I love journalism really - a nostalgic but realistic ramble

Plus, How to apply to Jenny Brown Associates Debut Writers Over 50 Award, Writers and Artists short story comp & new safety resource for journalists after riots

My dear wordsmiths,

I’ve been thinking about the journalism industry this week. Like all good stories it starts..

Once upon a time I was a junior reporter in my first job for a weekly local free newspaper that has since bitten the proverbial dust. The reality of being a reporter, and the industry, has changed beyond recognition since I first secured the role against hundreds of applications and I’m not just talking about the fax machine spewing out press releases on shiny paper which shot out across the floor and the then-macho, toxic, politics in the newsroom. Expectations as a reporter were very different back then - very intense in a another way as the newsroom was tougher, harder, less PC more judgemental - and the shifts never ending. I’ve had roughly 15 jobs in the industry since those not so-halycon days which were also, conversely, my best. I have so many stories from those times but probably not for here.

Death knocks

You had to be rock hard (or maybe stupid or at least nakedly ambitious) back then to survive the death knocks, the 12 hour shifts, the rows with politicians - much of it face to face and with under-pressure news editors demanding 800 words filed down the phone straight from your scribbled shorthand as you lurked in dangerous housing estates or court press rooms, were chased by dogs, threatened by the public and waded around floods. The competition with colleagues was also fierce.

Mental health issues were not a thing back then - in fact it was considered a weakness -and I personally still bear the scars of those days in many ways. It’s also a mentality I had to consciously shake myself out of as a leader from a new generation - just because it happened to me it’s not OK. I would hate to treat a reporter the way I was treated - the constant feeling of inadequacy alongside my below minimum wage (after getting in debt to pass law and shorthand exams in the first place) and a boss who actively dislikes you. Though I now work for an iteration of the same company (we have been bought and sold multiple times), the culture is unrecognisable now. Thank goodness.

Changing skill-sets

Back then we may have spoken directly to CID and murder squads and firefighters every day on the phone or in persona and had our drinks spiked by interviewees (just me then) but we didn’t need to worry about the SEO (search engine optimisation) strength of our headline, the whims of the algorithm or be judged by page views. Our mental and physical safety may have low priority compared to getting the face to face interview but we weren’t judged on on our engagement metrics, our ability to edit video or to present to camera (broadcast journos aside).

On one hand the pure basics of journalism are now just one of the skills needed alongside the myriad of digital requirements. So it was tough back then but it’s tough now in a different way - even if you get treated better. (Though pay is still super low across the board.) Journalism is a generational experience and is constantly evolving in its form and meaning. I’m a newspaper journalist who now has podcast, radio, digital audience, TV and public speaking in my bio - not what I expected when I started as a writer/gatherer reporter.

Constant change

Everything has changed in the industry, for the positive and the negative. As the industry pivots again and again for survival and relevance, the role of journalist - and journalism leader - has changed again and again, including the requirements of the role. I’ve participated in multiple ‘newsrooms of the future’ , changing models, hundreds of CMS (content management systems) change and technical innovations, a constantly moving merging and un-emerging of units and restructurings. I’ve, with heavy heart, put people at risk of redundancy and found myself in consultation multiple times. The advent of the tech mega companies means worth and value is rated by third parties rather than the sales abilities of paper boys and girls. Tightly monitored local news brands struggle to find audience amid the noise - when the volume is at the whim of politically and financially motivated algorithms.

I remember fax machines and physical metal spikes - but I’m now digital only and on Tik Tok and lead podcast We move.

Surviving

I’ve only survived - working up north where they are considerably less opportunities than London, by evolving, rolling with punches and assimilating and doling out change as a leader. None of this is easy and I was made redundant for my first, hard fought for, newspaper editor role six months in. To survive and continue to pay my mortgage - I had to agree to a job where I had to go in and make a whole team redundant. Journalism leadership is not for the faint-hearted - but can also be incredibly rewarding. But it’s easy to look back, with rose tinted specs, and remember that pure joy of getting an exclusive and the often raucous joy of a busy newsroom, fuelled by sugar, coffee, and laughter. It’s where I learned the trade. But when I reminisce - I sometimes wish I had left and question if I would have been happier. That’s what it means to be human.

I love journalism

You might think, from all that, I dislike the industry I work in. I don’t. I love it. A good story will always prevail - whatever the format - and getting there first will always be a winner. To be a journalist you will always need to be interested in the world and ask questions, listen, speak to people and care. That will always be the case. So journalism will prevail but we must all learn to embrace change around every corner to survive - and we must innovate. It’s change and resilience that should be taught on journalism courses these days, not just digital skills - alongside positivity and innovation and showing up for yourself.

Then, we will all live happily ever after. Point par (if you know, you know).

That’s my Ted Talk over with..

Opportunities, events, news & more

Books and writing

DEADLINES TOMORROW! Writers and artists short story competition 2025 (Free)

You could in with a chance of winning a place on an Arvon Residential Writing Week (worth £850) as well as seeing your story published on A&A website. To enter, all you have to do is submit a short story (for adults) of no more than 2,000 words on the theme of wonder via our online competition form, and ensure that you have a (free!) account on the website. The closing date for entries is midnight 14th February 2025, and the winner - along with two runners-up - will be announced on the blog pages of this site in March 2025. Judged by Vanessa Onwuemezi.

Jenny Brown Associates Debut Writers Over 50 Award (Paid, £10)

Now open for applications: Debut novelists based in the UK are invited to submit the first 5000 words of their novel during the month of February 2025 – deadline February 28 – a shortlist will be announced on 27 July and the winner revealed during the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2025. The winner will receive £1000 cash prize, and a week’s course at Moniack Mhor Scotland’s Creative Writing Centre. Runners up will be offered tailored mentoring.

Submit the first 5000 words of your debut novel (envisaged to be no less than 60,000 words) together with a one-page full synopsis and a page of information about yourself (including date of birth) and what inspired this work.

CWA Emerging Author Dagger (Paid, £42)

Formerly the Debut Dagger this is is a competition for the opening of a previously unpublished crime novel by a writer who isn’t represented by an agent by the time the competition closes, has never had a traditional contract for any novel of any length or has not self-published any novel of any length in the last five years. Entries from shortlisted writers are sent to U.K. literary agents and publishers. Every year, authors find representation this way. There’s also a £500 cash prize. The deadline for entries is February 28, 2025. There is a £42 entry fee.

Journalism

New safety resource launched in wake of riots

The NCTJ has pledged to develop a new training resource providing safety guidance for journalists following last year’s UK-wide riots, which saw an unprecedented level of physical threats against reporters in the field. Physical safety was the main point of discussion at last week’s panel meeting, following the violent disorders that began in Southport and quickly spread across the UK in July 2024. The far-right and anti-immigration riots were sparked by untrue claims posted on social media about the suspected stabbings of three young children.

Jeremy Bowen to be honoured by Society of Editors

Jeremy Bowen, the renowned foreign correspondent and International Editor for the BBC, will be honoured at next month’s Society of Editors ‘Future of News’ conference with a special Fellowship Award for services to journalism. Bowen, a former Middle East correspondent and Middle East Editor for the BBC, was appointed International Editor for BBC News in August 2022 and has reported from more than 90 countries covering conflicts in the Gulf, El Salvador, Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza, Afghanistan, Croatia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Somalia and Rwanda as well as Iraq, Algeria and Kosovo.

Thanks for reading!