Longevity in the business

This week's readings focused on getting in a newsroom and how one stays there. When we had a coffee sit down with Bill Plante, I asked him what was his secret? What is the formula to acquire the longevity (50+ years) that he has in this business? This chapter touched on some of the key factors that allow journalists to stand out as more than reporters but as genuine storytellers. At the top of the list was a lot of characteristics that define the principles of our work such as respecting the public and maintaining accuracy and honesty. The community is giving us access into their lives and into their thoughts and feelings; those things should be taken into account and every story should be handled with care so as not to abuse the generosity of our sources to let us into their world. I think it is also imperative, even in this exhaustive field, to find that spark and that new story to chase. If you are going to last in an ever-changing business like this, you have to adapt and always find something new and interesting to discuss.

"If you work in the media business, it will probably happen to you.You will lose your job." This was the scariest sentence in the chapter but unfortunately I hear all too many journalists speak of the troubled time they had when they lost their job and couldn't find work. My mother happens to work in Human Resources, not in the media realm, but her job function is the same as any other HR manager. Due to her experience terminating people, I am knowledgable of the drill. One thing I liked about this chapter and about this field is that they emphasize the variety of skill sets that come with being a journalist and this book expressed that there are many different career paths one could pursue; so all is not lost. I think this line captures a great lesson, "big interruptions in life may open the door for change that can refresh your spirit and make you grow."

Lastly, as much as this chapter talked about work life, I am glad it made some room to talk about the work/life balance. As selfless as a job this can be, as the book mentions, we need to put our oxygen masks on firsts and take care of ourselves and know what we need to remain mentally, emotionally and physically well to perform our duties because we can't serve others and do our jobs if we are broken ourselves. And just like communication is key in the newsroom, it also is in our relationships. We have to talk about the stress we feel, talk about our long days and let our partners and family know when we need support and also that we support and love them in return.