Young journalist? Stick with it
Someone asked me yesterday, “Are you glad you became a journalist?”
I answered without hesitation, “Yes,” adding, “Why do you ask?”
The reply: “I’m just curious.”
That conversation didn’t happen with a student in the “boot camp” writing course that I’m currently teaching at the Newhouse School, nor with a colleague, nor during an interview for a job.
The question came from my 81-year-old mother.
And it gave me an opportunity to think about the journalism career path I took 31 years ago when I landed my first job, on the copy desk of the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y. Who knows where I would be now, if not for that initial opportunity?
I have worked for a newspaper, a wire service and as a member of a research and development unit tasked to create online news and information reports. That R&D work happened way back in 1984, when Gannett Company, Inc., began to focus on giving readers what they wanted, when and how — quick reads, by 8 a.m., on a computer. Over the years, that R&D developed into what we know now as usatoday.com.
A lot has changed in three decades, but one thing has not, and that is what it takes to produce online news. A former student shared a New York Times article with me last week titled “In a World of Online News, Burnout Starts Younger.”
When I was producing online news and information, I was in my 20s, starting work some days at 2 a.m. And my day did not end eight hours later. But it did not matter because the journalism I was doing was exciting and the pace exhilarating. Were there times when the schedule was grueling? Of course. But it was worth it in the end.
Today, as the journalism profession evolves, and as talk focuses on print vs. Web or, as I prefer to think of it, Web AND print, I can approach the conversation with background and history from both perspectives. I am still learning.
My hope is that the young journalists who might be feeling burnout now will work through the pain so they will be the next generation of journalists who can approach the next evolution in our profession with background and history. For them to do that, they must be able to make a living, and that is where the comparisons end — because I consider that I was well-paid 30 years ago to do what young journalists are doing today for little or, sometimes, no pay.
My “Think Like an Editor” co-author, Steve Davis, who also worked in the online R&D unit, wrote in this space recently about the MOB conference he had attended — MOB standing for Monetizing Online Business. Once that challenge has been met — no easy task — perhaps the young journalists will have more control over their destinies.
In the meantime, I am looking forward to engaging in conversations about journalism with academic colleagues at the AEJMC convention in Denver next week. Now that I teach at Syracuse University, these types of opportunities are readily available to me.
But I truly believe that without the experience of getting up at 2 a.m. — and sticking with it — I would not even be at a university today.
Emilie Davis
Comments
I’m glad you mentioned the money issue, because that’s really the key. The inability to make a decent living — and dreary prospects for ever making a living in the future — is by far the main reason so many young journalists don’t stick with it.
Emilie, You’ve hit the nail right on the head with this excellent post! I feel the same — would do it all again. I’d like to link to this from my blog, if that’s okay w/you
Let me know!
(Should have written “link to this on my blog”…)
Emilie — Here’s a link to my blog, where I’ve written about (and linked to) your post
http://newhousejourn.blogspot.com/2010/07/encouragement-from-pro.html
Emilie, thank you for sharing your experience and a perspective many may have overlooked. I just came across this blog, and I can’t wait to read more.
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