Housekeeping and my return

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, don’t fret: I’m still around. I’m also still a journalist and working to save journalism from the destruction forecasted by naysayers. Since you’ve seen me I’ve cleaned up my layout and updated my clips and resume pages. Take a look if you want to see what I’ve been doing recently. On a personal note, I’ve also gotten engaged and have been really busy planning for the future.

What’s next?

I’m working on building up my Photoshop and Illustrator skills. I’ve gotten this far on the bare basics, but I doubt I’ll get much farther without really digging in. Look for me to post some examples of my projects.

I’ve begun really exploring social media and it’s role in the industry. To that end, this week I’ll be attending a Webinar from Journalism 2.0 author Mark Briggs. I’m excited. I’ve been reading his blog for a while now and I’d love to see what he’s like in person. Stay tuned for an update on what I’ve learned from him.

A lot has changed in the newspaper industry since I’ve posted. Look for me get you up to date on all the ins and outs of what’s new and where we can go from here. 

Until next time,

Beth

Inspiration: A journalist’s mandate

Madagascar's labyrinth of stone was featured in the November 2009 issues of National Geographic Magazine. Photograph by Stephen Alvarez

I’ve often been asked why I went into journalism, knowing it was “dying,” as some people said, or knowing there was no money in the field, only stress and panic, as other have contended. Some view journalism only as what they see on Fox News, or by what they read in their newspapers. The foundation of journalism may have created these sources, but that’s not what it is, nor why I entered the field.

I was reading the November 2009 issue of National Geographic Magazine today. In the Letters to the Editor, a 74-year-old Indian man writes about reading a July 2009 story on Angkor Wat: “Though I long to go to Angkor, insufficient finances, age, and health are deterrents. This article with its beautiful photographs has shown me around the place for free.”
Similarly, a Neil Shea describes a rare Madagascar creature for readers that will likely never see that animal in person:  “They move through one of the world’s most formidable landscapes as though physical laws mean nothing, as though such laws are arguments made by less agile creatures to explain away their own clumsiness.” And it dawned on me that I have an answer for anyone who questions my career choice.

Journalism is an extraordinary opportunity for the public to gain knowledge, insight and inspiration from the world around them. The knowledge can help a person vote in an upcoming election or learn how they can help the homeless. That insight into the hardships of humanity can induce empathy, or at least some understanding as to why someone may cut someone else off. A beautifully crafted story can inspire a little boy to journey to the ends of the Earth to discover new creatures, or inspire a young girl to have a hand in that story. Maybe I’m an idealist (If you knew me, you’d say I was really more of a pessimist), but we journalists can forget the nobler foundations that inspired people to create what would eventually become known as journalism. I forget why I joined this business sometimes. To shine light on the dirty but beautiful struggle of the homeless, as  my paper recently did, or to help an elderly person explore a world they would never be able to reach, it is all journalism.

This is why I became a journalist. This is why this field is not dying and never can die. New technologies are allowing a rebirth of sorts, and there has already been a little fire to go along with that process, but if we recognize the process and help to make it better, we can continue to inform and inspire our fellow man, even when the Internet goes out of fashion and the world has moved onto the next great medium. We just need to remember why became journalists to begin with.

A white flag?

Who knew? Apparently, we’ve been at war. We meaning journalists, of course. For some time, or so I’m told, journalists of the old media persuasion have been duking it out on a virtual battleground with those calling themselves “new media.”

Surviving the stress of the journalism industry

Flowers jostle each other for space. Kind of like journalists trying to make it in this industry.

If I had to come up with one peice of advice from my first year as a full-time copy editor/page designer in this business, I would have to say that you need to have an outlet. Sing. Read. Write. Explore.
One of my passions is photography and I used it to keep me from running away when I got angry with the way things were. We all need a little creative outlook and if we don’t allow ourselves those few moments, we could go crazy. Or, at the very least we’ll all be miserable. Journalism is a difficult business, especially these days. It’s low-paying, with very little job security or benefits. It’s a job that slams you with daily stresses, and you either crack or get stronger (or both).
Don’t crack. We need all the new blood, and ideas, we can get if this business is going to survive and thrive.

The power of online…

The Online News Association, which is a group of online journalists who pool their knowledge and passion to forward the evolution of journalism, just had a conference celebrating 10 years in the industry. The event invigorated the blogosphere with updates and reactions to the workshops and lessons learned at the gathering.