Advice for the journalists of tomorrow
Thoughts from a recent journalism placement pitching event
Good evening,
Something different for the digest this week, instead of some useful/interesting links, I thought I’d share some collected thoughts from the University of Central Lancashire’s recent CJAM event.
What is a CJAM? A Careers Jamming Session (I’m reliably informed). In short, there’s a few dozen industry guests (like myself) and after sharing some journalism war stories, sage advice and rambling anecdotes we then get pitched at by students wanting placements, who might have stories, or are seeking advice. They have eight minutes with us, and then they move on. It’s intense. But it’s good practice for them. This video sums it up well from a previous year.
At the end of the event, we dish out placement or other opportunities for the students who are all on journalism, media or sports journalism courses.
It’s become an annual event in my calendar and the same for a number of the industry guests I always see there each year. I always learn a lot too, and the talks from those editing, writing, producing, broadcasting are always inspiring. Well done to Heather, Caroline, Steve, Andy and Gerrie for keeping it going - and to the university events and admin teams who do all the organising behind the scenes too.
Two decades ago I arrived at the same university, in Preston, to study journalism. Much has changed, some things haven’t. I was going to re-hash a post I did ten years ago, when I gave one of the keynote talks at CJAM, but I thought so much has evolved since then it’s crucial to write something fresh. Of course a lot of the old advice on making contacts, writing well etc all still applies but it’s a very different world in 2024 to what it was in 2004 when I arrived (with hair down to my shoulders, hard to picture I know), a leather jacket and the inability to pronounce Penwortham correctly.
What do the journalists of tomorrow need to be aware of? Well, here goes…
Journalism isn’t just being a reporter. Absolutely you’ll be trained in the fundamentals while on any kind of journalism course, be that a degree or short course, but there’s a vast array of different roles in newsrooms of all shapes and sizes. From engagement producers, to people who create and write the graphics for broadcast channels, to social media roles, to podcast producers. All require elements of journalistic nous and skill, and may lead to other roles.
It’s never been easier to be published. From TikTok, to Substack, to Bluesky, to YouTube, to Wordpress. Having some kind of media outlet to keep updated about a topic, or your writing, or videos, or audio, has never been more accessible. This can enable you to create stories for a real audience, even if it’s small. As well as self-publishing, look for opportunities where someone else is then publishing that work (even if it’s on their own self-published media operation).
Be consistent. I write every day. Even if it’s a short breaking news piece for Blog Preston. Do something every day, or every week, set yourself a false deadline to do that thing. Consistency builds competence, which builds trust, which helps you build and retain an audience.
You’re unlikely to be brilliant at everything (learn who is though). Ok, granted, someone else might be but the vast majority of us will have a natural strength in something. Newsrooms and media titles need a variety of people and skills for them to function. You might be fantastic at picking up the phone and convincing people to give you the comment needed or you might equally be fantastic at reading stories and picking out the key line and crucial details - and spotting errors before they go out there to an audience. Some people are brilliant in front of a camera or a microphone, some are much better behind it - both needs each other to function. I can make a social video (if needed) but I know lots of people who can do it brilliantly - I’d always make sure it’s them doing it, not me.
Do your research and don’t be afraid to ask what, how and why. Even if it’s five minutes before you talk to someone. Have a quick appreciation of what they do, who they work for and what is happening within their world. You’re not going to be an expert in everything, that’s why you interview people who have a deeper knowledge of topics. Ask them to explain things, don’t pretend to know stuff you don’t - what is that? what does that stand for? why does that matter? how does that work? Asking questions which gain information, that you can then explain, is a fundamental and increasingly important (and under-rated) journalistic skill. You will often find informational pieces of content, be that written or broadcast, perform better than ‘killer stories’ or ‘news lines’. Because they relate and help readers or viewers understand the world.
Listen. Really listen. The best stories are often in what someone isn’t saying.
Be connected - both online and offline. Save phone numbers, add that person on LinkedIn, build a list of useful people/interesting contacts about a topic on X or LinkedIn, follow the brand account on Facebook, subscribe to the podcast they do. You won’t see every update, you won’t need every contact every day, but once there you can access them.
Stuff won’t always go right. You’ll have days when no one gets back to you. You’ll have days when no breaking news happens. Those are the days to do the rather dull bits of journalism people don’t tell you about, not every day is an adrenaline fuelled rush. Put that Freedom of Information request in, read those stories or blog posts you meant to get round to, reply to that email from a contact, a PR, or someone else you’ve been meaning to, listen to that podcast, take that detour on the way home. You might find the story you didn’t know you were looking for.
Think about where the story will go. I was impressed by how many of the story pitches had already thought about how they would ensure an audience would discover their story - maybe through creating a social video version or having put thought into online communities like Facebook groups, Reddit threads or elsewhere they would look to involve or share the story into. Just publishing or broadcasting is not enough - the best journalists I know have an idea of who they are writing for and who may share it on. Not all stories will lend themselves to this, but it’s a very useful thought process to get into.
How did you start out? Every journalist, editor, anyone in a newsroom, anyone in any business to be fair, will be happy to tell you how they got to where they are. Most will mention the words ‘luck’ etc. What you will notice is there isn’t a common path. You’ll tread your own. It’s a good question to ask when you’re in an awkward lull in conversation when on a work placement too.
If you’ve found this post useful, then there’s always a more emotive post I wrote about what my late Dad taught me about being an editor (even though he was never a journalist). It’s one of the things I’m proudest of writing in my career and I’m pleasantly surprised when people randomly mention it.
That’s this week’s digest, my words of advice are just one of what are no doubt many out there, and there’s people writing more consistently on this topic like the superb Journo Resources which really every journo course should be getting a rolling group subscription to for their students to access on day one of their studies.
Hope you’re having a good week, good luck for the rest of it and keep going.
Ed