Is there any hope for young journalists?

I don't think there is any hope IF you want to make any real money. Most are agreeing there's no future in print newspapers. If they go all online, I can't see them paying even halfway decent money for reporters/columnists. We shall see, but the fact that MLB.com is using unpaid college students for full 40 hour a week jobs this week would suggest to you there is absolutely no money out there in any form of journalism.
I'm surprised all papers haven't gotten rid of their expensive columnists. They are as expendable as the rest of us.

If you are in your 20s the only responsible thing to say is GET OUT.

 

If you have a job in the business right now, keep it if you can. We should not forget that mostly everyone is in a tough spot no matter what industry they're in.

 

But don't wait for the inevitable layoff to start your planning your escape. Take some c.c. classes or something if need be, but be planning.

 

Is anybody really still married to the idea of newsprint anymore?

I doubt it.

 

It's been almost a decade since I first heard this. I suspect I'll still be hearing it in 2015.

 

I've always wanted to be a sportswriter. I knew that's what I wanted to do when I was coming out of junior high and it's still what I love to do. it's in my heart. it's all I know, all I really want to do. i was also blessed with parents who always supported me, believed in me and encouraged me. they knew i wasn't going to be making a lot of money and I knew it, too. but corny as it might sound, the money has been secondary more times than not. i just like writing and dealing with the sports world. whenever i get down about it or wonder if this is what i oughta be doing, i look around at a lot of my friends and others who absolutely hate going to work and get very little out of it. it's a 9-to-5 routine with about as much excitement as attending a nun's birthday party.
somebody was asking me the other day if i ever get tired of being a sportswriter--i've done it for 20-plus years--and i can honestly say there are few major down times when I wanna say, "enough is enough." the love and enjoyment is still there, even though these days are unpredictable and chaotic as hell.
right now, i can understand why a young journalist would be apprehensive about entering this profession. but I would just say, go with your heart and gut-feeling and the passion that you might have for writing and journalism. and weather the storms that are going to come, regardless of what profession you might choose.

 

As one of MLB.com's paid interns last year, I'm lucky I was there when the going was still good. With that being said, I was wondering what everyone thought on here about all the new "multimedia reporter" jobs. Seems a lot of TV/radio websites want people who can report, blog and do some on-air stuff if necessary.

With some broadcast (and obviously online) experience, I'm wondering if that's the way to survive as a young sports journalist...

 

A professor of mine here at school says there will always be tradeoffs for everything. Become a lawyer to make money, you work 80-hour weeks.

Teaching is just a part-time gig for this guy....he owns four weeklies, works his own hours, and yeah he's taken some blows the same as everyone else in this economy, but says he's stable and works basically whenever he wants. Great guy. Has a great family.

I doubt he'll ever be a millionaire, but he does well for himself and is probably the single happiest person I've ever known in my life. Seriously. It's nuts.

 

Anyone see the Time article from a week or two ago? About how basically newspapers gotta find a way to let people buy their stories on impulse, i.e. iTunes for music.

 

You're right about luck.

I think it's just as important to realize that the opportunities people might have now, especially in newspapers, aren't as realistic a validation of their talent as they might think. For instance, there are a lot of young, high-profile beat writers and columnists who have their jobs partly because older, more talented people were laid off before them. Those opportunities wouldn't have been there 10 years ago. Doesn't mean those young people aren't talented, but it does mean that they're not necessarily nearly as good as they think they are.

The tables can always turn. Nobody should ever forget that.

 

I feel confident in saying I have no doubt it was and is your calling.

 

No. Here's why. From the RMN thread.