I write for a dying institution: the print newspaper. This is my first job out of college, and I have to say, as far as first jobs go, it's not too shabby.
Ok, so the pay is mediocre.
But I'm not filing anything--except for my articles, of course--and I don't feel like going postal. At least, not yet.
(Seven months: enough to be chatting with friends on Gmail all day. Not quite enough to start playing solitaire.)
Anyway, I am starting this blog because my pile of articles is starting to lean. Here I will gather my articles in web format, for my own purposes, but also just in case you do not live in Bergen County, NJ and happen to be interested in reading my work. Please note that I will not reproduce articles that I have written up until now. When I have time, I will start posting archives, gathering articles by the month in the form of weblinks without the actual text.
I hope to launch a second blog in coming weeks, linked to this one, telling the story behind my stories. Although I am by no means a photojournalist, that blog will also feature pictures that I take on the job. (Check out my photoblog at http://octoberpoppies.aminus3.com.)
Happy reading!
4 comments:
According to my nonexistent knowledge of Chinese, the link I clicked on either said "Leave a comment" or "Plant a fish". I hope I made the right choice.
I almost always enjoy your articles, though sometimes I do wonder how you manage to bear switching from discussions of post-feminist awareness to articles about shoes being a woman's best friend with phrases like "put those slippers back on, girlfriend". I suppose we must all submit to the almighty customer's needs, especially now with Mr "What JOB is your PRODUCT doing" in charge. Or are shoes actually part of post-feminist consciousness? I'm not sure.
I finally got my first real article in Saturday's paper, first page of E-living section. Only took me a year of working here, heh.
Speaking of mediocre pay and going postal, consider yourself lucky...our whole Obit department is pretty much getting kiboshed as one of Mr. Borg's initiatives. I'll make sure to spare you in my ensuing postal rage upon being downsized. Kidding! (about the postal rage, not about the sparing)
Have fun with your new blog(spot). I've always wanted one to make me look cool and professional, as opposed to being on MySpace with all the 14 year olds.
-Alex
Good job finding "plant a fish." You should have gone into linguistics.
Hm...I'm not too conscious of mind-bending. The thing is, I'm not completey post-feminist myself, and I'm not really a shoe shopper, either. I actually kind of hate shopping. But I'm fairly susceptible to the power of suggestion. When I'm immersed in a feminist exhibit, I find myself thinking in those terms. After talking to 4 women in their 40s and 50s--career women and moms, all--I end up writing something I think they'd enjoy, and that their friends might read, too.
Congrats on your Jade Empire report! I don't get the paper at home on the weekends, but I did get to see it online. I'm not really into gaming (last time someone tried to give me the controls during a FFXII fest, I freaked out mid-battle), but this sounds like I might almost like. Almost.
You'll have to tell me about said downsizing...communication is not always functional across the newsroom about this sort of thing.
Yea, cross-newsroom communication sucks. If you're sitting in the vicinity, you can trade witty banter intermittently, but having to walk all the way across the room and stand at someone's desk until the conversation is over, possibly distracting them from their work in the process, seems to posit a prerequisite of some kind of important purpose. Which I rarely do, so feel free to accost me in passing. I'm always in the mood to vent about my possible pending unemployment.
I like the font - it looks like Gill Sans.
I suspect the reason most of us are on gchat rather than AIM or MSN is because we can surreptitiously use it at work.
Have you ever read Jeff Jarvis? He's a little full of himself, but I think he has valuable ideas about the future of journalism, being both a blogger and a professor of journalism. Recently, he said something along the lines of "if you don't want to get downsized, make sure every story you write cannot be replaced by something off the wire."
Print can't die, because it's still the fastest way to acquire information (reading being much, much faster than listening to someone talk), and people well always need the news, so the news will still come as kind of text. At least until we invent brain implants.
Personally, I think it's just a question of engaging your audience. The Economist does a decent job of assuming their almighty customers are not morons, and presto, they are the most profitable newsweekly in the world.
Post a Comment