recordings to an expert interview, Radio Rookie Amina takes full advantage of all radio storytelling has to offer. And it sounds really good.
Amina's friends and schoolmates gossip all the time. They talk about people who aren't there, often casting them in a negative light. Amina sees similarities between her gossiping and the movie "Mean Girls." Who better to see if she's right than Rosalind Wiseman, author of a book that inspired the movie? She not only gets an interview with Wiseman, she plays back some gossip she's recorded as well.
Even Amina's parents are big gossips, and she's got them on tape to prove it. Speaking like an anthropologist, Amina argues that gossip is culturally significant and enforces social mores. She has an interesting prospective on this, as gossip keeps her behavior in line with her family's South Asian Islamic expectations.
Congratulations to Amina, producers Marianne McCune and Karen Michel and engineer Wayne Shulmister on a job well done. This eight-minute look at gossip should have a place in many youth radio shows. Stations may also appreciate the full transcript that is available.