Journalists in 2019 are totally overburdened by the pressure-cooker of this industry. It’s beyond just being a tough job – the pressures can take a toll. Add to that the increasing pressures of adult life that everyone faces, and it can be too much. As a precaution against spiraling and a protection against despair, over … More Finding your inner “do list”
Reporters ask me all the time for advice on how to get assignments and pitch. There is typical advice that gets doled out: keep it short and sweet and don’t be a jerk to your editors, and you’ll go far. That’s all fine and well, but what about saying no? It is rare that I … More The liberating power of saying “no”
By Genevieve Belmaker for Poynter Journalists are often warned about the perils of getting emotionally involved with stories and subjects, but when reporting on a tragedy there’s always room to act as a human being first and a reporter second. Reporting on the pain of the small college town of Blacksburg, Va., after the horrific … More Compassion goes a long way when reporting on tragedies like Boston & Newtown
NEW YORK—Peering through the haze from a smoke bomb, with the simulated sounds of war in the background, Igor Kossov bent over to bandage a fake wound on a dummy. Though it looked like a scene for a movie, Kossov was rehearsing for the real thing. Kossov was one of 24 freelance conflict journalists from … More Training Journalists for Trauma in the Field
By Genevieve Belmaker for Poynter.org Social media is a particularly powerful tool in the Middle East, where in some countries it gives people a way to express themselves. That expression takes many forms, from social protest, to political criticism, to sharing news and information. Most recently, groups such as the Israeli Defense Force have been using … More 5 ways journalists can use social media for on-the-ground reporting in the Middle East
Getting physically close to a story is not as easy as it seems. First of all, most people are not conditioned to think in terms of potential sources of information, getting close enough to take a good photo, or whipping out a video recorder to document something interesting and unique. It takes repetition and practice … More Getting Too Close for Comfort
Living the life of a writer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. … More The Serious Business of Writing
I once read this great story about a young writer named Amanda Hocking. Hocking writes fantasy stories and became a guru of self-publishing (translation: financially successful) before getting a pretty sweet deal from a publisher for a couple million dollars. But that’s not what I like about Hocking. What’s cool about her is that even … More Don’t Wait to be Inspired to Write
I have often wondered about the difference between photojournalists and reporters. Aside from the obvious differences of the medium that they use to convey information, it seems that in the shifting media industry, photojournalists are more equipped to succeed professionally and financially. While writing a recent article for Quill, the magazine of the Society of … More In Journalism, Photographers and Writers on Unequal Footing
It’s seriously tempting as a journalist these days to take the low road when it comes to finding work. But if you calculate the time and energy it takes to search for freelance work, you’re better off getting really good at being a journalist. The trick of dressing up hack journalism with the title of … More Just Say No to Being a Content Producer
