Should working at a large daily still be a journalist's goal?

[newspaperman]

With large dailies — most recently in Alabama — announcing voluntary buyouts and other large newspapers constantly cutting ties with experienced journalists, is it better to work at small organization? It seems working at a small paper in a podunk town almost guarantees a job, seeing that a large percentage of readers don't have internet.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Happiness and job security should be a journalist's goal. In most cases, those two are tied very closely together.

I think being a big fish in a medium-sized pond would offer much better job security than being a medium or smaller fish in a big pond.

 

[Harry Doyle]

It seems working at a small paper in a podunk town almost guarantees a job, seeing that a large percentage of readers don't have internet.

I suppose if you get a newspaper job in rural Ethiopia.

 

[newspaperman]

Harry Doyle, you'd be amazed at the number of people here in the Southern town I work who do not know how to use the computer or a smart phone. They still depend on our daily paper or TV broadcast to get news. Unemployment is over 20 percent here and boarded-up neighborhoods are rampant. The last thing on these people's to-buy list is a computer.

 

[Gator]

Two words: Family-owned.

 

[Mystery Meat II]

Happiness and job security should be a journalist's goal. In most cases, those two are tied very closely together.

I think being a big fish in a medium-sized pond would offer much better job security than being a medium or smaller fish in a big pond.

Even given the size of the papers, I think the opposite might be true. Big fish in this day and age are the ones that get cut first for having the highest salaries. Smaller fish are more likely to swim under the layoff sonar.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Happiness and job security should be a journalist's goal. In most cases, those two are tied very closely together.

I think being a big fish in a medium-sized pond would offer much better job security than being a medium or smaller fish in a big pond.

Even given the size of the papers, I think the opposite might be true. Big fish in this day and age are the ones that get cut first for having the highest salaries. Smaller fish are more likely to swim under the layoff sonar.

Prep guys are usually the most immune to layoffs. That's because, not only are they cheap, but if they don't cover that stuff, nobody will.

But if you're the main beat writer for a SEC team in a SEC town, I think it's safe to say you're not worried about job security.

 

[ColdCat]

Trust me, there is no job security in a small-town, family owned paper either.
My goal right now is to be part of a sports department that consists of more than just one person.

 

[spikechiquet]

Trust me, there is no job security in a small-town, family owned paper either.
My goal right now is to be part of a sports department that consists of more than just one person.

This.
Working in family-owned doesn't always mean Daddy Warbucks is a bright, good, jolly ole' egg...

...or he just let's Jr. play while daddy's away and Jr. enjoys his golf club membership and dinners with the wife (who's on the payroll while other jobs get cut around them) at the expensive places in town while it's a daily struggle to put out the paper because of lack of bodies in the newsroom and lack of hours in a week since you're hamstrung by no OT and "budget cuts" mean a 12.5% decrease in hours allowed per week.

Then again...I could be wrong.

 

[I Should Coco]

This was my goal when I started out -- specifically, to work at the Chicago Tribune.

That was several career moves and many morale-busting budget cuts ago.

The goal for me now, at my 22,000-circulation daily, is to do my best for a paper that occasionally makes a difference and informs readers about important news ... WHILE ALSO enjoying family life and the great outdoors here in the Northwest.

As others have mentioned, having a job that contributes to a balanced, overall happy life is the most important "goal."

 

[Editude]

It's difficult, too, when you've worked at major metros and would like to scale back to a smaller pond. Questions are raised about salary and the something-must-have-gone-wrong assumption.

 

[JakeandElwood]

It was my dream to work on the biggest beat at my hometown paper when I first decided I was interested in journalism in high school.

Realizing I no longer aspired to that was one of the reasons I ended up getting out.

 

[Justin Biebler]

Trust me, there is no job security in a small-town, family owned paper either.
My goal right now is to be part of a sports department that consists of more than just one person.

This.
Working in family-owned doesn't always mean Daddy Warbucks is a bright, good, jolly ole' egg...

...or he just let's Jr. play while daddy's away and Jr. enjoys his golf club membership and dinners with the wife (who's on the payroll while other jobs get cut around them) at the expensive places in town while it's a daily struggle to put out the paper because of lack of bodies in the newsroom and lack of hours in a week since you're hamstrung by no OT and "budget cuts" mean a 12.5% decrease in hours allowed per week.

Then again...I could be wrong.

It all depends on the situation I guess. Working for a large chain struggling beneath a crushing debt load or doing everything it can to cut bodies to maintain profits like Gannett has to be scary when you see that your chain is planning more layoffs.
As for family-owned papers, again it depends on the situation. I know of a couple family-owned dailies around my area that have had the utilities cut for not paying the bills. While at ours (a 21,000 6-day circ) we have had no layoffs during the economic downturn and still have a sports staff of four full-timers and two part-timers.
There are good places to work, that care about the product and the people who produce it and then there are others just scraping to get by.

 

[TheHacker]

It was my dream to work on the biggest beat at my hometown paper when I first decided I was interested in journalism in high school.

Realizing I no longer aspired to that was one of the reasons I ended up getting out.

Wow, do I ever know what this feels like. Sometimes it's nice to know there are others out there having the same experience you are.

 

[Rhody31]

My goal when I was younger was to work for the big paper in the state.
When i got my first job out of college, I didn't think it was that big of a deal - and this was at a APSE Top 10 winner - because it was a small-town paper.
I still aspire to work at the big paper, but it won't make or break my career if I don't. My goal now is to just become the most well-respected sports journo in the state and put out a quality product every day (or week, in this case). So far, so good.

 

[friend of the friendless]

Sirs, Madames,

At the risk of seeming esoteric, my goal has always been good work more than a good job. No one has ever accused me of being a careerist and some would hang anti-careerist on me. I've worked at large dailies and for national magazines and I can't say that either sated a life's ambition. When I tried to get into the business it wasn't a job that attracted me but rather a chance to write about occasionally interesting characters and events.

YHS, etc

YHS, etc

 

[lesboulez]

"Well all I'm saying is that I want to look back and say that I did it the best I could while I was stuck in this place. Had as much fun as I could when I was stuck in this place. Played as hard as I could when I was stuck in this place. Dogged as many chicks as I could when I was stuck in this place."

 

[spikechiquet]

My goal is to touch as many souls as possible.

And when I mean touch, I mean "have sex with"

And when I mean souls, I mean "hot soccer moms"

 

[RedCanuck]

I don't know, I always was a sucker for the idea of "community" journalism — having a hand in everything your paper is doing, being small enough you can connect with sources and readers — and I've enjoyed doing that.

Still, I wouldn't mind trying a sports beat in a bigger market if it comes up, it would be different work, but still rewarding.

As for the whole pay/job security market, I'm making less than I'm worth where I'm at, but I still have a job. I chose an independent/small chain with just two papers and advancement isn't as easy as somewhere with internal postings. Then again, I look at some people who left for bigger chains and they're out of work within a year. I'm not sure there's any set formula, just know the company you're going to go to work for and make sure you can enjoy the job that they're asking you to do.

 

[newspaperman]

My goal is to touch as many souls as possible.

And when I mean touch, I mean "have sex with"

And when I mean souls, I mean "hot soccer moms"

This is the greatest post I have ever read on this forum.