Any journalists here?

[IAmJacksUserName]

I'm taking a shot into the dark here, but I'm wondering if any fellow Bluelighters work in journalism. I myself just celebrated the one-year anniversary of my first real journalism job working as a newspaper reporter, and I am trying to figure out what to do next.

I'm a writer, but as the newspaper I work for is increasingly going digital, I feel the need to become fluent in both photography and videography. I've been told by a lot of people that people usually aren't great writers AND great photographers AND great filmmakers, but I'd like to prove that wrong. So, I'm wondering (and I suppose this goes for non-journalists who produce multimedia content), has anyone ever had any luck juggling all three?

Also, to prevent this thread from going to waste if I'm the only journalist around here, any prospective journalists out there can feel free to ask me questions about breaking into the field. It's probably one of the toughest careers to start at the moment.

 

[Tude]

How'd you get started?

 

[IAmJacksUserName]

I freelanced for a magazine when I was 17, then I wrote for the school newspaper in college. Didn't major it in though– I thought learning it in a classroom was useless so I took an internship with a newspaper in Southeast Asia for a year. Went back to college, then came to Asia again after I got out, where I still work. I just sort of fell into it– I like going to interesting places and talking to interesting people about weird stuff.

Right now, I'm trying to break into high-risk journalism. It's not too hard, given that there have been two riots within half an hour of my apartment in the last weekend. Hope to move on to full blown war journalism when I get more experienced. Which is why I want to learn photography and videography in addition to writing– you're not always going to have someone with you to do that stuff, and if you're going to risk your life for a story you better deliver the goods.

 

[evoboi]

Hey there. I've been thinking about becoming a journalist for a while now... finally got around to taking an online course this semester at a community college. I'm stuck on how to get started...
How did you figure out what to write about based on your own experiences? What kinds of things do you do to improve your writing?

Thanks!

 

[omnipresenthuman]

Seems like a crazy life, that's for sure. This being Bluelight, I'd feel remiss if I didn't bring up Gonzo journalism and how that topic seems to have infinite possibilities dependent upon the substance, setting/time period in which substance was taken in, company of said imbiber, rolled together by the imbiber/writer's narrative capacities. Imagination clearly would play a part as well. The last will and testament inscribed into that monk who set himself aflame in protest in Vietnam in the 60's would have to hold the start to something else...

As an active journalist in a world which is starting to become almost hostile to traditional print journalism, do you, OP, have any thoughts to share on season 5 of the Wire, which focuses on the behind the scenes of journalists working on the 'Baltimore Sun'?

 

[Growth In Recovery]

I guess I would consider myself somewhat of a journalist. Everything from articles about news, technology, and blog posts to press releases and other writing mediums. I honestly enjoy doing it. Gave up a $13.13/ hr job to go after my dream ^.^

 

[easy as]

I'm an active journalist in South East Asia as well. Where are you? I've been writing in Korea, Thailand and China for the last 13 years and am headed home. I have found that jobs are much more plentiful out here then in the US due to the fact that hard print journalism has gone out the window. Now, anyone with a computer and a phone can be a foreign correspondent. Many company's have reduced or eliminated their foreign correspondents in lieu of people on the ground esp. with he increasing need for filler up to the minute content. I'm curious where you are working and what you would like to do in regard to war journalism. There is always the niche, but it seems to be less and less secure. I recommend you watch 'dirty wars' to see some of what is happening around the world to journalists who actually report the truth. He's an example of someone who has been able to break stories and peel back the veneer as to what's going on in the past three administrations. PM me as I have a bunch of questions for you and might be able to help you get in touch with some key players in either Korea or China.

 

[Dark Horse]

I've been a journalist for 20 years in East Asia. It's probably better if I'm not too specific, other than to say I'm a broadcast journalist.

OP, sounds like you're in Thailand. Stick around and it just might be a war, you won't have to go looking for one.

If you're interested in being a videographer, it has probably never been easier to produce decent stuff. I've used some small cameras lately that make it very easy for the operator to focus on what he is filming rather than on keeping the camera still, etc. They're not quite free, but for the quality you get, it's an good investment because you will be a able to start filming pretty much right away.

On your point about writing and filming and anything else that helps you be a better journalist, I'd say it doesn't hurt to keep working on everything. That means the things you might have natural talent for and the things you need to develop. I've been a broadcast journalist now 30 years and I didn't start using a camera until about a dozen years ago. I like that part, and it would help to make me more independent if i knew how to edit.

Good luck

 

[Jerry Atrick]

it would help to make me more independent if i knew how to edit.

You are very knowledgeable about a lot of things related to broadcast and video while I am not, so please do not be offended when I tell you how easy editing is. I'm sure you already have a Macbook Pro computer. Go buy Final Cut Express for a few hundred USD and you can be editing in minutes. Seriously.

If you know how to do Power Point then you can edit. My friend is a videographer and he shot a 30 minute project for me once. We negotiated that if he showed me what to do and I edited it myself, I could get a discounted price. Keep in mind that he was in the room while I did it but as long as you remember Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames (at 30 frames per second) you're golden. The fade-ins and fade-outs can be dropped anywhere like a power point slide.

Good luck.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

You are very knowledgeable about a lot of things related to broadcast and video while I am not, so please do not be offended when I tell you how easy editing is. I'm sure you already have a Macbook Pro computer. Go buy Final Cut Express for a few hundred USD and you can be editing in minutes. Seriously.

If you know how to do Power Point then you can edit. My friend is a videographer and he shot a 30 minute project for me once. We negotiated that if he showed me what to do and I edited it myself, I could get a discounted price. Keep in mind that he was in the room while I did it but as long as you remember Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames (at 30 frames per second) you're golden. The fade-ins and fade-outs can be dropped anywhere like a power point slide.

Good luck.

I just wanted to add that editing the audio must also be taken into consideration.

 

[Dark Horse]

Jerry, I've been making documentaries for the last 14 years, sitting beside editors in a fully professional setup. Quite simply, I've never had to edit anything myself and I've never had anything at home to work on. I spend a lot of time wrapped up in stories I'm putting together, so getting myself set up to edit and doing it will at some stage be a concentrated effort. As I said, I've been watching guys do it for years...the trick will be getting my fingers/brain adjusted to learning where everything is and finding a rhythm. Thanks for your encouragement.