Last week I spoke to a senior-level journalism class at LSU. Only about a third of the students were from Louisiana. We chatted about developing ideas for trend stories — beyond the obvious fashion angle. What else counts as a trend and what would make an interesting story?

They were full of good ideas. As so often happens when I spend time with students, I feel better about the world.

I posed the following question to them: On a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate your own curiosity? I assured those who ranked themselves a 10 that they likely had a great career ahead in journalism. Yes, hard work is required to find the answers, but the payoff is such a rush.

Since the class, I've thought a lot more about being curious and the philosophical side of curiosity. I

See Full Page