This is particularly a message to younger journalists in college.
Read.
It was the one word that circulated throughout my journalism classes early on in my college career. Instructors always told their classes to read newspapers, magazines and blogs. Young journalists such as myself had it pounded into their heads with a hammer. Reading assignments were expected – I remember having to write summaries of five national and five local news stories each week for my JRN 202 class – Writing for the Mass Media. I also had to read journalism publications and blogs for my JRN 430 class – Magazine and Feature Writing. I remember thinking both times, “Why do we have to read for a writing class?”
It is four years later, and now I know. If you want to get anywhere in journalism, you have to read.
A look into my Google Reader. I need to make more Google connections.
Read what? Everything. Stay on top of local and national news every day, whether it be newspapers or online. Know what’s going on around you and stay ahead. If you’re an editor or writer for a student newspaper like I am, you have to think impact (esp. with national stories). A staple of the news Central Michigan Life runs is localizing what is going on nationally, such as health care.
…Okay, so that one is a bit obvious. But one of the more troubling signs I’ve seen out of newer journalists at CMU is the lack of reading journalism. What is going on in your field? What trends are dying/starting? What could the future hold for journalism (i.e. what technologies do we use now that helps us accomplish our goals as journalists, and what is coming)? What are the big debates?
I keep a Google Reader account bookmarked on Firefox (my browser of choice). It is an RSS reader. I subscribe to dozens of journalism Web sites and bloggers so that I get updates every time one of them posts new content. I’ll typically read at least three or four entires for every 10 updates I get (if not more). The topics vary: the future of journalism, the pros/cons of pay walls, microblogging, the future of J-schools, transparancy and objectivity, interesting links and more. Sometimes, I’ll also see job openings in journalism and in teaching it.
Constantly reading these sites/blogs also can be a great networking tool. Most of the feeds I’m subscribed to, I also am following on Twitter and sometimes Facebook. Use these tools to possibly interact with the people you read, retweet their updates and network with others.
Some of my favorite blogs and sites: Scooping the News, 10,000 Words, MediaShift Idea Lab, BuzzMachine and Nieman Journalism Lab. There’s a ton more I keep up on.
I may expand on this in the future. But this is a start for young journalists looking for an edge in this ever-competitive industry. There is a reason why reporting/writing classes force you to read — because it goes a long way into building you as a journalist. Trust me.
Posted by Brian Manzullo at September 28, 2009
Journalism