Unraveling the Untold World of Journalism
It’s simple to watch the news and say, I want to do that. I want to interview people. I want to be on TV. It makes sense. Everyone you see on TV is well put together and smart. It seems like a pretty cool gig, right? It is! Truth time: whatever your current favorite television drama is, it pales in comparison to what goes on behind the scenes of a newscast. The dynamics of the newsroom and all its moving parts and varying positions and personalities is a melting pot that can oftentimes lead to tremendous blow-ups, mishaps, and disasters.
If you’ve inquired just a little bit about being a journalist you’ve probably heard that you must have thick skin. That is true. It’s true because of the factions of the job but it’s also true because of the people you’ll be working with. That part is typically left unsaid. It’s also a topic we’ll explore later. When I’m asked why I wanted to become a journalist my answer is always the same. “You have to be a little bit quirky to be a journalist and I’ve accepted my quirkiness a long time ago.”
The reality is, being a television anchor is more than reading a script. Being a reporter is more than holding a microphone and standing in front of a camera. Being a photographer is more than gathering video. Being a producer is more than stacking the show. Being a writer is actually more than just writing. Journalists are truth seekers. We are storytellers. We are fact finders. And while the finished product is polished and pretty, the path to getting there can sometimes be unpredictable. The audience is blissfully and naively unaware of the amount of work from various positions it takes to put on that 30-minute newscast. They certainly don’t know that the reporter’s live truck broke down 15 minutes before air so instead of viewing the interviews he spent the entire day working to pull together, you only saw video of the scene and the reporter talking. The all-day efforts of finding the family’s information, calling and coordinating the interview, driving to the location, conducting the interview, logging, writing, and editing the footage to put it together for a minute and a half-length was in vain for this newscast. You definitely didn’t see the portable step that shorter reporters use to project an image of average height on screen, or the multiple attempts it takes to get the pre-recorded tease correct or the expeditiousness a reporter employs to remove her lipstick after going live because she’s allergic to it.
You will find out quickly how you work under pressure when the press conference which is your lead story for the day starts 45 minutes late or essential equipment malfunctions right before or during the show. Your tenacity will be tested while waiting for an official to speak in extremely cold weather conditions or working outside in the heat as you warn others to stay indoors. Your composure will be tested as you speak to a mother on what will probably be the worst day of her life.
You will definitely feel the weight of your journalistic responsibility when your story essentially becomes the eulogy for a murder victim. There are the hang-ups, the door slams, the blatant lies and the cleverly written professional lies written by a highly paid spokesperson that your skills in research and art of interviewing will have to shuffle through because no matter how challenging the day, journalists get their job done. The story is told.
This is not a profession for the weary-hearted. There is a responsibility to value and uphold. A journalist must understand the gravity of information in all its forms and handle it with care. Your word must remain your bond. Journalists continue to preserve these core values as the world changes because fake news is a real thing and anyone with a phone can be a reporter or photographer. We pay our dues, work holidays, long hours, off hours too. The list goes on. But at the end of the day, we have the privilege of disseminating information. The information we give and the stories we tell — if done correctly — should compel the audience to act or use that information to better themselves, their community, or their general understanding of a subject. Not only do we deliver that, but we literally have a front row seat at history.
There’s a powerful image that I shared on my Instagram feed of a little boy holding a sign that read, “First they took the journalist...we don’t know what happened after that.”
Think on that for a few ticks then decide. Are you really about that JOURNOLIFE?
