Former Journalists: What did ye go on to do?

Sunny Disposition

Like many others I'd like to get out of journalism, but that's what I'm qualified to do and have done for ten years. Anyone left journalism to do something else and how did it go for you?

jmcc

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Like many others I'd like to get out of journalism, but that's what I'm qualified to do and have done for ten years. Anyone left journalism to do something else and how did it go for you?

I've always been a Techie but I wrote about technology and the business of technology. The problem with writing about technology in Ireland is that it is a small market based in Dublin and populated almost completely by people who haven't a clue about technology or the business of technology. Most of them have no background in technology. It is a source of continual amazement that they don't blow themselves up while turning on their iPads. Competing with churnalism (press releases recycled as news with a top and tail) and self-indulgent lifestyle windbaggery masquerading as informed opinion was a waste of time.

Being a Techie is an advantage as it creates more options. It can be tough but it is always interesting.

Regards...jmcc

Corkbah

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Like many others I'd like to get out of journalism, but that's what I'm qualified to do and have done for ten years. Anyone left journalism to do something else and how did it go for you?

what did you do before journalism ? what business contacts did you make during your time in journalism - might be worth calling one of them up and asking if they know of any jobs in his/her sector which you might be interested in.

monument

jmcc wrote: »

Most of them have no background in technology.

Thankfully most crime correspondents don't have a background in crime or policing.

Most war correspondents don't have a military background. Most pol cors are not and have not been politicians. Etc.

It can be a blessing or a curse for a journalist to have a background in the subject they are covering. But having an in-depth knowledge can be as good as and sometimes better than having worked in the area.

To be very clear: I'm not going discussing tech journalism with you.

Gekko

Quite a few hacks have become extremely well-paid press officers or advisors to Ministers recently.

Kathleen Barrington, Liam Reid and the former Education editor/correspondent at the Indo to name but three.

There aren't many journalists making what they're making now and they won't have as good a pension package either.

kat.mac

I became an in-house press officer (not for a politician though, and not very well paid!). Glad I made the jump. Enjoy crafting my organisation's message and many of the contacts made as a journalist have stood to me.

Snickers Man

Some of the jobs done by people I know (of) who were once journalists.

Lawyer.

University lecturer.

Schoolteacher.

Park attendant.

Shopkeeper.

And of course there are always those who sell their souls and go into PR......

Cork Boy

jmcc wrote: »

I've always been a Techie but I wrote about technology and the business of technology. The problem with writing about technology in Ireland is that it is a small market based in Dublin and populated almost completely by people who haven't a clue about technology or the business of technology. Most of them have no background in technology. It is a source of continual amazement that they don't blow themselves up while turning on their iPads. Competing with churnalism (press releases recycled as news with a top and tail) and self-indulgent lifestyle windbaggery masquerading as informed opinion was a waste of time.

Regards...jmcc

Thank you - I can now refer to what passes for journalism in Ireland by it's proper title.

OP - why do you want out? Is it that copying and pasting press releases and staying 'on message' was not what you envisioned when you wanted to become a journalist in the first place?

Sunny Disposition

It's just sh!t, not so much the work but the fact the industry is screwed and is run by people who won't take the most obvious steps to counteract the challenges being faced. Has been in decline since I finished college, nearly ten years ago and the end is near for many publications, the figures published last week show it again.
Cork Boy, do you know if a free paper is still going in Charleville, the Golden Vale advertiser, used to know someone involved with starting it, just wondering if it survived the downturn.

Michael O Toole

Chin up, people. There is a future for journalism. It's just a question of the model emerging, as it will. I'm hopeful for tablets.

HalloweenJack

English teacher.

jmcc

Michael O Toole wrote: »

Chin up, people. There is a future for journalism. It's just a question of the model emerging, as it will. I'm hopeful for tablets.

Apparently Prozac is one of the good ones. Seriously though, writing for the web, tablets and mobile devices might be closer to the "tabloid" form of journalism where ideas and prose are compressed so that they don't waste the time of the reader and appeal to a wide audience. Writing well in this style is a lot more difficult than it looks as it requires that the journalist actually understands what they are talking about and is able to explain it simply.

Regards...jmcc

IRE60

Michael O Toole wrote: »

Chin up, people. There is a future for journalism. It's just a question of the model emerging, as it will. I'm hopeful for tablets.

Me tooooo! Prozac is a favorite.

beks101

Have you tried your hand at Radio or TV Sunny D or is your business exclusively print?

Cork Boy

Sunny Disposition wrote: »

Cork Boy, do you know if a free paper is still going in Charleville, the Golden Vale advertiser, used to know someone involved with starting it, just wondering if it survived the downturn.

I'm more in the Southern Star area so I don't know about the Golden Vale Advertiser I'm afraid.

For those of you talking about a new on-line model, so long as copied and pasted press releases/advertisements are being passed off as "news" by a "reporter", people will continue to go elsewhere for their news.

Just look at today's shameless example

Word Count: 530
Reporters Own Words: 180
Of Which Are Not Actually Own: 82

IRE60

Oh Jasus – it head in the sand stuff with some media organisations “with that whole interweb thing”!

Not only have they done the bidding of some spin doctor by vomiting back their press release into an ‘advertorial’ but in the process have committed a cardinal sin.

Content with spewing up this drivel again (and most likely getting paid for it) the article is suspicious in it looks like its been paid for – although not specified in the web version –anyone got a hard copy so see how it’s presented there?

But they have a link in the story flowing back to the Supervalue site. Recent ‘advertorials’ in a rake of UK and Irish regional websites for Interflora lead to Google manually adjusting both the papers and the flowers sellers ranking in search results (a penalty) because it was deemed to be selling links – something not allowed by Google.

This was a much publicised case and must have missed the Cork regional for them to risk the same wrath.

If you’re interested in media websites and web/seo/google/et al –
http://www.davidnaylor.co.uk/interflora-what-really-happened.html

jmcc

The churnalism seems to be quite prevalent in what passes for the technology press. I'm still on some mailing lists and see the same press releases appearing as articles later in the day. How long will it take for the churnalists to discover article spinning services?

Regards...jmcc

Cork Boy

IRE60 wrote: »

Content with spewing up this drivel again (and most likely getting paid for it) the article is suspicious in it looks like its been paid for – although not specified in the web version –anyone got a hard copy so see how it’s presented there?

Well it was presented as a piece by a 'reporter'...

Oh yeah and also, I love the line "produced or sourced in Ireland"...

Does that not even merit an ol' quick fact check just to see how much of this isn't actually Irish and just imported? I'm not even a journalist like but Jesus H Titty Christ come on ffs...

It's the same with press releases from government, Ctrl + c, Ctrl + v... job done. Fact checking??? What do you think I am, a journalist????

Actually does anyone think a churnalism name and shame thread is merited?

Roisy7

Sunny disposition, the golden vale advertiser is still around but it is only a small monthly free sheet, just a community news letter. Do you mean the vale star?

I'm also very disillusioned with journalism and I've only just started...

Sunny Disposition

Roisy7 wrote: »

Sunny disposition, the golden vale advertiser is still around but it is only a small monthly free sheet, just a community news letter. Do you mean the vale star?

I'm also very disillusioned with journalism and I've only just started...

No, the free sheet is the one I mean. Good it survived. Doubt there are many 'illusioned' jouralists these days! Has been a shocking few years and it'll get much worse yet.