I plead the 1st.

When I decided I wanted to be a journalist, way back in 9th or 10th grade, I knew I wasn't going to be a millionaire. I didn't care; I said I wanted to be happy, and that was enough. I just figured I'd marry rich (just kidding! but seriously...).

Still, it's becoming more and more disconcerting to hear journalists talk about the industry. At the Times last quarter, when I introduced myself as the intern to one of the seasoned reporters, he said, "Oh, so you're here to witness the end?"

Then there's Overheard in the Newsroom, this fmylife-esque site devoted entirely to the news industry:

Editor, talking to visiting Cub Scouts: “Have you ever thought about starting your own newspaper?”

Reporter, under her breath: “Have you ever thought of starting a blacksmith’s shop? Some people might say that industry is in decline, but there will always be people with horses.”

Posted on Jan 28.10 to Overheard | No Comments »

So that's fun.

Really, though. News is vital. Newspapers are vital. I understand that my generation will never be the generation to spend money on a subscription and get the paper every day on their doorstep and read it with their morning coffee. That's fine. I don't pick up newspapers either - unless my stories are in them. There's a thrill in seeing your name in print that just doesn't happen with online.

But the fact that we don't like paper newspapers doesn't mean that we don't need those publications. I've heard people at my own school newspaper say that you can get all the news you need from a Twitter post. THIS IS PATENTLY FALSE. I acknowledge that Twitter is an amazing tool for covering breaking news. I recognize that during the elections in Iran, the only news that was getting out was via Twitter. But Twitter gives you headlines. There is still a huge need for in-depth reporting and investigative journalism.

How would we have found out about Watergate if it weren't for Woodward and Bernstein? Do you think we could have gotten there with Twitter? NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS! And yet, across the country, newspapers are cutting their investigative teams. They're the first thing to go, because they're the most expensive, and it's a mistake. A fatal error.

I'm willing and excited to go into this job and make no money. I'll make it work. But it terrifies me to hear people explain why they don't need newspapers. The way I see it, we're the most important piece of the checks-and-balances system of this country. We check the checkers.

This is probably too much exposition, and I don't know what I'm trying to get out of it, other than to say that I haven't given up hope on the newspaper industry yet, and neither should anybody else.

Also, I just had my interview for the Foreign Intrigue internship, and I'm freaking out because I want it so badly, and I have this gut feeling that I'm not going to get it.

Love always,

molly