The Future Transformation of News

My advice to new journalists is get out while you can. And please, don’t major in Journalism. That is the most flawed major there is. It’s antiquated and not at all up to the times in terms of being cutting edge and forward thinking. Yes, the basics of storytelling and writing are important, but if you major in something, look at the future of journalism. Learn multimedia reporting. Learn broadcasting, learn web design. Learn to do it all. Photography, video, audio and learn to combine it all. Look to the past for inspiration, but the future of media is where you should set your eyes and where you will be most handsomely rewarded.

glassesandgeekery:

I’ve been studying journalism in Silliman University for the past three years, and it’s only now that I feel like it’s something I want to do in my career. I wasn’t sure if it was something I really wanted to do when I first got in. Previously, I was considering taking up something related to Literature, or Creative Writing. However, I now feel that journalism/media is something I really want, despite the constant questions I faced regarding my choice of career.

“What can you do with an English degree besides teach?”

 “Journalism doesn’t make plenty of money, and you might get killed.”

“Can you speak or understand Tagalog? You can’t. How can you become a journalist if you can’t even speak the language?”

I can’t help but feel insecure and worried about my (possible?) career after hearing these. It’s a fault of mine to easily feel demoralized.  Plenty of times, I often dwell on how difficult it would be to make a living off of being a writer/journalist unless I was well-known. My parents tell me that journalism won’t be enough for me. Media is a broad field, yet I’ve been drawn to journalism—-and I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps it’s something I am used to, as my teacher made me part of the school newspaper when I was a freshman in high school. Perhaps it’s because the only thing I can do is write. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure.

All I know is that being part of a newspaper staff is an experience that I enjoy greatly. After I graduate, I’d like to work as a reporter at a newspaper or magazine, or perhaps an online publication. There’s also the issue that so may people are better writers than me. Still, I want to get myself out there and see what’ll happen. It’s worth a shot.