The changing face of photojournalism - Indiana University School of ...

about the world that I would like to live in. Glee is about makingthe choice to see the world around us with a deep and abidingoptimism, and the fact that I’m standing here accepting this honorfrom you right now is proof that truly anything is possible.”The award ceremony was a far cry from Murphy’s days as anopenly gay high school student whose show biz fantasies were atthe time just that. He knew he wanted to be a director and writer,but he didn’t know how. Since he had been the editor of his highschool newspaper in Indianapolis, and all his friends were going toIU, he decided to go too.“I went to the paper (the Daily Student), which I loved,” he says.“I had so many great opportunities there.”As arts editor, movie reviewer and celebrity profiler at the IDS,“I got to write crazy fun stories,” he says. “Liberace came into townone time, but I did a big profile that was on the front page abouthis costumer. I always had this show biz pop culture interest.”In a twist worthy of a Glee episode, Murphy also joined the SingingHoosiers, where he directed some skits as well as performed.“I was never really comfortable being a performer,” he says.“I was too self-conscious. I didn’t think I was good enough. But Ireally enjoyed writing. And I thought maybe I could still put thosethings together.”Toward the end of his IDS career, he began writing celebrityprofiles. His IDS experience led to internships at the WashingtonPost and Miami Herald.He credits IU and the IDS with “helping mold me. … I feel Ifound my own path and I merged my interests, so by the time Ifinished college and I started being a journalist, I still had the dreamof being a writer in Hollywood.”One of his former Daily Student colleagues on the arts deskremembers Murphy as “singularly smart, creative, funny and gifted”as well as “the best-dressed and best-coiffed college student anyoneknew.” Kathleen McKenna, BA’86, now a freelance correspondentfor The Boston Globe, says, “Not only was he a brilliant andfast writer, he was a skilled and encouraging editor who set the barvery high. … I recall many fun and enlightening hours beside him at“Everything about my writingcareer and my future came from{those four years at IU.”our gigantic computers, while he went through stories I’d writtenline-by-line, word-by-word, and helped me make them better.”McKenna says Murphy was fun to hang out with, too.“He was genuinely interested in human nature, which made hima terrific listener,” she says. “He was a delightful gossip and knewvirtually everything about pop culture. He was searingly honest andwould cut you to the quick if you were feeling sorry for yourself orslacking off.”Mark Skertic, BA’86, who was editor in chief when Murphy wasopinion editor, says Murphy’s passion and creativity served him wellin an argument.“When Ryan had strong beliefs about how a story should bewritten or played, he didn’t hold back,” he says. “Not that he’dyell — it was more of a sword fight with words, with Ryan thrustingand jabbing and not giving up.”Skertic says Murphy seemed to genuinely enjoy the intellectualbattle and wordplay of an argument.“He could dish it out, and that intimidated people before theyknew him, but he could take it too,” says Skertic, a senior directorfor the Chicago office of Kroll, a private investigation firm.Skertic says Murphy made a name for himself on the arts desk,where he was “a master of pop culture.” His colleagues weresurprised when he wanted to move to the campus desk, but, saysSkertic, “it didn’t matter that he wasn’t working on stories aboutmusic and movies. He was a really good editor, and there were a lotof reporters who learned from Ryan how to take a mundane storyand make it interesting.”The next semester, Murphy wanted to edit the opinion page —another surprise. At the time, the hot topic on campus was whetherthe university should sell off its investments in South Africa, whichstill practiced apartheid.“Ryan produced an opinion page that was different from anyArbutusRyan Murphy, front row, center, when he was opinioneditor of the Indiana Daily Student in 1986. Front row,from left: Kathy McKenna, BA’86, arts editor; MarkWood, BA’86, copy desk chief; Tanya (Isch) Caylor, BA’87,managing editor; Ryan Murphy; Susan (Oberlander)Dodge, BA’86, city editor; Kathy Flynn, BA’87, newseditor. Second row, from left, John Samora, photo editor;Ted Pech, BS’86, graphics editor; Shirin Parsavand, BA’87,wire editor; Mark Skertic, BA’86, editor in chief; JenniferOrsi, BA’88, campus editor; Alison (Schmidt) Skertic,BA’86, sports editor.fall 2010 / newswire < 21 >