There Are No Breaks in Journalism
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
So everyone is excited for spring break, right?
Trips to the Bahamas, Panama City, Cancun, Orlando, Los Angeles or anywhere warm. No tests. No projects. No annoying roommates.
I know I am.
However, when studying to become a journalist, there is one main thing that a person has to realize: there are no 'spring breaks' in journalism. There are no breaks. Period.
News is always being made, locally, nationally, and internationally. Murders. Earthquakes. Car accidents. Winter weather.
The key to being a successful journalist is to stay in touch with the news, especially when going on vacation.
One way to do this is fairly simple: get a smartphone. Be it an iPhone, Blackberry or Android, these devices can keep you connected even while on vacation.
By giving you access to thousands of applications, smartphones can keep you logged in to your Twitter, Gmail and Facebook. They can also give you access to news sites like Fox News or the New York Times so you can catch up on the latest stories while on the go.
Another way to keep up on the news while on vacation is to watch the local news on television before you go to bed at night and when you wake up in the morning. Although you won't be updated on your local news, you will still be able to hear about major national and international events.
Another way to keep updated is if the hotel provides you with a newspaper, read it. Just like watching the news on telelvision it can keep you updated on major events throughout the country. And maybe you'll discover a fun new comic strip.
It's important to stay up to date with current events while on vacation, just incase we have one of those improptu BNR quizzes like we sometimes do. But make sure not to get too plugged into the media.
Otherwise, are you really on vacation?
Photo Credit: via Creative Commons
4 comments:
As important as it is to always be aware of news, I think it's also important to be able to shut that off every once in a while. Journalists have to work a lot for not a whole lot of reward, but the few rewards they get need to be enjoyed.
A journalist's job is to tell people what is going on in the world. The World doesn't stop during holidays and people want their news. Your post is a great reminder of what our lives will be when we'll get our first journalism job.
This post proves just how passionate and committed a journalist must be to their job. It is just like the saying says- news never sleeps. If journalists want to get ahead of the competition, they must be in the know around the clock.
I think journalists should take time off of work once in a while to keep their sanity.
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