SiteIn Tough Times, the Joys of Journalism
This guest post is by Elaine Grant, a former editor at Inc. and current health and science reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. Elaine’s course on Magazine Writing Basics starts on Monday…sign up today!
I just sent two tweets out in rapid succession and realized that I sound like someone with multiple personalities. On Friday morning, for my job as a public radio reporter, I’ll cover a hearing at the New Hampshire Public Utility Commission on renewable energy. But it’s only 7:00 now, and I got up early to write a draft of a story on female condoms for a national magazine. Weird? Not to me, at least not until I saw it in tweet form.
For me, one of the joys of being a journalist – be it freelance or on staff – is the luxury we have to learn about all kinds of things and to meet all kinds of people. I love the access, the opportunity given to us to ask whatever obnoxious questions we want. One of my cats is named Curious, and it doesn’t just suit him – it suits me. Just this week alone, I investigated tango-dancing entrepreneurs, dipped into same-sex marriage, interviewed a U.N. representative about female sex workers in Asia, and talked to a biologist about endangered piping plovers. It’s like a free gourmet buffet for a voracious foodie.
What keeps you going? Why did you choose this storytelling profession? What opportunities do you take to satisfy your curiosity – and which ones are missing? Comment on this blog or send me a tweet at @eapplegrant. I’m curious.
5 Responses to “In Tough Times, the Joys of Journalism”
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QuinnCreative
Said this on May 15th, 2009 at 10:58am:For many years, I thought everyone was interested in everything, all the time. Slowly it dawned on me that a lot of people don’t care about how things work, how they got that way, why things happen. I kept my secret, asking a lot of questions. I could say that because I wasn’t pretty, I had to be interesting, and it would be true. But now that I’m older, and pretty is off the table, I’m glad I want to know things. It makes having conversations all that easier.
What I still find surprising is how my clients react. “You can’t be both a writer and a trainer,” or “What? You are an artist? I thought you were a writer?” So limiting.
The joys of writing — even during tough times « Finding Your Voice
Said this on May 15th, 2009 at 1:11pm:[...] blog post over at The Renegade Writer blog on the joys of journalism even during tough times got me thinking [...]
Elaine Grant
Said this on May 15th, 2009 at 2:36pm:Yeah — the tyranny of specialization. I’m kind of a funny beast — I believe in having beats, because specializing in just one or two broad areas does a couple of good things. It makes writers more appealing to editors, and it gives a writer confidence in his or her knowledge base. Finally, when you cover a beat, you get to know the players, and thus year hear about more stories — so reporting one spawns the next, and the next, and so on. On the other hand, obviously I’m pretty flexible, and curious about a wide variety of things! And that keeps life — and journalism – fun and interesting.
Elaine
http://www.twitter.com/eapplegrant
wordwych
Said this on May 15th, 2009 at 3:58pm:I’ve settled into primarily human interest stories, where I can meet cool people and tell their stories. I love discovering The Story – and everyone has one.
I love the unpredictability of what I do – in the past two weeks, I’ve interviewed two high school seniors who did their senior projects on Alzheimer’s in order to share the effects of the disease on their families, two women who pulled themselves out the downward spiral of drug addiction and jail time, a woman who has become active in endorsing organ donorship after her daughter’s death, and several folks who get together and kick up their heels doing ballroom dance. Today, I shook Jack Hannah’s hand (yes, THAT Jack Hannah), took photos, and got the opportunity to stroke a young cheetah’s fur. In two weeks, I’ll be speaking at a veteran’s appreciation day gathering, encouraging local vets (WWII and on up) to share their stories to be preserved in three local town halls for future inclusion in an area museum.
My job kicks a**!!!!!
wordwych
Said this on May 15th, 2009 at 4:02pm:Oops – brainfart! It’s Jack Hanna, not Hannah.