I spent my morning at SUNY Geneseo talking to two media writing classes.
I wanted to ask the students if they really, really want to enter this field. The business model of newspapers and television news is on life support, as viewers and readers flock to the Internet. Journalism jobs are disappearing. Salaries have stayed flat or decreased. Reporters are being asked to do more with less, across many different mediums. It’s getting harder to find the time to tell meaningful stories.
Those are just the new challenges.
Some things haven’t changed in decades for young reporters getting their first jobs in the business. They likely have to start in a small town making less than $20,000 a year. (My first job paid $14,000.) They’ll work nights, weekends, and holidays. They’ll pick up a camera and shoot their own stories. They’ll be asked to sign contracts locking them into these slave-wage jobs for two or three years.
As I explained all of this, I caught a few looks of horror. I felt badly. Despite the issues facing my industry, I wouldn’t tell someone not to pursue a career in journalism. If you’re truly passionate about journalism, have talent, work hard, make sacrifices, take criticism, and have a firm grip on reality, you’ll likely be rewarded. Reporters have skills that are very transferable to other careers, so a couple years (or decades) in the trenches are not a waste of time.
I have no regrets. I'd do it all again. I still love what I do. We talked about a lot of other things in those two classes today, but if I was able to get at least that much across, I’m happy.
