A new vision for journalism

What advice would you give to someone graduating from a journalism program today?

Stay positive and try to stay nimble. If you can keep your expenses down, there is almost no end to where you can go or what you can do. For the first time in its history, the Society of Environmental Journalists is made up of a majority of freelancers, as opposed to staffers, and I think this trend is accelerating. Most likely, you will have to freelance at least part of the time. There are still a fair number of entry-level jobs at community newspapers to cover crime or school board meetings, but more and more of these are part-time, without benefits. They're still a good way to cut your teeth doing real shoe-leather reporting. There is still no substitute for daily assignments to teach you the craft, although increasingly journalists have to do it all: come up with the idea, report, edit, write the headline, optimize for search, post online, support through social media, and maybe submit to prize committees. Oh yeah, your editor also wants a photo/audio slideshow and original video, edited and set to royalty-free music. It's due in an hour.

 

When I started journalism school in 2006, my professors didn't have us write headlines on anything we turned in. I asked why not, and the answer was "the copy desk will write them for you." Well, I've never worked anywhere that had a copy desk, in 10 years of the profession, and I've always had to at least suggest my own headlines, and usually write them for others. Gone are the days of rigid specialization via task, although it is still often a good idea to specialize via subject area. However, don't assume you will be stuck in a beat forever; most journos cover several beats in their career, but it does make it easier to get assignments.

---Brian Howard

Brian Clark Howard is a professional blogger, award-winning journalist, social media consultant, and photographer living in New York City. He was most recently the web editor of The Daily Green, a top environmental website that gets more than 1 million unique visitors a month. Brian is a true multimedia professional who has not only written for websites viewed by millions but has also co-written four books and published magazine articles in Men's Health, Connecticut Magazine and the National Geographic's The Green Guide. He's also frequent guest on radio and TV shows.