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Working for a newspaper is not a death sentence

I noticed a tweet from Jay Rosen earlier today that made my heart stop for a second. Though it wasn’t about me, it was something people said about me before I took my current job.

Jay Rosen tweet: Truth is, if we 'lost' a Jessica DaSilva to daily newspapers and she went that route, it would be worse for journalism at this point.

He’s talking about Jessica DaSilva. For those who don’t obsessively read journalism blogs or follow journalists on Twitter, here’s the short version: Jessica wrote a blog post about her experience being in the room when the editor at the paper where she is interning announced layoffs. That post drew a lot of scorn (most of it undeserved) from old-school journalists. Ryan Sholin called it, “The last stand of the curmudgeon class.”

I think I may be the last journalism blogger to mention this. Jay has posted about it on PressThink with a pretty great overview on the proceedings and the context of what it means in the larger scheme. Go read that if you take nothing else away from my post.

Here’s the thing about the tweet this afternoon that made me stop and reevaluate everything I’ve done the last year and a half. I work for a daily newspaper. But I don’t think I was “lost” to it. Though, some of my professors and maybe even some readers who know me only through these posts surely think that.

I remember during my job hunt one of my professors told me that a traditional journalism job would never cut it for me. He was right in many ways. And yet, here I am a few days shy of 18 months working as a beat reporter at a newspaper.

Last night, among other things, I picked up the police blotter, attended and covered two school board meetings and went to the scene of a shooting. On top of that, I picked up a story for A1 that didn’t break until 4:30 p.m.

That’s not a typical day in my job (is there such a thing as typical in journalism?) but it is a sampling of the things I and other reporters at newspapers do. We don’t just write for the deadwood edition. (For the curious, our a.m. and p.m. cops reporters are on vacation this week, so since I was on that night with school boards anyway, I took the cops shift.)

I am 22 and about as tech-savvy as an employer could possibly hope for their employee to be. And you know what? I LOVE my newspaper job. But I don’t love it because I am wedded to the idea of a printed product or because I long to wear fedoras or be Woodward and Bernstein or any of that. I don’t. I really really don’t. I rarely read the printed newspaper (my editor hates this), and I’d much rather be putting together an interactive graphic than sitting through a school board meeting.

But here’s the thing. Although it’s far more traditional a journalism job than I ever envisioned myself taking, I get to do most of the things I want to do. When I took this job I was upfront with everyone, including myself, that I wanted it to give me a solid base for whatever job I take next. I don’t expect or want to be a “newspaper reporter” forever. But I do believe no matter where I go, the skills I’m learning here are going to be invaluable.

That story that broke at 4:30? It came in via an e-mail tip. I actually “broke” the news about 4:40 p.m. I had quickly confirmed the gist of it and wrote two paragraphs to post immediately. Because the editors were in the daily budget meeting, I had another reporter read over it, and then I had a copy editor post it asap so I could begin chasing the sources who were leaving their offices at or before 5 p.m. After I reached those sources, I wrote into the online version and updated. When my editor got back he swapped it out and posted it in the No. 1 spot online.

I went to my board meetings armed with notebook and pen — AND a laptop, Internet card and my Blackberry. I continued to report and write during the meetings. On my drive between the two meetings? I made calls on the A1 story.

When I got back to the newsroom around 8:45 p.m., I made a few more calls and banged out the A1 story and then two more about the meetings I’d covered. All before the 10:30 print deadline. I made cop calls, and half-way down the 10-county list we heard a shooting over the scanner. I went there and called in a Web update from the scene.

That is a sampling of what “newspaper” reporters are expected to do today, at least at my newspaper.

So for those who say losing someone to a newspaper is a bad thing, I disagree. I think newspapers need people like myself and Jessica if there’s any hope at continuing to stay relevant. Journalism needs people willing to take on those additional tools and storytelling tasks.

For better or worse, many communities rely on the newspaper or at least its brand, whether it’s in print or online or on their phone, to get the news to them. At the second board meeting of the night, in a district that covers the second-largest geographic area in our state, one person from the public actually attended the full meeting beyond 10 minutes of student recognition. As busy as we are, our readers, our fellow citizens, are just as busy, and what they need is not for the best journalists to abandon them. They need us more than ever, even if they don’t know it.

Yes, citizen journalism has a role. In some communities it may even be a viable alternative to the daily journalism that “professionals” produce. But in many, my own included, it’s not. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

I consider myself pretty fortunate. If you’ve followed my blog at all during the past year and a half, you’d realize I’m not a traditional newspaper reporter. But then, I don’t work at a “traditional” newspaper. (And I’m not just giving lip-service to the corporate “Information Center” line.) My bosses have given me ample opportunities to express my opinion on where we’re at and where we are headed by inviting me, the youngest staffer in the newsroom, to the table in many of the discussions and decisions about our future. The editors here have really embraced the Internet and its power. And more than that, they realize their and the newspaper’s own inherent limitations.

I work for a newspaper. I also think Mindy McAdams is dead on: Future generations will not read newspapers. But they will need accurate, reliable news sources. And the skills I am learning working as a beat reporter are preparing me to be that source. It’s not perfect, for sure. Newspapers won’t ever regain their dominance. But I hate to see the best of the best being shooed away and told working for a newspaper is a death sentence. Trust me, journalism — democracy — needs those people not to flee too far from good old-fashioned community journalism and not to give up.

40 Responses to “Working for a newspaper is not a death sentence”

  1. Wenalway Says:

    Well, you clearly don’t need to worry about being the best of the best.

    You’re another clueless young journo who doesn’t grasp what’s happening.

    Please either get a clue or STFU. We don’t need any more idiotic youngsters running around claiming they’ll “save journalism.” You got in because of low standards. Grasp that fact and grasp it tightly.

  2. Joe Ruiz Says:

    It’s funny, I got to this post via a Jay Rosen tweet. Anyway, reading about your day makes me wish my newsroom was like yours rather than what I normally here in, “I do too much already.”

    Reporters like yourself are the exception to the rule, and I think many of us in your position wish it were the other way around. You mentioned your prof and “a traditional newspaper job,” but I would argue that even with your 18 months (congrats) as a beat reporter, it appears you’re still not doing the traditional as evidenced by your use of the Web in a role. I agree with you; we still need to have people who can report well, we just need them — along with editors and publishers — to understand that we need to embrace the Web as the proper tool it can be for reporting the story correct, first and often.

    Many are in newsrooms where the Web is still seen as secondary, a repository or even non-existent. Those are the newsrooms where we can’t lose good, Web-savvy reporters.

  3. Vera Says:

    Excellent post, Meranda. I agree with every single word.

  4. TeachJ Says:

    Wenalway – way to be civil. First, Meranda – I love your blog. I’ve read it non-stop since I stumbled across it. You are what I hope my best students become a dedicated, hard working journalist. Second, back to Wenalway – maybe your mother needed to teach you better manners – like if you can’t say anything nice, or at least constructive – don’t say anything at all. Third, I totally understand Jessica’s love/hate relationship with an editor she respects, but who had to deal with a crappy situation. Finally, it is the “youngsters” and maybe a few of us who aren’t so young who will save what is left of journalism for the future. If not them, than probably no one. Journalism is NOT dying. Newspapers printed on dead trees might be. Journalism supported by huge advertising dollars that could send reporters to far flung bureaus might be dead. But lean, mean news machines will make it.

  5. Meranda Says:

    @Joe Ruiz, thank you for the comment. I am fortunate to work where I do, and I know it. (And I have since recruited several of my former college newspaper co-workers to intern, work and apply for jobs here because I realize that not every paper is like this.) My editors push me even beyond me pushing myself to go Web first. I like that, and I need that to grow.

    As @Wenalway points out, I am not among the “best of the best.” I aspire to be, certainly, but I am not yet. Actually, it’d be pretty depressing to peak at 22. I look forward to a long career of learning and growing in this profession. I’m certainly not there yet.

    Also, I am not trying to “save journalism.” I can’t alone, and I don’t need to. There’s plenty of good journalism going on already; many people are just too busy bemoaning the death of newspapers to notice or highlight it. If all you read is Romenesko, you miss out on the success stories of mid-size papers like mine whose daily work doesn’t make headlines or need to make headlines to justify itself. So what if Mindy McAdams is right and print is a losing battle. It’s not about the medium, it’s about the message. And my message is that good journalism is always going to be needed. So whether I do it at a newspaper or on a blog or from my phone, the skills I’m learning now are transferable.

    I do take one exception to @Wenalway: I did not get into journalism “because of low standards.” I got in because I busted my ass in college to prove I deserved a chance. Just because you’re bitter not to be involved beyond trolling journalism blogs looking for a fight or a dream to crush, doesn’t mean you have a right to make off-base assumptions about those who are lucky enough to get to do what they love.

  6. Temple Stark Says:

    Smart journalists know the newspaper as paper will not reign, but smarter journalists know, as you described, that the abilities learned translate to many areas.

    News has been devalued in place of entertainment but it’s clear people want to know what’s going on around them.

    I consider myself a former journalist now, and started in 1996 when the Web really started revving up.

    I try and tell people that there’s a difference between national and local media. And that when they say there’s a lot of bad, inaccurate journalism they can’t forget the hundreds of thousands of stories that are fine and accurate and just basic, useful news – school board meetings and the like.

    Lastly, it’s too easy to just shit on journalism without knowing what the job entails. So many think it’s easy but a lot of it isn’t and there’s some pretty crazy hours.

    Thanks for writing this. In a online world with built-in bias toward newspapers, it’s refreshing to highlight a lot of the hard work and values that do go into journalism every single day.

    – Temple

  7. I’m not going to save journalism — Joe Ruiz Says:

    […] Admittedly, this post is in direct response to a comment left on Meranda Watling’s blog calling her a “clueless young journo.” We’re not the saviors, we’re part of them. Meranda Writes: I am 22 and about as tech-savvy as an employer could possibly hope for their employee to be. And you know what? I LOVE my newspaper job. But I don’t love it because I am wedded to the idea of a printed product or because I long to wear fedoras or be Woodward and Bernstein or any of that. I don’t. I really really don’t. I rarely read the printed newspaper (my editor hates this), and I’d much rather be putting together an interactive graphic than sitting through a school board meeting. […]

  8. Steve Says:

    Is Wenalway for real or was that a parody of the curmudgeon journalist? If the former, time to retire, buddy; talk about clueless. If the latter, ha-ha. … Great post, Meranda.

  9. Suzanne Says:

    Wenalway is a well-known troll. Please do not feed him.

  10. Kate Says:

    I disagree with Wenalway.
    Mostly because I think you’re one of the best.

  11. Kevin Anderson Says:

    @Wenalway I’m breaking a cardinal rule, which is not feeding the trolls, but I am curious to see if you would take the opportunity to expand on:

    “You’re another clueless young journo who doesn’t grasp what’s happening.”

    In your humble, or not so humble opinion, what IS happening, precisely, and what would you do about it? I’m genuinely curious.

    Unless you care to expound on that more than you have on Jessica’s post, Steve Yelvington’s posts and now Meranda’s post, then possibly you should be the one to, as you say, STFU.

    Great post Meranda. Here in London, several journalists like yourself are starting a HackDay for Hacks. We’re keen to start doing more and get beyond some of the more philosophical ‘future of journalism’ discussions.

  12. Working the web into your work flow | Howard Owens Says:

    […] It’s a nice virtuous thing that Meranda Worden is proud to work for a newspaper.  But that’s not the reason I’m linking to her post.  This is: That story that broke at 4:30? It came in via an e-mail tip. I actually “broke” the news about 4:40 p.m. I had quickly confirmed the gist of it and wrote two paragraphs to post immediately. Because the editors were in the daily budget meeting, I had another reporter read over it, and then I had a copy editor post it asap so I could begin chasing the sources who were leaving their offices at or before 5 p.m. After I reached those sources, I wrote into the online version and updated. When my editor got back he swapped it out and posted it in the No. 1 spot online. […]

  13. Kate Martin Says:

    @Wenlaway: Bitterness is not a plan.

    @Meranda: You must have had an exciting day!

  14. Innovation in College Media » Blog Archive » Today’s newspaper reporter Says:

    […] Image by Andrea Alessandretti via FlickrMeranda Watling explains how the news business is changing via an anecdote. Read it and learn from it, journalism students. That story that broke at 4:30? It came in via an e-mail tip. I actually “broke” the news about 4:40 p.m. I had quickly confirmed the gist of it and wrote two paragraphs to post immediately. Because the editors were in the daily budget meeting, I had another reporter read over it, and then I had a copy editor post it asap so I could begin chasing the sources who were leaving their offices at or before 5 p.m. After I reached those sources, I wrote into the online version and updated. When my editor got back he swapped it out and posted it in the No. 1 spot online. […]

  15. Wenalway Says:

    Good to see the immature young journos can’t handle the criticism, even though they’re good at dishing it out. I guess that comes from a life of feeling entitled and not learning to at least listen to other viewpoints. Today’s universities must really be sucking if they’re churning out the likes of y’all.

    First, to Meranda: Many people busted their ass when I was in college. Few of them were hired because at that time, journalism had standards and expected experience, right or wrong.

    Now the standards are lower for one reason: Papers don’t want to pay. Get this through your tiny heads: You are not smarter. You did not work any harder. Just keep repeating that to yourselves.

    Anyway, to answer the one sensible question that was posted: The debate at clueless Jessica’s blog is about far more than dinosaurs vs. whiz kids, despite what clueless young journos yearn to believe. It’s about laying off someone who relocated at the employer’s request, then was cut for that reason. It’s about idiots like Janet Coats stealing quotes and trying to sound smart when they’re really regurgitating the same failed attempts.

    What needs to be done: The pseudoeditors and failing managers and false prophets need to be fired. Today. Janet Coats: Gone. Mindy McAdams: Gone. Many others, young and old: Gone. Only then will newspapers improve.

    And grasp this fact tightly: You will not save journalism. You do not have the skills, and clearly based on these discussions, you have no interest in developing them.

    Now go back to Twittering and throwing out your new words like curmudgeon. Young journos: They’re so entertaining when they try to sound smart!

  16. TeachJ Says:

    Whine-away (sorry Wenalway) – put up or shut up. You offer nothing but criticism. Your post is nothing but hot air and vitriol. So either offer real constructive ideas or Troll your way to some place else.

    If you want to talk about standards – apply it to your own writing for example: “I guess that comes from a life of feeling entitled and not learning to at least listen to other viewpoints. ” What kind of English composition is that? You are obviously not a journalist. So, shove off.

  17. Wrongway Says:

    We will surely miss the the troll comments from Robert Knilands (Wenalway) when his proofreading job is outsourced to the Philippines. This unmuzzled, spur-galled scut has been banned from many Web sites for his spineless attacks on young journalists.

  18. Shannan Bowen Says:

    @Wenalway, Instead of calling Meranda, me and others “clueless” on our blogs, please clue us in. Why are we young journalists clueless?
    If YOU don’t think we’re saving journalism and that we “do not have the skills,” then please put up an argument and let us know WHY. HOW do YOU think we can save journalism if not by changing the industry, implementing new tools and reorganizing newsrooms?
    You offer nothing put words we won’t take to heart.
    And I say that on behalf of all young and old journalists reading your mindless comments.

  19. A word of advice Says:

    Just ignore the troll, folks. The more you respond, the more he’ll jack himself off in his computer room.

  20. Digidave Says:

    Agree with the advice from above: Rule #1 of the internet: never feed the troll.

    Although – I’m somewhat happy to see that journalism blogs/discussions now merit their own Troll. That’s awesome.

    Here’s why: Blogs are like parties. The journalism blogger conversation has been more like a cocktail party since I joined in 2004. Everyone pretty respectful, maybe keeping their best smiles on at all times.

    With the emergence of Jessica’s post and the trolls that have followed – the journalism blogosphere has become a bit more of a raging party. Having a troll is the equivalent of having a drunken a-hole show up at your party.

    But no worries: If we ignore him, he will pass out. Let’s just pray he doesn’t choke on his own vomit.

  21. Winston Smith Says:

    Wenalway: FOAD

  22. Meranda Says:

    Thanks for the posts and the links everyone.

    As for the discussion that took place here while I was at work today — you know, my newspaper reporter gig, the one where I’m not saving journalism or claiming to, I’m just, um, actually doing it? — I’m glad everyone has their feelings out in the open now. That’s where they belong. I hope there weren’t many bruised egos or enlarged heads as a result.

    Here’s the takeaway, guys: Debating who is a troll or who is a curmudgeon or who is or isn’t going to save journalism is not going to make more people pick up the newspaper or come to our Web sites to find the news people like myself are toiling away to produce. The topic at hand is that amid the “sky is falling” rhetoric in the journalism industry, there are places, including where I work, where good journalism is still getting done across multiple platforms and where the work we do still matters. Whether you’ve been jaded by layoffs or lower standards (and it has broken my heart to see these both in my own hometown paper), the only way things get better is if you get out there and make them better. Let us stop bitching and start doing.

    Wenalway is fishing for a response. So here it is. My definitive (and last) response to him:

    If you truly believe journalism is worth saving but that my peers and I and the other posters in this and similar blogs are ruining journalism, you only have one conscientious recourse. It is not to troll blogs looking for someone to insult. You have far more important things to do with your time. You need to get busy fixing what’s broken. Go on, put those walls back up to keep the standards from lowering for clueless kids and busy-body innovators. But, if you’re too lazy or too jaded or simply incapable of doing it, then you need to step the hell out of the way of those journalists you disagree with. Because the worst decision you can make is NO decision. I am young but not naive. I am also able and willing to go to work every day and fight the good fight from the inside, because I believe that journalism is too important to wait for the walls to come tumbling down. I am not just complaining about journalism or talking about the future of it. I am out there doing it every single day. What did you do today?

    I have taken a few measures to block Wenalway from responding again. They’re imperfect at best. So until Wenalway proves he is capable of engaging in a civil discourse, I will feel no remorse simply deleting his comments. There is enhancing the discussion and there’s stifling it. The latter isn’t an acceptable solution.

  23. Mark Dodge Medlin Says:

    Wenalway/Robert Knilands/Wordhawk has been spouting the same vitriol all over journalism-related Web sites for at least five years. People have tried to engage him in rational discussion, but he always falls back on name calling (“design dolts” is my favorite) and personal attacks. His only solution to any problem is the ax for everybody who doesn’t think the way he does. He is best ignored, but even then, I’m afraid he still won’t go away.

    Meranda, I’m obviously unfamiliar with the work you did in college, but if the day you described here illustrates your work ethic (and how could it not?), then clearly you did bust your butt to get into this business, and you’re continuing to do so today. Good post.

  24. simple truth Says:

    Wenalway isn’t about discussion, or improving journalism standards. Wenalway loves to comment on journalism sites content. Not because he wants to improve it, he simply wants to throw darts at the author, and cast doubt on their writing abilities. In the end it is easy to see that Wenalway is emotionally immature, apparently forever locked in at age 13.

  25. O Repórter Moderno | The Modern Reporter « O Lago | The Lake Says:

    […] post info By Alexandre Gamela Categories: Communicare e Corrente | Current Tags: estudantes, future, futuro, jornalismo, jornalista, journalism, Journalist, students Na sequência de algumas dicas para estudantes e jovens jornalistas, deixo-vos aqui este post do Innovation in College Media, que apanhou bem esta descrição de Meranda Watling (do famoso MerandaWrites.com) de com um jornalista deve trabalhar hoje em dia. […]

  26. Gain invaluable skills « Advancing the Story Says:

    […] Gain invaluable skills Posted on July 14, 2008 by Deborah Potter Times are tough in newsrooms all across the country.  Dragged down by a sagging economy, TV newsrooms and newspapers are laying off staff and cutting their coverage.  If you’re a young journalist, it may be hard to keep your fears about the future at bay.  Was it a mistake to get into this business?  Not at all, says reporter Meranda Watling, who covers education for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette, Indiana. Although it’s far more traditional a journalism job than I ever envisioned myself taking, I get to do most of the things I want to do. When I took this job I was upfront with everyone including myself that I wanted it to give me a solid base for whatever job I take next. I don’t expect or want to be a “newspaper reporter” forever. But I do believe no matter where I go, the skills I’m learning here are going to be invaluable. […]

  27. Paige Says:

    Again, I think most journalists (regardless of age) are more than willing to try anything that works. Many journalists have seen newspapers change more times that some of you can imagine, and have rolled with the punches. I don’t think old(er) means you can’t be tech-savvy. What I am concerned about is hearing the same speeches from editors and the like and seeing no proof that anything they’re doing is working. So many papers have laid off dedicated, talented journalists, cut the printed product ten-fold and put more emphasis on their Web sites. Great, those newspapers must be doing amazingly economically and have more on-line readers than they can handle. Except they’re not. No paper has a Web site that produces more revenue than the printed product. In the meantime, we give the readers less news that is less insightful, and wonder why our circulation is falling. OK, young tech-savvy people, save us from ourselves and preserve journalism with your Internet knowledge. And the let me know when the mayor or local community leaders or police officers are willing to communicate with you via Twitter. Otherwise, I guess I can just use this fascinating resource to see how the Jessicas of the world are spending their weekends.

  28. Meranda Says:

    @Paige, point taken. I don’t disagree it’s sad, disheartening even, to see newspapers lay people off and pretend quality won’t suffer. Of course it will. Saying it won’t is like saying the work of the employees leaving was inconsequential. Those editors’ speeches have become cliche, empty rallying cries of, “We will beat this. Who’s with me?” I get that. But what else do you propose they do?

    There is no right solution available today to ease the economic woes of the newspaper industry. But, as I said in an above comment, no decision is always the wrong decision. You have to do something. Even if it means that — hopefully short-term — something or someone suffers as a result of the decision.

    It isn’t about being young. Hell, it isn’t even about the Internet or the newspaper. It’s about the journalism. And making sure that people remain willing and able to try anything to ensure the journalism gets done, in whatever medium or form it happens to take. And maybe cutting your print product and devoting staff to online isn’t the right solution, but neither is doing nothing. All you can really hope is it saves a few jobs or at least saves the journalism that can get done. Is a newspaper down 1/4 of its staff better than no newspaper at all? Newspapers aren’t going to be what they once were. They aren’t now (see first paragraph) and won’t ever be again. But that doesn’t discount the work of those, like myself, who do go in every day and try our hardest to cover our communities and keep citizens informed.

    Also, I actually do follow and frequently talk to via twitter one of our city council members/local political leaders. I read another one’s blogs as well. Does it represent a substantial portion of my beat? Absolutely not. But I do use it beyond finding out what they or Jessica did this weekend.

  29. Paige Says:

    At some point, when newspapers were taken over by business people and became dependent on stock market profits, they also got away from doing what they use to do best. The truth is newspapers are trying to compete with the Internet and TV. They want to give people quick snippets of information, and then wonder why nobody’s buying. What newspapers used to do was allow TV to give you that little tidbit of what happened and the expanded on stories affecting their communities by telling people why it happened, and how it affected the reader. And they had a talented staff with enough time to break stories and/or to get the meat of the story. With technological advances, newspapers have continuously changed their model to compete in a market they really can’t compete in, and then sat around wondering why it isn’t working. I think we all (regardless of age) agree something has to be done, and the problem with Jessica’s blog was her assumption that her editor and newspaper were entering new territory. I don’t begrudge her enthusiasm, and I certainly don’t mind technological improvements, but I think giving the readers less is likely not going to equal success. Then again, I don’t get paid the big bucks to make these decisions, although I’ve spent years hearing the same thing these editors are saying now, and not seeing any positive results. If anything, it seems we are going backwards economically, creatively and journalistically, so it might be time to say this “new and improved” model isn’t working either.

  30. Mandy Jenkins Says:

    As a young-ish journalist in one of those non-traditional newspaper jobs, I agree wholeheartedly with Meranda. Throughout my four year career as an online editor at two metro newspapers, I have been met with quite a bit of scorn about my place in journalism with a capital “J”. I hear the whispers that I’ve only gotten ahead because of low standards in an industry that values web savvy over good reporting – and, like you, I know not to listen.

    Call it low standards or whatever helps the old guard sleep at night – but those who are flexible and willing to learn in this business are those that will survive. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what college they went to – the reporters who will still be employed by the news”papers” of the near future will be those who dared to evolve – like Jessica, like Meranda, like Jim Romenesko, Jeff Jarvis and tons more.

  31. Paige Says:

    Well, almost all newspapers have you tech-savvy newbies on board. What a relief. I guess I’ll breathe a sigh of relief knowing our journalistic future is now in your capable hands. I’m sure we’ll see you improving those profit margins and redefining the standards and quality of journalism to save the business from these old fogies who have been doing it longer than many of you have been alive. I do appreciate your optimism, but I think pretty much every person in the newspaper business that I know is capable of blogging, and other tech-related activities, but if you’re convinced this is the answer and can’t wait to see the business bounce back. Mandy, most journalists, old and young, are flexible and willing to learn new things, after all, we aren’t still doing paste-up are we? We just like to do things that work and that actually improve our business.

  32. Michelle Says:

    loved this.

    I’m a 23 year old journalist in LA and while I don’t work at the LA Times, when I moved here that was the goal. Now they’re laying off people left and right, and I’m kinda glad that I work at a national magazine instead.

    But there’s something that I love about typing frantically a minute up to the daily deadline and working all night on the lead story, whether it ends up on papyrus or an Amazon Kindle. I think that journalists should embrace technology and go with it, and that’s how optimistic reporters and editors like you and I will thrive.

  33. jamie Says:

    Great post. Working at a newspaper is most definitely not a death sentence for reporters with good, bright ideas. Unfortunately, the current business model is a death sentence for the newspaper itself.

  34. Technolo-J : A curmudgeon journalist gets inspired: a short subject Says:

    […] MERANDA WATLING wrote a post on her blog which reminded me why the news business will survive. […]

  35. Mike Perrault Says:

    I’m still in school but working 40+ hours a week at a small local paper as a photographer, designer, photoeditor, webguy etc. Yeah, I’m idealistic and optimistic about this profession. God forbid. I don’t have anything else that really gets under my skin so I have to make this work. It’s the people who have turned their back on new technology and are only now deciding to use it that have allowed the demise. My generation of journalists is here to clean up messes and find a way to make this work. What else are we going to do(I mean, other than sit at home and whine via blogs). Without some new creative vision on what newspapers are going to do, of course we’re going to fail. Of course profits are going to be put before stories. We’ve known this for a long time and where have these so called flexible journalists been? We have no choice other than to make this work and frankly I think I will see it in my career.

    What do I care if my photos are printed on a page or simply run online? Our work is still getting out there and I actually want people to read my stories and take a look at my photos. If that means it’s not on print, fine. Newsprint destroys perfectly fine photos anyway at least on a monitor we can have sharp pictures.

  36. kentjmcprof Says:

    Meranda (and Mandy J). You both are succeeding and will continue to succeed because you know the basics of all good journalism: accuracy, clear writing, aggressive reporting, ethical behavior, creative storytelling. On deadline. AND, on top of that, you have multiplatform mindsets and multimedia skill sets. Not a bad combination for the present or future.

    Wenalway and his grouchy cohorts from the 1940s are inhaling your exhaust.

    –FE

  37. Technolo-j » Blog Archive » A curmudgeon journalist gets inspired: a short subject Says:

    […] MERANDA WATLING wrote a post on her blog which reminded me why the news business will survive. […]

  38. Calling Out A Troll – Let’s Talk on Seesmic « DigiDave – Journalism is a Process, Not a Product Says:

    […] Recently journalism blogs have merited their own troll. From what I can tell this individual started appearing after the “infamous comment thread” on Jessica DaSilva’s blog, but I’ve also seen the individual comment on other blogs. […]

  39. Marisol Lotto Says:

    Muy buen artículo. Gracias!

  40. Gain invaluable skills | Advancing the Story Says:

    […] about the future at bay.  Was it a mistake to get into this business?  Not at all, says reporter Meranda Watling, who covers education for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette, Indiana. Although it’s far more […]