On Journalism.

Journalism – raise or fold?

…

Job hunting is not a game of luck. It is a game of skill, patience and good strategy.

Oh, and having good talents, and confidence in them, to…bring to the table.

> You’ve got wits, you’ve got looks,

You’ve got passion,

But are you brave enough to leave with me tonight? <

- Dashboard Confessional: “As Lovers Go”

I have had a love affair with journalism since I was 14. And, then by New Year, I was in London, I had a C.V. (see my “About” section) and bucketfuls of brazen confidence in the cards I was holding. I was ready to take on the world.

 

I did the studious thing and sought out some books from the library on JOURNALISM.

 

In 1998, a pan-European survey discovered that journalists have the “lowest trust rating” in Europe and the U.S.A.  However, Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian at the time, responded with, understandable, moral indignation.  Historically, journalists have played positive and heroic roles in exposing government propaganda and secrecy on matters of public interest, political sleaze, cover-ups and corruption in all industries, and miscarriages of justice, often resulting in the release of people convicted unjustly. He wrote: “If you had any official agency like that, they would be heroes. It would be a hailed and respected organisation. And yet, we in the press are unhailed, unrespected, untrusted”.

As early as day three of my first internship at a political news website, I hear an announcement, loud and clear, on the T.V. that journalists should not report anything that might prejudice the fair trial of three MPs and a peer facing criminal prosecution. Over expenses.

But the day after, David Cameron, William Hague and other Senior Ministers are effectively declaring them guilty on T.V. ( Metro 9/2/2010.)

But no! It’s fiiiiiiine for politicians to say anything they want on T.V. with no consequences! We just wouldn’t want the opinions of journalists to be out there, available for the public. Can you imagine? JOURNALISTS – those that have studied to postgraduate level, studied thoughts on democracy and the ideals of objectivity and fact-based reporting and reasoned argument! (And have the capacity to be a tad sarcastic when riled). Goodness, no. Far better for them to be relegated to impotently reporting that POLITICIANS, instead, are broadcasting their views. Perhaps it doesn’t matter. Perhaps David Cameron is simply never listened to. But, equally, this is, potentially, the next Prime Minister. Do people really want to elect people who so brazenly disregard instructions not to prejudice fair trials?

Or is there one rule for journalists, and another rule for everybody else?

And, what I REALLY don’t get is this: Why is there a public announcement to tell journalists what not to report, when anything that journalists report is theoretically Least Trusted? Do the words of journalists matter or not?

It all seems so topsy-turvy. And I can’t help feeling that journalism is all about giving the limelight to the least-deserving people, while the journalists themselves have no choice but to hide in the shadows. It’s not even of headline importance.

Instead, this is:

 

I mean, sure, the media as a whole is benefitting from the politicians saying their bit. They are broadcasting it, after all, and people are tuning in. But, if journalists have no choice but to depend on number of viewers, or listeners, or numbers of papers sold, this happens…

…News of the World made something up.

Now, this in itself is bad. Lying to the public is bad. But the story they made up was that Brad and Angelina were divorcing. It doesn’t exactly reveal an evil web of deceit. Maybe they were just trying to sell papers in a recession.

But, Brad and Angelina, with their “£205million assets”, issued a writ against News of the World. And scored a full-blown article in the Metro complete with nauseatingly cute couple shots.

And on my way to my unpaid internship from one side of London to the other, freezing cold and wondering when the DLR train will start moving again from a random pause (see Jeapardising Journeys)… it made me miss someone. Thanks, Brad and Angelina, for telling me YOUR love life is perfect.

I was tired. My unpaid internship was all work and no by-line. It was 3 hours on the trains and tubes each day and a paucity of human interaction.

I’d heard about ghost-writing. But this felt like ghost-working. I was invisible.

I am the kind of person who did karaoke at University just because I liked the stage.

See, there’s a problem if being a journalist consists of hiding in the shadows…

…I don’t like hiding in the shadows.

My fellow intern was a good-looking, friendly and nice young man. N.C.T.J qualified, he has been doing unpaid work experience for 6 months. He’s been to interviews with important publications. He thinks I’m naive because, for the sake of comedy, I almost made the cocky quip that I’m just doing this unpaid till a decent fast-food job opens up.

“You seem very confident that you’d get one in this recession.”

Dark times.

I heard some hearsay:

A journalist can expect up to two years of unpaid work after their N.C.T.J. or M.A. after their degree.

*squeak*
Oh, and the front page story on that Metro I mentioned was: TENS OF THOUSANDS MISS OUT AS UNI APPLICATIONS SOAR.

I went to a party in January. An ex-newspaper reporter was there.

He basically implied that no one gets paid for writing; online journalism is the way forward but doesn’t make profit, and famous people that DO “get paid for writing rubbish”. He laughed at my suggestion that I could “make it” for writing stuff that isn’t rubbish.

It was when I was approached by the Red Cross that it occurred to me that “looking for angels” for donations on the street is actually a more lucrative offer than journalism.

And, I kind of need a part-time job to fund my commuting around London. Y’know, a job to fund job-hunting?

Okay, you got me.

I surrender.

Because ephemeral dreams are great. I fully advocate following your heart. I admire journalists. The textbook-example of ‘Least-Trusted’ are dealt these cards.

Now, I expected competition when I bounced into England, with my C.V. and bucketfuls of brazen confidence.

But in my personal life, I got dealt a bad hand.

 

Now, it’s longer amusing to fight against the odds. Defeatism nudged its way into my head. Being a graduate was increasingly becoming synonymous with “worse off than a student”. I miss my student days. Who wanted to read papers these days anyway? By 9:30am, they are left scattered on an empty train.

I’ll do my best with the cards I’ve been dealt. I just won’t hold out for journalism, because I can also pursue some other paths paved with gold.

But…

…it’s still a question.

Journalism – raise or fold?

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