McKenzie and I went down to New Orleans for a morning in order to do our project on the picketers of Westboro Baptist Church. They were picketing St. Stephen's Catholic Church at just a regular church service. The four members that came to stand in the no press zone held up signs reading various sayings that they said were to warn the catholics that they were going to hell and God would continue to "kick their ass." They believe that all catholics are guilty by association because a lot of priests have been caught raping children. They say that every person who walks into the catholic church is guilty, and they are simply warning them so they can go to heaven instead of hell and do what God wants them to do in the long run.
While we were down there they sang many protests songs that called catholics filthy perverts and rapists. Some of the songs were to the tune of more popular pop songs, while others were older chants and songs. When approached, the members of the church had rehearsed answers and were very knowledgeable of both sides and seemed to think they proved their side to be true very well. People passing by managed to boo and flick them off because of their offensive signs, chants and songs. The Westboro members did not seem to notice them and when asked about violence, said they ran when people tried to attack because they were a nonviolent group.Overall the trip and experience opened my eyes to the different religions and laws of free speech. I felt like a real journalist going down to a different city to cover a controversial topic. My multimedia project was fun to make so that I could give people a glimpse of what I saw while I was in New Orleans. I recommend you stepping outside of your comfort zone with as many assignments as possible because it prepares you for the real, exciting journalism world.
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