More and more throughout the semester, I felt that journalism requires a certain type of personality, and I'm not sure if I'm that type yet. Yes, I do have a greater appreciation for the craft and technique newswriting requires, but I don't know if I can acquire the personality or if it can be taught. This is still highly my opinion, but I think journalism is a more Type A profession, perfect for someone who loves details, finding the reason for things, hunting down sources, probing...
I know that skill in any type of writing can be taught, but there is a certain amount of talent that bleeds into great writing. The talent that journalism requires is a perspective change for me.
I also have a greater respect for journalists and how they live under constant deadlines that are much more stringent that those the rest of us deal with.
Another thing that has struck me is the public nature of newswriting. Journalists have to deal much more with public opinion of their writing, which is a very personal undertaking. The possibility that their words could come under attack is greater than the rest of the writing world. There is extreme pressure in that.
I agree there is a certain person for journalism. I however am not that person, I like to write but I dont have the drive needed to be a journalist
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to look at peoples blogs and see what they are going to school for and then read their stories. I agree as well, there is deffinatly a "type" of person who is just suited for writing and then there are those of us who can maybe just be taught it.
ReplyDeleteI too believe that there are certain journalistic people out there. The personality traits alone set them aside from any other writer. It is truly amazing the dedication that these writers have as well as the courage to dig deeper and publish their story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that most journalists are the types of people that love details and finding everything out about a story that they can. I don't think I have the type of attitude and personality to be a journalist.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct that writing news stories is a very public thing, Erin, much more public than writing poetry or essays tend to be. It can be very difficult to deal with the comments you get after publication of a news story. Many are negative as everyone else thinks they can do a better job! I always say that you know you've done a good job when you get negative feedback from both sides accusing you of being biased. That's when you likely hit right in the middle of a story, and you can give yourself a pat on the back. On the other hand, it can be a very rewarding profession, and it's one that I love. You have the opportunity to tell stories, and to let the world know what is going on. It's a needed profession, and one that supports the very foundations of democracy.
ReplyDeleteIt takes all types to run a newspaper. If you want to be an editor, you'll succeed if you are the Type A personality and are a stickler for details. But not all writers need to be like that; your editor will catch your spelling and grammatical errors. All writers need to stick to the truth, however, and not skew facts or misrepresent sources.
I hope that all of the students in this class left with a better understanding of the journalism industry. What's more, I hope you all discovered ways to tighten up your writing in general and remember your audience. There are pieces in journalism that can be applied to all sorts of writing.
Good luck on all of your future endeavors, Erin!