Perspective of Journalism

This class has changed my perspective on journalism in how much effort is put into writing a story. When I write a story, I like to be able to sit at my computer or desk and say whatever comes to mind. For a journalist, most of the work is done before the actual writing of the story. There are interviews, fact checks, visiting certain places or crime scenes for more information, often several interviews and sources are needed, and several other aspects. Once they have the information, sorting through it all and deciding what is “newsworthy” is difficult as well. Journalism is so much more of a process that requires a lot of thinking, hard work, and persistence. I have a higher respect for a lot of journalists as a result of this course.

I don’t think that I want to be a journalist after taking this course. Actually, I was only planning on majoring in journalism because I wanted to learn more about writing, in hopes of being a freelance writer eventually. But I don’t think I have the patience or stamina that is needed to be a journalist. I also am not the kind of person who is willing to “bring their work home with them”, and work extended hours. I still want to be a writer, and this class has definitely helped me become better at writing, but I don’t think I’d ever want to be a journalist.