Young journalist looking for feedback

See? I didn't look over it carefully.

But fortunately, I have people around me who do

In a column about LeBron, it would be helpful to spell his name right.

 

I don't have much to say about the substance of the column, but at one point, he refered to Cavs coach Mike Brown as Mike Davis.

 

Feedback's bad. [SNLJesseJacksonskit/]

 

That's really not a bad start. You write better than most people your age, and you write cleaner.

But there's a difference between commentary with style and a series of gag lines. The better columnists learn the difference between the two. Ask around about better ways to describe things than to use some pop-culture comparison.

 

I can't help it. No one has mentioned pho-real yet? Slipping.

 

Only use "I" if you have to.

 

Don't use I...EVER.

And it's Mike Brown, not Mike Davis. (Yeah, I know, third time it's been mentioned...I'm just being a smart ass)

 

No. 1 rule, make sure you get your facts straight. It is "Teen Wolf Too"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094118/

 

Good movie.

 

Here is the best advice I can give to you kid......

Read every thread about the state of this business, the cuts in jobs, the shrinking circulation, at least twice then enroll in a master's program and begin a career in a different field.....

 

Good point, Zagoshe.

Any J-school that doesn't require students to double-major (for their own sake as much as anything) should be shut down.

 

Max,

I disagree to an extent with zagoshe.

Sure, the future of this business doesn't look too bright sometimes. But there always has been and always will be room in this business for good reporters and story tellers.

If this is what you want to do, then keep asking questions. Read as much as you can, gamers, investigative work, enterprise and columns. Read the other sections. Read Leonard Pitts! Read magazines, books, poems and short stories. Immerse your brain in finding the best words to reflect your reporting.

Be accurate.
Be accurate.
Be accurate.