right/write/written

The rewards of journalism

            While many formats are available to the public, the newspaper maintains its historical niche and uniquely challenges television, the Internet and radio.  Whatever the future holds, such as portable BlackBerry PDA’s and multifunction cell phones, all linked to the available broadcast medias, these new systems show off a new technology that would keep the reader instantly up to date.  In all news media, any worthwhile story takes a motivated journalist to decide what is important enough for a reader to consume, or what would sound interesting.  

Sifting through the thousands of worldwide events, local happenings, or human-interest sidebars is a challenging responsibility for anyone who wants to write or supply news for the public.  Instant awareness of important events give audio and visual news outlets a certain shock value, but full disclosure and understanding will always remain the mainstay of newspapers, magazines and properly researched articles.  It may take longer to read about an event, but more accurate and in-depth knowledge will always appeal to inquiring and well informed minds.

            For a writer, a blank page is a fantastic canvass that can hold anything the writer wants to compose.  Of all the things to write, the spark and enthusiasm of living on the edge of current events, witnessing action that just happened is both a thrill and challenge to decide what a waiting public wants to know.  Choosing what interests the well informed can be a matter of opinion, or a talent that allows the writer to instinctively hone in on what is exciting and newsworthy; something horrible and shocking but nevertheless an aftermath people are curious about.  

Covering a cat stuck in a tree is somewhat mundane, but if the tree had fallen on a key hydro transformer, or inadvertently created some other tragic chain of events, then the story would develop a life of its own, and become newsworthy.  Deciding what makes a story is a major aspect of reporting, and one of the main reasons I would embrace my love of writing to be a journalist.

Without fictionalizing the event, a good article can be the most memorable description a person reads, but only if it sparkles with the life and energy of a passionate journalist.  Listing facts can be as dull as dish washing, but add some style, and you can make it shine as a report that holds attention and stimulates interest, no matter how humdrum the event might be.

            I would find reporting a career that combines a love of writing with the necessity of living on the brink of daily events.  Such a profession would be tremendously rewarding and exciting.  Writing to educate the public, expose injustice or uncover and shine a light into something that was deliberately hidden, would take hard work and benefit from enthusiasm.  

Uncovering lies, or unraveling some shady spin doctoring, would talent to recognize an inconsistent cover story and demand good detective work; noticing things that don’t ring true, or spotting an inconsistency in an explanation are the hallmarks of a good reporter.  These are some of the reasons I have pursued a career in writing