Journalists and brothers Jacob and Matt Rascon had a rather transparent conversation about their own unique way journalism has impacted them personally through faith, experience and heartfelt longing to connect with the world in a broader way. The pair were guest speakers of the Alvin College Library Speaker Series on October 23.
The brothers take after the shared broadcast tradition from their retired Emmy-winning News anchor father – Art Rascon and their uncle Dan Rascon, a news reporter currently affiliated with NBC in Salt Lake City.
Jacob, now reporting for KHOU in Houston, and Matt, currently the president of the Rascon Media group, spoke of the connection they had that led them into journalism.
Before Jacob Rascon started college, he attended to be missionary in Uruguay as a commitment to his faith. Matt also felt compelled to serve as a missionary in South Africa.
As Jacob was on his mission, he was still figuring out what he wanted to do afterwards. During his time abroad, he noticed how freedom of the press is really limited in other countries. This really influenced his view of how important freedom of the press is and how we can sometimes take it for granted.
Jacob’s career has taken him across the globe and his experiences have made an impact on his work. Jacob’s and Matt's devotion towards freedom of the press continues throughout both of their careers to make sure the people benefit from a free press while also being informed on issues that matter.
“Get it right, don’t be boring,” Jacob said. These are the words that help the brothers formulate their content.
They said it’s important to state the facts but also use critical thinking to turn those facts into a compelling story that viewers would want to watch. That’s where “Journalism becomes a service to the people.”
This is where we can see a crippling effect in journalism today as journalists struggle to turn important facts into a compelling story that gets the viewers' attention, they said.
Journalism is a needed profession as freedom of the press is important in our world.
This profession helps balance an atmosphere to create a space for people to hear real stories. Matt and Jacob’s hope their journalistic practices will serve to influence future media writing that has a renewed focus on facts and objectivity.
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Rascon Speakers
A group of Alvin College media writing students with journalists Matt and Jacob Rascon during the Library Speaker Series on October 23.
 
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Journalists Matt and Jacob Rascon discuss the importance of facts and objectivity while speaking during the Alvin College Speaker Series event on October 23.
 
 
John Tompkins
Director, Communications and Government Affairs
Alvin College
281-756-3551