I always say a good journalist makes his/her job look like a piece of cake. From a viewer’s perspective, it’s easier to spot a good journalist after you’ve witnessed poor journalism. Just like you can’t really tell if a movie is high quality until you watch an old faithful low-budget film like Black Coffee. I plead the fifth.
In the article, “Prewriting: To be a successful reporter,” several characteristics of a successful reporter are detailed. From smart, to quick, curious to honest, an amazing reporter must embody a least a little bit of each one. However, I think the most important trait a good journalist must exude is courage.
It’s nothing like seeing a wimpy, scared-looking reporter. I mean really, one day the job can make you report on a mom and pop ice cream parlor’s grand opening, and the next day they’re flying you out to cover a riot in Ferguson where tear gas is emitted and cars are blowing up in flames. Though the public doesn’t completely understand the dangers and risks of being a television journalist, reporters are constantly called to put their lives on the line, all to maintain the public’s right to know. That’s bravery right there.
But courage stretches far beyond being placed in dangerous settings, or interacting with crazies day-in and day-out. It takes courage to simply walk up to a complete stranger and start up a conversation, sometimes on the worst day of their lives.
Honestly, when I did my very first formal interview for Fox 2 News, I was scared out of my pants. It was a story about a Mexican group in Detroit who was protesting against the education standards in their community. They were all speaking Spanish, so I didn’t know the correct way to approach anyone for an interview. I was so nervous. It wasn’t that I wasn’t smart. It wasn’t that I couldn’t turn a story around quickly. Heck, it wasn’t even that I wasn’t curious because Lord knows I wanted to know what they were chanting. It was that I lacked courage. And when you lack courage, no one will know that you are smart, quick, and honest.
In the article, Jon Franklin is quoted in saying why he believes courage is the most important characteristic of a good journalist, and it really broadened my perspective on how much courage reporting truly takes. He says:
You do have to be intelligent but the big thing is courage. Courage to open your mind and let the whole damned confusing world in. Courage to always be the ignorant one, on somebody else’s turf. Courage to stand corrected. Courage to take criticism. Courage to grow with your experiences. Courage to accept what you don’t understand. Most of all, courage to see what is there and not what you want to think is there.
This quote is really profound. It’s something that will always be a nugget in my mind as I matriculate in my career. Being courageous is what makes you stand out. And even on the days where your courage is low, the days where you feel small, or your story isn’t going the way you wanted, your interviews suck, or you’re having a bad hair day, fake it till you make it. Your courage has the power to shine through.
In the article, “Prewriting: To be a successful reporter,” several characteristics of a successful reporter are detailed. From smart, to quick, curious to honest, an amazing reporter must embody a least a little bit of each one. However, I think the most important trait a good journalist must exude is courage.
It’s nothing like seeing a wimpy, scared-looking reporter. I mean really, one day the job can make you report on a mom and pop ice cream parlor’s grand opening, and the next day they’re flying you out to cover a riot in Ferguson where tear gas is emitted and cars are blowing up in flames. Though the public doesn’t completely understand the dangers and risks of being a television journalist, reporters are constantly called to put their lives on the line, all to maintain the public’s right to know. That’s bravery right there.
But courage stretches far beyond being placed in dangerous settings, or interacting with crazies day-in and day-out. It takes courage to simply walk up to a complete stranger and start up a conversation, sometimes on the worst day of their lives.
Honestly, when I did my very first formal interview for Fox 2 News, I was scared out of my pants. It was a story about a Mexican group in Detroit who was protesting against the education standards in their community. They were all speaking Spanish, so I didn’t know the correct way to approach anyone for an interview. I was so nervous. It wasn’t that I wasn’t smart. It wasn’t that I couldn’t turn a story around quickly. Heck, it wasn’t even that I wasn’t curious because Lord knows I wanted to know what they were chanting. It was that I lacked courage. And when you lack courage, no one will know that you are smart, quick, and honest.
In the article, Jon Franklin is quoted in saying why he believes courage is the most important characteristic of a good journalist, and it really broadened my perspective on how much courage reporting truly takes. He says:
You do have to be intelligent but the big thing is courage. Courage to open your mind and let the whole damned confusing world in. Courage to always be the ignorant one, on somebody else’s turf. Courage to stand corrected. Courage to take criticism. Courage to grow with your experiences. Courage to accept what you don’t understand. Most of all, courage to see what is there and not what you want to think is there.
This quote is really profound. It’s something that will always be a nugget in my mind as I matriculate in my career. Being courageous is what makes you stand out. And even on the days where your courage is low, the days where you feel small, or your story isn’t going the way you wanted, your interviews suck, or you’re having a bad hair day, fake it till you make it. Your courage has the power to shine through.