196. Journalist Covers Career and Workplace Beat Like a Pro

“I entered an essay writing contest when I was, I think, 13, something like What America Means to Me. And I remember my social studies teacher calling me at home to tell me I had won $25. Later, as a junior in high school, to fill a slot for my schedule, I took a journalism class. The very first day, the teacher gave us a writing exercise, and I literally felt electrified. I can remember thinking, ‘Oh my, this is the most fantastic thing I’ve ever been a part of. This is so cool. I love this!’”

“Reading was something I grasped very quickly, and loved. And I had two sisters, and one of them, who was seven years older, was an avid reader. Early on, she was giving me books that were more suited for junior high kids—challenging—but I managed to get through them. That set the tone for challenging myself as a reader. I think that’s an important part of being a writer: read good writers. Learn and study what they do to learn your craft.”

Good journalistic principles still matter, whatever the medium. “When things were shifting so fast online, and everybody was getting into writing and saying, ‘Oh, what do we need journalists for?’ Well, I think we can see why we need journalists. I don’t think people appreciate the amount of training we go through to do what we do. There are people online who call themselves journalists who really are not. They’re not following the path that journalists are trained to do – which is to stick to the facts and put out impartial information.”

1. Take your professionalism and career path seriously.

2. Don’t deal in rumors, in writing or in life.

3. Exercise your curiosity, ask probing questions, challenge your mind and your skills.

4. Do your work with an eye toward helping others.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Ann of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery