Baseball writer, Orange County Register

This is total, unfiltered bullshit.

 

I actually covered the Emerald Bowl with Dan this year while he was still with USCFootball.com. Through that entire event he was the guy breaking Joe McKnight news and if anyone was beating him to the punch it was a guy by the name of Bill Plaschke or Gary Klein. He's a great writer and brought a true journalists mentality to his Web site.

 

It seems to me that many of the "experienced" writers, or "old-timers" seem to think that the lag in our industry only affects them. Well, I have news for them: it's affecting all of us. I'm a fairly recent college grad with little "experience" outside of college news media and an internship, and I've been formally unemployed for nearly a year. I've applied to every job I feel even somewhat qualified to do, sending out an average of 10 resumes/clips packages per week; not a bad number, considering the few newspapers (and yes, I want to work specifically in newspapers) that are hiring at the moment.

Maybe I'm inexperienced. Maybe I'm naive. But I feel like there's still a place for a young guy like me who believes newspapers have a place in this world.

I don't mean to belittle the valuable combined experience of the commenters on this board. But remember that for every "young, cheap new hire" that gets a job over an "experienced veteran," there's an equally capable hidden gem who got lost in the shuffle, as well.

The current state of our industry affects us all, young and old, married and single, child-less and playboy alike. We're all on the same undervalued New Orleans team trying to take down the Mighty Colts that is the coming-demise of the newspaper age.

 

You make some valid points, Provonian. But with all due respect, the term "our industry" doesn't really apply to you just yet considering you acknowledge you have not actually done any professional work. You're currently trying to break into the industry, which is a whole other issue. That has never been easy and many of us have struggled to do so. What you need to picture is going through this challenge right now, making tons of sacrifices to get past it, slowly working your way up to the point where you're considered a success ... and then having to start all over.

For example, it took me about a year and a half to find my first full-time newspaper job. In between I was able to string for one and had to work an office job that had nothing remotely to do with my training. I often worked 14-hour shifts in the same day along with a fun little commute. It was my passion to break in and I had to pay some bills, so I did it.

Then I went off to my first newspaper which was in a tiny town nowhere near my hometown, in geography or personality and worked 70-hour weeks with no overtime pay for far under $20,000. From there, I methodically worked my way up to the point where I eventually covered several college and pro sports and so on. All of this brings me to address the point BB Bobcat raised before -- I do think this trend toward youth hiring is a relatively recent one, though I agree it branches far beyond this industry.

When I was starting out -- and it wasn't exactly the dark ages; I'm an "old-timer" who is still in his 30s -- major papers did not hire young reporters. They just didn't. You had to have worked your way up from the small towns. Somewhere along the way that flipped a bit. So be it. That's life. My point is, I know I'm far from alone in this regard.

There are plenty of people who have a similar career trajectory and are out of work right now. And, again, with all due respect, I don't think I'm ready to put those trying to break into the business in the same category. That's not to trivialize your challenges, because they are difficult in their own right. I just wouldn't put them in the same category. Several of us aren't facing the challenge of getting someone to recognize our worth or talent or ability. We've done that. And were still let go despite admissions we had done nothing wrong. It's just a different issue.

 

Very well said and received, Oscar.... I didn't meant to sound like the experienced veterans aren't facing any difficult issues. I'm simply pointing out that the current state of the industry is difficult for all of us. And I dare submit (although I am new at this, and didn't try to get a job "in the dark ages" of newspapers) that there has never been a more difficult time to break into the business than now.

I do know, however, that in the majority of the jobs for which I have applied, the reason for my rejection of the new hire's selection was "we were looking for someone with more experience." And these aren't the LA Times, or the Washington Post; I'm talking about jobs in Podunk and Nowheresville. So if I were to make assumptions based on my own anecdotal evidence, I'd say that "new journalists" like myself are being "pushed out" for "experienced veterans" and "old-timers."

There just aren't enough jobs for anybody in today's economy, young and old alike.

 

Oscar - I'm not so sure that this "trend" you speak of is any trend at all. I know plenty of reporters well into their 30's, 40's, and 50's who have moved on to bigger and better things. Plenty of the recent .com hires have been experienced sports writers. All of them have the same two things in common with the folks I know who personally who have recently found themselves in demand: they're damn good, and they've continued to bust their ass.

There might be a select few editors who have a fetish for young writers, but I think that the drought of openings has more than anything put tons of pressure on hiring editors to make the right selection, regardless of extenuating factors like race and age.

Of course, that means that fewer candidates are being handed jobs simply because they have been around the block.

Also, how many "experienced" journalists would be interested in some of the jobs that these younger scribes are being hired for? Take this one for example. I sure as hell wouldn't want it. One of the first blog posts this guy did was a breakdown of an American Idol contestant who used to sing the National Anthem at Angels' games. If I was out of work, I'd apply for it. And I might even be able to fake it enough in the interview. But I think they'd be able to sniff out the fact that I really am not the type of guy who would do the things they want done.

So they are likely going to end up hiring someone who is young and willing to say "how hi" when the editor says jump, and who isn't experienced enough to see what a ridiculously ill-conceived position this actually is.

 

There have also been a lot of people laid off or "downsized" who have those two traits.

 

I know plenty of 20 somethings who have been laid off or "downsized" as well.

 

Well, this is interesting ...

http://fromthedugout.freedomblogging.com/2010/02/24/saved-by-the-bell-baseball-lesson-no-1/46607/

 

Yikes.

 

Good Grief. That read like it belonged on Bleacher Report.

 

Thus, everyone who lamented and feared the possibility of bad Sports Guy imitators, is validated.

In his defense, it isn't always nondescript pop-culture references disguised as attempts at humor. Sometimes, it's some good ol' fanboyism.

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/carew-235801-remember-game.html

Plaschke and Gary Smith wannabes are one thing; there's at least some craft there, and a desire to be a good storyteller.

Making lame Saved By the Bell references in an attempt to tap the Bill Simmons niche . . . is just lazy. Potentially funny on an Internet message board, possibly amusing on one's personal blog. And complete garbage under the banner of a major media company.