Can you start in news and move to sports??

I think a news background will only help you as a sports reporter. At some of the papers I worked at, there was always a general annoyance when a news-related sports story had to be kicked to the news side because the sports reporters didn't know where to go with it. Get a guy or girl who can handle that and it's a boon for the department.

I personally started out with a varied position: two nights on news desk, one day as a news reporter, one day as a sports reporter and one day on the sports desk. That got to be a hassle because I'd be getting calls for stories when I was working the desk, et., but overall, I think it was a terrific way to start my career. Picked up a ton of valuable things in each role that have helped a lot as I've progressed.

 

Going the other way (sports to news) is probably more common, likely because of the aforementioned difference in the number of jobs available. Also because sportswriters tend to make very good news writers (and I say that having worked most of my career in news and business).
But news to sports is certainly done, and do-able. A good story is a good story, and the key is to be very good at finding and telling them; if you can do that, people don't worry so much about what section you write for.

 

Good people won't. But there certainly are a lot of newsies who don't respect sports writers as real journalists and wouldn't hire one.

 

yes, i made the jumpback in the day at a major metro. started doing high school sports, then moved cityside to work the overnight shift, then days. really helped hone the reporting skills. nothing like interviewing cops for info. great learning tool.

but it helps to cozy up to folks in sports to let 'em know that's where your heart is. worked out tremendously for me. i've been truly blessed.

for pure writing joy, sports trumps newside every time, imo. a good sportswriter can switch to news without missing a beat, i contend. nt sure of the other way around. but that's another issue.

best of luck.

 

If you're doing the cops beat, there's no question that will get you ready to work on any section... If you're doing city council meetings and covering the groundbreaking at the local Applebees, not so much...

 

agreed. zzzzzzzzzz. : : :

 

news reporters don't have to be as nice and obsequious to get information - a lot of it is in public records or public meetings, or fed to them for political purposes.

in other words, as a news reporter you are not as dependent on the day-by-day mood of sources. sportswriters have to suck up more than news reporters.

 

What are you talking about?
If all you're doing as a news writer is sitting in public meetings and being a tool of the politicians, you're not doing a very good job. Everything else, i.e., the good stuff, requires just as much digging as sportswriting does. Usually more, since little of the good stuff on the news side happens in a giant stadium, with a press box and media availability afterward.

 

I don't

I don't think he was putting down news reporters or the difficulty of their jobs. A lot of times I've considered the switch, including an offer to work cops that I agonized over, it was because I liked the idea of being a little bit more of an unapologetic hardass.

Sports people are so unbelievably sensitive, it wears me out sometimes.

 

Any tips of hints for my interview. I am confident, but I'll take any help I can get!!!

Go Cardinals!!!!!

 

Yeah, dial it down a notch or two. Enthusiasm's fine. But to survive this business - or probably just about any, but especially this one - you have to stay on a bit more of an even keel. Not saying don't work your ass off or leave it all on the field. But the stuff you have to cover in this business make it an absolute roller coaster. Four and five exclamation points might make a hiring editor wonder if you're hard-boiled enough to make it through.

 

I started out in news at weekly, where I basically learned to do everything in a newsroom, and then moved to a daily for sports after 4 years. Been doing it for 8 years now. It can be done, and done well.