The Secret to Success in Journalism

Jillian Hartmann
jh093110@ohio.edu

How would you feel if someone gave you 65 reasons not to major in journalism, not to become a journalist and not to pursue your dream?  Well, I knew the feeling when I interned 65 days this summer at WPXI, a local TV station in Pittsburgh, and every single day I was told a different reason why I shouldn’t continue in this field.  Here’s a few reasons why:

- Everyone thinks journalists are insensitive people who are only looking to get the story and don’t consider anyone's feelings. 

- Very competitive field. There are a lot of journalism students but only a few jobs available after college.

- The pay. Or rather lack thereof.

- Say buh-bye to your social life. No sleep, no free time. Only journalism.

- No stability. You’re only as good as your last piece of work.

- News is no longer just news. Business, advertising, clients and the viewers' interest are all tied in as well.

- When you hear about a tragedy, your initial reaction is “Fantastic! How many people died? Who can we interview?”  Harsh, but true.

If the reasons above discourage you to quit, then get out of this business. Yes, all those reasons are true but did that stop me? Not at all. I thought back at my sophomore year of high school when I was asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Most kids didn’t know, but for me, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life: broadcast journalism. My internship didn’t teach me to pursue my dream as a journalist, but it taught me how to fight for it. Do you know what is keeping journalism alive? It’s us, as journalists who have the passion, curiosity, drive and attitude to give the people the right to respectable news. We keep everyone informed and aware of the issues, disasters, tragedies and triumphs in the world we live in.

Here's a link on the first five minutes on CNN news of 9/11. This is an example on how important journalists are in breaking news and historic events. Curiosity of CNN news and YouTube:

Speaking of tragedies, as a journalist, you are thrown into situations where you have to interview people who just lost a loved one, who lost their home or who have been abused or sexually assaulted. These are the type of situations the average person doesn't go through each and every day. This field involves a balance between being you and being a journalist. It takes certain people in this world to be sensitive and caring enough to go out on those stories but also aggressive enough to get the story.  During my internship, I had to interview a man who was beaten with a brick while two men robbed his beer distributor. How did he survive? Well, his dog saved his life by intimidating the robbers and chasing them away. Sadly, the dog went missing when it went after the robbers. It was a difficult interview for me to get the man and his son to talk about what happened, but I did it by showing them I cared.

Here’s the link to the story on wpxi.com:

http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/dog-credited-preventing-robbery-reported-missing/nZQCR/

In the book The Elements of Journalism, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel talk about what journalism is and it’s purpose. And the answer was pretty simple, the purpose of journalism is to inform the public and allow people to express their own voices. Without journalists, how would citizens across the world know exactly what happened in Newtown, Connecticut or at the Boston bombings? They wouldn’t. Yes, I’m aware technology is advancing and you can simply type anything into Google. Yet, without the help of investigative and resourceful work from a journalist, no one would know what is true and what isn’t. When people mention how anyone can whip out their phone and record something newsworthy such as a fire, a video or picture can only explain so much until a journalist finds the story.

The photo below is from a news report during the Boston bombings. This is an example of the importance of journalists. As people across the country were eager to hear what happened, this reporter was valuable in finding the facts and delivering the story about this tragedy. Curiosity of Fox News:

Technology is advancing rapidly but in journalism’s favor. Content is different; we are no longer living in the world where people find their news just from a newspaper. Yet, with radio, TV, the Internet and mobile devices, everyone can find the news quicker and easier at any moment. The content of journalism is changing for the better as more ways of reading, watching and listening to the news is being discovered; and for that our world needs journalists who will dig up dirt, deliver breaking news stories and give the people the truth they deserve to know.

So when people give you those reasons to quit journalism, simply think of the reasons why you are pursuing it in the first place. Remember why you, as a journalist, are important and your purpose. It’s not a “dying” field; it’s a passion, a talent and a dream no one can simply experience but you.