Looking For Opinionated Journalists

[da man]

I don't want to crap all over your idea here because ambition is good. It's much better to be out there trying to do something different than just expecting a job will be there after college.

But there are a lot of issues with this idea. First off, making money as a freelancer isn't some impossible, Herculean task. Plenty of college kids make money writing, so this idea that it's almost a necessity to write for free is foolish. You'd be better off developing a relationship with your local sports editor than you will writing for this website.

My biggest issue is the fact it'll all be opinion-driven. It might be one of the biggest issues with young journalists today. Everyone wants to fire off a opinion, and worse, thinks they are worthy of weighing in on everything. I'm sorry but more often than not I'm not going to give a **** about what some 20-year old thinks. I don't want to come off as some old-timer here but there used to be value in the columnist because you knew they had experienced some things and it was reflected in their perspective. A 20-year old college junior hasn't experienced enough to be fairly able to weigh in on that many subjects, especially if the website has a national scope.

Personally, I'd be much more inclined to hire a kid who busted his butt stringing HS preps and showing he could actually report than someone who just fired off hot take opinions for this website. Take that for whatever it's worth.

Yup. Show you can break news. That's worth paying for.

 

[Daniel T]

Then post it on a college website. This is a job board for professionals. That means cash for content.

You have your professional journalism license? Sorry. I didn't know. Simply looking for help. If it doesn't apply to you, don't sniff there. Simple as that.

 

[da man]

You have your professional journalism license? Sorry. I didn't know. Simply looking for help. If it doesn't apply to you, don't sniff there. Simple as that.

I cash my professional license at the bank.

 

[Daniel T]

Yeah, this is just flat-out false. Plenty of papers are looking for college-aged writers to cover local prep events. You can never have too many freelancers when you are a sports editor and your staff is already stretched wafer thin. Now, the pay isn't great, but there is pay, plus the added benefit of being published in a paper. That is going to look more impressive on a resume than writing for free on a sports opinion site.

I take it you went to a school with plenty of local schools around. Where I'm located we have two papers that you could feasibly work for. They cover terrible high school sports teams. Not a ton of jobs around. I'm sure that's the case with a ton of colleges. It also would offer the ability to write on top of anything you do and we air podcasts and videocasts. That's one of the biggest demand in the era of modern journalism.

 

[Daniel T]

I cash my professional license at the bank.

Congrats. You are part of the reason the field of journalism is a dying breed. Check any online source, most writers have to do free writing at some point in their professional career now.

 

[JCT89]

I take it you went to a school with plenty of local schools around. Where I'm located we have two papers that you could feasibly work for. They cover terrible high school sports teams. Not a ton of jobs around. I'm sure that's the case with a ton of colleges. It also would offer the ability to write on top of anything you do and we air podcasts and videocasts. That's one of the biggest demand in the era of modern journalism.

Says who? There are plenty of people that do podcasts, but never had a boss or employer demand that I do one. Employers want people who can write and report. Period.

One final point of advice: Don't come on this board and ask for advice, and then start demeaning professional journalists when they tell you maybe your idea isn't the best. You want someone to tell you everything you do is great? Call your family. But there has been some good advice in this thread and you don't seem to care because it doesn't back up what you want.

 

[da man]

Congrats. You are part of the reason the field of journalism is a dying breed. Check any online source, most writers have to do free writing at some point in their professional career now.

But they don't post a call for them here.

Oh, and if it's free writing, it's not a professional career.

 

[playthrough]

Congrats. You are part of the reason the field of journalism is a dying breed. Check any online source, most writers have to do free writing at some point in their professional career now.

That is absolutely wrong. Perhaps if the "online source" is a personal BlogSpot blog. But I don't see any writers on ESPN.com who were giving away their intellectual capital before cracking the big time. It doesn't work that way, nor should it. Actually, journalism dies a little bit when someone gives someone else a story for free.

I will you give credit in one area, Daniel T. Usually these "ads" don't see a second day.

 

[PaperClip529]

Moved to freelance (which I should have done earlier, sorry gang). And JCT89 makes a tremendous point. I had an opinion column at my college paper and reading those old pieces now makes me want throw up. Of course I had nothing to say. But I also made a point of getting in touch with the editor of the small local paper and that led to better (paid) things.

Re-reading your hot takes from college is the worst.

 

[Zach_James]

Moved to freelance (which I should have done earlier, sorry gang). And JCT89 makes a tremendous point. I had an opinion column at my college paper and reading those old pieces now makes me want throw up. Of course I had nothing to say. But I also made a point of getting in touch with the editor of the small local paper and that led to better (paid) things.

Yeah, this is just flat-out false. Plenty of papers are looking for college-aged writers to cover local prep events. You can never have too many freelancers when you are a sports editor and your staff is already stretched wafer thin. Now, the pay isn't great, but there is pay, plus the added benefit of being published in a paper. That is going to look more impressive on a resume than writing for free on a sports opinion site.

I wish I had written for the local newspaper covering preps as a college-aged writer. Instead, I was like Daniel T and thought writing for free for online outlets was the way to go. I don't need to reiterate what all these posters have said already. Reporting on preps may not seem as sexy as a "hot take," but it's more respected and probably will get more views.

 

[KJIM]

I take it you went to a school with plenty of local schools around. Where I'm located we have two papers that you could feasibly work for. They cover terrible high school sports teams. Not a ton of jobs around. I'm sure that's the case with a ton of colleges. It also would offer the ability to write on top of anything you do and we air podcasts and videocasts. That's one of the biggest demand in the era of modern journalism.

"They cover terrible high school sports teams." - Just so you know, covering sports isn't supposed to be sexy. You will cover lousy teams with horrible people in boring cities if you go down this road. That doesn't mean you write lousy, horrible and boring stories. It's your job to turn cut through that and find the stories that interest the reader.

"That's one of the biggest demand [sic] in the era of modern journalism." - Can you cite some facts to back this up? I'm curious, because I freaking hate the video and have never listened to a podcast. I know *putting it out there is all the rage* but is the audience for it in begging for more? I certainly won't sit and search for sound bites from my favorite player/team/etc. I cannot stand "reporters" opining about their pet topics and never, ever click crap like that. I'd be interested to see where the audience is demanding more, especially from unproven reporters.

 

[rcsoxfan]

Hate to tell you but if it ant payin it ain't likely gonna get many pro writers. The guys you mentioned Stephen a. Blowhard and such, aren't in the same boat as most of us on here.

 

[cjericho]

"We produce content for any and every professional sport, including eSports if that interests you."

At times, I dominate home run derby on Wii sports. Does that count as eSports?

 

[joe_schmoe]

I'd chime in (with perhaps some actual helpful tips for Daniel's sure to fail site), but my opinion isn't free.

 

[NCWriter]

Here's my question, what are you gaining by writing for belowmendoza.Com that a site like SB Nation or Fansided would not offer? Even if they don't pay you it has some sort of brand reckoning on and credibility that would stand out more on a resume than writing some opinion pieces for some random site. If you want to go the free route, and work with out money for resume purposes, why not go to something credible?

 

[georgealfano]

Daniel: Ask yourself this question - if you are in or have recently graduated from college, how will a clip from your proposed site impress a sports editor?

It is probably more likely that a sports editor would be inclined to take a negative view if these are the only type of writing samples you submit to get a job.

You want to cover the world with your website. I think you need to focus on something specific. Like a lot of young people (myself included 30 years ago), you are thinking about me rather than we. What do you have to offer to an editor? Think about the reader who reads your article/podcast/website content more and think of your writing less.