Of the these three, previously I would have only considered book publishing as a primary alternative field to journalism. I have never really been interested in public relations, although I would consider it if it were an organization or cause that I personally believe in. Although I was the business manager for my high school newspaper, I really have no desire to create ads.
That was my feeling, of course, before the current turmoil in the newspaper industry and before I learned I would be out of a job at age 34 in the prime of my career over economic reasons. It is in these times that preferences face their true tests.
Despite my personal tastes, I believe these fields can provide rewarding careers. They all deal with communication and crafting a message. They just have different priorities than journalism that emphasize other truths.
Here are some questions that hopefully kick off the discussion: Have any of you considered these other careers? If so, explain why or why not? If you have already worked in any of these fields, please share your experience. Lastly, how do think editing would be different in these fields as opposed to journalism? Does that matter to you? Why?
As usual, the deadline to participate in this discussion and receive credit is midnight Monday.
P.S. This is the second to the last online discussion for the semester, so if you already have not participated, I would strongly urge you to do so. If you do not, it will adversely affect your participation grade. The minimum requirement is 300 words, and you do not have to spew all those words in a single post. Additionally, if you participate in more than one discussion, it will benefit your participation grade. Please e-mail me if you have any additional questions. I also will e-mail those who have yet to participate.
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7 comments:
Before settling on journalism, I had considered a number of other fields, but public relations or book publishing never crossed my mind. At least not seriously. When I was especially young, I dreamt of becoming an author someday, so in that sense, I wanted to go into book publishing, but it was never something I considered as an adult. Earlier this year, I was browsing Craigslist when I came across an ad that was offering someone $500 to transcribe a book someone had written on paper. After seriously considering it, I decided that even for that amount of money, writing and editing something that lengthy was just not in the cards for me. I tend to have a pretty short attention span. To steal a line from a television show (can't remember which one off the top of my head), I once fell asleep during a fortune cookie.
But in all seriousness, editing books is not as interesting to me as editing news. The news is always changing...it's always fresh. I tell my friends I have the best job in the world because I get to go to work and read the newspaper all day.
Public relations is a different animal, I believe. In addition to having to edited text that's not nearly as interesting as news, you're also editing it for a completely different purpose -- to sell a product. It wouldn't be difficult, I suppose, for a journalist to get into PR, but it would seem to go against everything he or she had been taught to suddenly stop looking for the objectivity in something and start looking to slant it in a way that will serve a product-driven purpose (which, I suppose, news still does in a way).
Not to bash anyone who works in those professions or is considering it any way, I just think news is more interesting. Then again, I've only been doing it for a few years. Maybe my views and tastes will change as well. They certainly have a lot in the past.
I have dabbled in public relations, with an independent music PR firm that I run with a fellow M-Times staffer. I keep it music-centered, and focus on news when writing for other outlets to avoid conflicts of interest.
I started the PR firm back in 2004 as a means to make some extra money (of course) and to have a backup plan in case journalism cannot offer me a good job. I took the classes here that dealt with PR, and excelled at it, and enjoy doing it aside from the moral qualms I have with the nature of the job. I mean, I quit retail because I'd rather be a truth-teller than a salesperson. I feel I'm being a salesperson as a PR flak.
I have no interest in book editing. I am bored with simply correcting surface errors (no offense to those who do that for a living). I'd rather look at the accuracy, objectivity and style of a story. If I were to ever write a book, it would be a series of essays or anecdotes similar to the works of Chuck Klosterman. I have a hard enough time reading through novels without getting bored. Just ask my literature professors for proof of this.
When it comes down to it, I simply enjoy reading newspapers. I talked to a reporter from a competing newspaper yesterday and I told him I grew up reading papers. I did not grow up reading books. I hope the printed format can co-exist with Web-based publications. While I'll settle with writing for a Web-based publication, there is an art to the printed newspaper that can never be fully replicated. Design, writing styles and photography define a newspaper. Given those limited resource (no sound or video) those three aspects generally step up to compensate.
I compare the printed newspaper to radio, where both are old formats that make the best of what they do. The narrative on a good NPR story wins every time, in my opinion, to a news package on a network with video and other images. It is more descriptive and overall more interesting. The same theory applies to newspapers. Without the luxury of having a clip on-demand for Miguel Cabrera's game-winning home run (or Brandon Inge, for those Inge fans in this class), it is up to the writer to recreate the moment, and there is something artistic and and captivating about doing it that way.
that should say "limited resources," not "limited resource" at the end of the fourth paragraph.
and that is John McKay who posted this... somehow I was signed into the wrong Google account. Oops.
Okay, now it's me for real.
I have considered in the past a career in public relations and advertising. I have written many press releases for varying events in the community including art shows and events on the Mott campus. I really enjoyed writing press releases because you are in control of the information that is given to the people you send the release to, it’s different because you aren’t telling a story that is unbiased, you are giving information to meet your own needs. While I was Executive Editor of the MCC Chronicle I did not have an ad manager or a sales representative, so many times myself or a graphic designer I had on staff would have to sell ads then put together the advertisement. Ad information is different from journalism and public relations writing because you are writing solely to promote a specific company with whom you have a contract, you are working for the company to basically make them look good.
I have never considered public relations, but I could do it, should my ethics remain un comprmised.
The process for being hired at a company or firm would have to unclude a mutual screening for eithics, and how they prefer to handle crisis.
Do they cite tylenol's crisi in the '80s when people were dying as a good or bad PR move? The company being forthright about the deaths and voluntarily pulling their stock is likely what saved the company.
When governments hire PR officials to change the hearts and minds of a different culture- it can backfire, as our governments interactions with cultures usually do.
After 911 and the war started, the Bush Administration called upon a PR official to create a series of videos to show muslims who live and work in the U.S. The target market, people from 'The middle East,' felt they were being condescended to.
The point is that journalism, and PR both require REPORTING.Even if it's an organization one believes in, like this country, one still has to use the skills that got you the job in the first place.
As a photographer and graphic designer, I do PR to some degree for the these musicians, I create a consistant image for them. I would however not be responsible for making them more popular- that would be part of McKay's job with static PR. Neither of us would have to explain our clients moral lapses though, or make the public forgive them.
I think that PR is about displaying a certain truth about a company is the PR officials job, but ignoring other truths the public hasn't seen handled or explained creates credibility issues.
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