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That's me, bottom right, in 1987 as the Feature Page Editor of my high school newspaper, The High Life. I was involved in journalism in lots of different ways all through high school and college. Although I was always on the newspaper staff, I also did a lot of copywriting for the yearbook and the school literary magazine. I always went to regional and state journalism competitions. Any chance to get my name out there, I took it. I've often been asked how a high school or college journalist becomes a "real" journalist. First of all, let me tell you this: you're already a "real" journalist. You just happen to write for publications at your school instead of the New York Times. That doesn't make you any less of a journalist, just one with less experience. You'll get there. I did. And I did it by ... well, just doing it. After I graduated from college I sent my résumé to the newspaper in my hometown. Fortunately, I had been blessed with great journalism teachers in high school and college, and their references were what got me in the door. So I lost the big '80s hair and went to work for the paper as a general assignment reporter. Over the next five years I worked my way from cub to senior reporter. The first story I covered was a resident at a local nursing home who was turning 105. I attended his birthday party at the home, notebook in hand, camera over my shoulder. He was awake and alert, but I was too nervous to ask any questions - I just stood back and took notes while his family and friends talked about his life and their memories. It ended up being a good story, but it would have been better had I gotten up the guts to go over and talk to the man. By the time I was in my fifth year at the paper, I was writing a weekly humor column and was covering hard news stories like environmental problems and government scandals (and when I say scandals, I mean by Kansas standards. We're not exactly talking Bill Clinton material). And believe me, I'd learned how to go up to people and ask questions, the fun ones and the hard ones. I won a state award for a feature story I wrote (no, NOT the 105th birthday party) and several state awards for my column. I'd come a long way from the high school newspaper staffer I'd been. I was more confident, poised and sure of myself. I was a big fish in a little pond. Then I moved to the New York metro area and just like that I wasn't a big fish anymore. I wasn't even a minnow. I was the crap floating in the water that minnows eat. I had to prove myself all over again. But I stayed with it, and before long I was editor of a group of newspapers, and again winning awards. They're all still on the wall of my office. I'm no longer a journalist, but I'm still in the journalism business. As the corporate public relations manager of a Fortune 1000 company, I still work with the media every day. I write press releases, I arrange for news coverage of our events, but probably the most interesting part of my job is being interviewed by journalists. Everything looks different when you're on the other side of the notebook. My years as a journalist prepared me for this job in a way nothing else could have. I understand how newsrooms work, I respect their deadlines and I know what they're looking for in a story. It's helped me immeasurably. Being a journalist has also come in handy for life in general. I remember people's names like you wouldn't believe. I'm a good speller (don't laugh - editors WILL throw a dictionary at you eventually), I can quote conversations almost verbatim (a skill you'll love having in the future when you're arguing with your spouse) and I can put people at ease and get them to talk to me. It's second nature to me now. That's my story. Someday you'll have one like it. Be glad you're a journalist - not everyone could do it. Below are links to some of my writing samples. If you have questions or just want to talk (or vent - I never said it was easy), please e-mail me.
Column samples Hard news samples Feature story samples
©2001-2004 |
