We, as a country, had Teacher Appreciation Week at the beginning of May, which got me thinking: When is Journalist Appreciation Week?
Not that I’m saying teachers don’t deserve a week of their own. Not at all! But when you think about it, journalists and teachers have a lot in common: We work long, hard hours. We aim to educate people. We hope to make the world a better place by uncovering truth and are committed to equipping members of our society with the tools they need to better explore and make sense of their communities.
We both stay up late into the night focusing on droning words from people with a loose grasp of grammar. (City council public speakers and English-class essays, am I right?)
We do the job because we love it, not because we’re going to get rich doing it. We both drink coffee in the mornings—and later, if we can get it. And we both … um … have desks?
It’s not a perfect match, but it’s close.
To start my research, I began with a known, established quantity. Typing “Teacher Appreciation Day” into Google brought up a little window letting me know exactly when it is (May 6, this year), followed by apple-heavy artwork, gift ideas, and thoughts on “how to make teacher appreciation last all year long.”
“Teacher Appreciation Week” revealed even more. The PTA suggests that a simple “thanks” might be enough, but also encouraged letters and cards of appreciation, nominating teachers for awards, using the hashtag #ThankATeacher to talk about all of this on social media, and even downloading a ready-made advertisement that can be run in a (wink!) local publication to celebrate a teacher or teachers.
OK, cool.
Then I started typing the words “journalist appreciation week” into Google, which helpfully tried to auto-fill my query to read “journalist apprenticeship.” Undeterred, I pressed forward to find the next auto-fill suggestion: “journalist appreciation day.”
Not a week, but I’ll take it.
The first result was about Journalist Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A. Upon closer examination, I found that it was about one Journalist Appreciation Day at a particular Chick-fil-A. In Arkansas.
Then came a link to someone writing about being upset over “Employee Appreciation Day” (whatever that is), followed by a site for Community Manager Appreciation Day (whatever that is), followed by an article about a reporter being fired after having a disagreement with her publisher.
The first photo to come up was of a squirrel, labeled “Squirrel Appreciation Day.”
None of this is very uplifting to reporters or columnists.
Although my research was admittedly hasty and unscientific, I nevertheless came to a conclusion: Journalists are not appreciated.
So I started typing in other professions to see if they get any love. My format was simple: Type “(Insert group here) Appreciation Day,” then click the little magnifying glass to start the search.
Plumbers? Hug a Plumber Day was April 25 this year. World Plumbing Day is an internationally celebrated event on March 11.
Electricians? They don’t get a specific day that I saw, but my search led directly to National Tradesmen Day, which has a Facebook page asking “Who Will You Thank?”
Lawyers? Be Kind to Lawyers Day was April 8 this year. That’s an international one, though I think they call them barristers in other countries.
Doctors? There’s a thoughtful link to gifts you can buy for the physician in your life at doctorsday.org. Another related website asks: “Do you need Doctor’s Day ideas?” Fun fact: The red carnation is the symbolic flower for the day, which became an official national day of recognition—March 30—in 1990.
Nurses? Yes, they get a day, too—though it’s May 6, meaning they have to share with teachers.
You can find Realtor Appreciation Day ideas on Pinterest, gift ideas for World Veterinary Day, e-cards for Dentists Day, and a newly unveiled logo and slogan for Garbage Man Day (“Keeping You and the Environment Safe!”).
As a joke, I typed in “Zookeeper Appreciation Day” and found not just a day, but a whole week—the third week of July each year. As a bigger joke, I typed in “Stripper Appreciation Day” and found a petition to get it officially recognized.
I must admit that I found mention of May 3 being World Press Freedom Day, which celebrates free speech around the globe. Journalists are among the most passionate supporters of this cause, and there’s a prize given each year in the name of a Colombian journalist who was assassinated for his work in exposing drug barons.
This is what I’m talking about, though! This is a profession in which people are sometimes killed because of their efforts to report the truth to the public. Is a day for journalists too much to ask?
I don’t mean to sound whiny, even though I know that’s exactly how I’m coming across. There’s no graceful way to exit this column at this point, so allow me to say just one more thing:
Thank you, Arkansas Chick-fil-A on Reynolds Road in Bryant, for the hard work you do (or did that one time) in offering free sandwiches to journalists. I would applaud you if I weren’t a bird and therefore completely opposed to your disgusting ongoing sale of chicken flesh on a horrific scale.
The Canary wants to be left alone. Send comments to the executive editor at rmiller@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 22-29, 2014.