What gem of wisdom would you pass along to a hopeful journalist/writer?

Internships are key. If you look at the people who walked into top jobs straight out of school, most did so because of top internships.

Of course, now the key is NOT GOING INTO JOURNALISM.

 

1. Learn to be a great reporter
2. Learn to write well and with organization
3. Become fluent in Spanish (or another language that will serve you)
4. Develop technology skills -- video, a little html, etc.

 

Exactly. That's what I meant - if you're going to give it a try, at least give yourself a fighting chance. All this stuff about learning how to write and reading everything you see, etc,. etc., is nice and idealistic, but the truth is that you also have to be a bit of a cutthroat careerist. This isn't football where if you run a 4.3, someone will find you no matter what. Doesn't work that way here.

 

Sirs, Madames,

I'm probably the only Canadian hockey type with conversational Spanish. Fat lot of good it did me. (Great for baseball tho'.)

I tried to impress upon the kids I taught this year the value of reading everything--high and low--and parsing it, determining what makes it work. And I tried to impress upon them that you could/should be constantly evolving in your trade. Back when that meant trying to do different types of journalism, moving from one field to the next, GA to investigative/enterprise, what-have-you. Now I think it's about acquiring skills in new media and learning how to get the biggest return on the available technology.

I said "I tried" because I know that my messages failed 98 percent of the time.

The best will figure it out for themselves. The next-best might latch on and put in time. The bronze-medallists will be stocking shelves at Wal-Mart.

YD&OHS, etc

 

Never get comfortable, whether its with your job security or your beat or your sources, etc. Always be trying to improve yourself and your position.

 

And, of course, don't get drunk at the office Christmas party and hit on the publisher's wife.

 

Don't be afraid to work for peanuts if it gets your foot in the door. And I think internships are important. I was several thousand in debt after mine, but it was well worth it because it was my 17-week chance to catch the eye of someone who could help me.

 

Some people just don't get this. I'm shocked how many people can't give up a summer with the fellas or the boyfriend/girlfriend to lock down their future.

 

Get. The F**K Out. Now.

 

Saw this in a story about a retiring journalist and I'm stealing it.
"The smaller the community, the more important you are to it."

 

Aside from telling them to choose a more prosperous profession...

READ.
Don't be afraid to take chances in your writing. Some things work, some things don't, but by going the safe route, you'll never know.
Saying that, leave slang and SportsCenter stuff out.
If you say you're going to do something, follow through.