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Will a newspaper job inch me closer to a career in public relations?

sureshot — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:46:48 -0800

Job_Offer_Filter: I'm a struggling freelance writer trying to (someday) break into the pr/communications field. I've just been offered a staff writer position at a small local newspaper. Does accepting the job inch me closer to my desired field? Or just burden me with a ton of unmarketable experience? So, my background:

4 years out of college, doing my best to flex my English/Creative Writing degree. Over the past three years, I've established myself as one of the top arts writers in a large, non-Chicago Midwestern city. I have regular columns in the glossy monthly, aimed at young, hip, and moneyed readers. I am a regular contributor to an alternative weekly, and I fill in for the big daily's art critic when she is sick or on vacation. I also get to do occasional speaking engagements, juried art shows, etc.

Problem is, none of this has evolved into full-time work. I've worked random odd jobs since graduation, some vaguely related to media--wrote audio description scripts for a year, wrote back cover copy for paperback books at a small publisher, picked up random corporate copywriting/speech writing/press release writing projects here and there. I've been unemployed and broke a lot. I'm now working 30 hours per week as a paraprofessional at a local public school, while still doing all my writing stuff on the side.

So now I have an actual job offer:

Staff writer/reporter position at a pair of small, neighborhood newspapers. A small local publisher, hanging on by a thread. The staff seems overworked and underpaid. The job calls for 10,000 words per month, writer pitches/plans all stories (in a very broad range of subject areas), deadlines every two weeks. Some nights and weekends. The pay is low. $30,000 (salaried, which means no overtime pay).

I don't see a future in newspapers. And print publication, though a true love of mine, is not my final career goal. I want to sneak my way over to the other side of the media. And I'm not sure that amassing more print clips is the way to do that. But print journalism is much closer, industry-wise, to pr/communications than teaching, so maybe a year or two at a paper would narrow the gap for a career leap. And perhaps I could learn enough new media skills (video and sound, slide shows) to balance out my increasingly-obsolete print portfolio.

The alternative would be to stick at this part-time school job until summer (when I will be laid off) and devote myself to a long-term, strategic job hunt. Get an on-line portfolio up, maybe start a blog. Network like crazy. By summer, I"d be ready to launch a targeted, nation-wide search. And if the fish aren't biting, I just go back to the school in the fall and keep at it.

So. All of this nattering is to simply ask: Will a newspaper job get me closer to where I want to be? Or is it just another detour?

Any recovering journalists out there starting a new life in PR?

Subscriptions that aren't to magazines?

Marquis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:27:59 -0800

What are some wonderful things I can buy subscriptions to, other than magazines and newspapers? Curious about interesting subscriptions for things that aren't magazines, zines, journals or newspapers. For example, Amy Lam's My Topics art series, or I guess McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, but really I'm most keen on things that aren't books either. Toys? Sculptures? Cool Maps? Stuff that comes in the mail monthly, quarterly, biannually... Stuff for adults, or stuff for kids.

An etsy search brings up some things, but mostly lacklustre cards/soap/baked goods/lame crafts. I know there are subscriptions out there, but I'm curious about the wonderful ones.

Where can I find the best writing on the internet?

jpg15 — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:29:38 -0800

Is there a web site which recommends the best writing on the net on a periodic basis? There are plenty of great blogs and websites out there to read, and no shortage of recommendations. This post, for example, recommends lots of different sites. But I find my own interest in wading through all of it on a feed reader gradually waning. I am wondering if anyone knows of any human-run site which recommends excellent writing.

I am interested in high quality, thoughtful, even controversial writing on any subject. The closest thing to this that I am aware of is Arts & Letters Daily, but a significant number of their posts are book reviews or appeal strictly to very well-read humanities students. I am interested in suggestions which draw from the features and opinions of all of the major US (or English-speaking world!) newspapers, magazines, blogs, and sites.

Oh, THAT'S how you republish the same material.

Brandon Blatcher — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:34:06 -0800

Do you know of a newspaper or magazine that publishes to both the web and print and posts a PDF of the print version on their website? I'm looking to compare and contrast how publications publish the same material on the web and in print. Obviously the websites are easy to find, but even for publications that do post PDFs of issues, they can be hard to find on their site. So if you know of a publication that has a website AND posts a pdf of their print issue, could you post the link to the website and print pdf, please? Thanks!

I'm looking for newspapers and magazines, subject matter or language doesn't matter.

Some papers have stars upon thars...

Ogre Lawless — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:52:15 -0800

***** -- My local paper's masthead incorporates a number of stars at the top of the page. I could have sworn I've seen this on other papers but apparently not on our not on our other regional rag. Is this just a bit of layout eye candy or do they have some significance?

The best of the best in journalism

Nonce — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:28:34 -0800

Please link me to famous and/or great journalism pieces. I read this article from a post on the front page, and it contained this following line:

I grew up reading a New York Times that no longer exists: Tom Wicker reporting from the Attica prison truthfully and in solidarity with the rebelling inmates, Max Frankel ordering expensive investigations into government wrongdoing, the publication of The Pentagon Papers leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, and I’ll never regret following music critic John Rockwell down Bleeker Street to The Bowery and through those graffiti-covered doors into the future that we inhabit today.

I realized that I have never experienced real journalism, am entirely unfamiliar with the above events, and would like to see how journalism is at its best.

Print or video, it makes no difference to me.

Why do we need multiple American newspapers with foreign bureaus?

woot — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:19:16 -0800

Why do we need multiple American newspapers with foreign bureaus? I listened to an NPR talk show today where a speaker lamented the state of U.S. newspapers and how the ones that weren't shutting down were cutting staff drastically and that several papers like the Boston Globe (and others) didn't even have foreign bureaus or correspondents any more.

In the midst of my commiserating, a little voice in my head asked: Well, how many U.S. newspapers need foreign bureaus, anyway?

I'm a voracious reader but I don't know beans about the business of news, and so I'm looking for pragmatic reasons for why it is important for multiple U.S. papers to maintain foreign staff or dedicated foreign correspondents. I understand the principle that single-source reporting is suspect, that corroboration is important, that multiple points of view and the talents of individual investigative reporters improve the quality tremendously... no arguments there.

But there seems to be so much information out there already -- good information, crappy information, edited information, unedited whack-jobs, you name it. What really is the point of having several U.S. papers covering the same events in the same places?

I find myself wondering whether the death of foreign bureaus at many major U.S. papers isn't in reality a Darwinian evolutionary process, whereby redundant or inefficient services are being eliminated, and that this may not be a bad thing in the long run. The aforementioned Boston Globe, for example -- what unique value did the Boston Globe's international bureau reporting add, compared to other U.S. papers, or the BBC, or regional news coverage? What would be the bad consequences if only a few big U.S. papers kept their foreign bureaus and became the go-to places for the American point of view, while the smaller papers licensed that information from them? Don't papers purchase content from each other all the time, anyway?

I suspect I'm missing an obvious truth here, but I can't seem to find an explanation that goes into more depth than simply "more is better" -- more coverage, more opinions, more U.S. reporters providing a U.S. angle on foreign events. And I'm not arguing that the U.S. ignore foreign events, by any means. I'm just trying to get beyond the hand-wringing to understand the pragmatic arguments.

Fox doesn't quite cut it for me.

All.star — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:40:09 -0800

Looking for really good foreign newspapers/websites. I enjoying reading the news on the BBC website, and occasionally head over to The Guardian as well. What are some other foreign news sources I should look into (must be in English though)?

Op-Edxample

Spurious — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:47:21 -0800

Examples of beautiful, powerful, and great Op-Eds? I have been playing around for a while with writing some Op-Eds. I am looking for beautiful and powerful Op-Eds to use as examples for my own writing. Does anyone in the Hivemind know examples of great Op-Eds?

Is there an online list of newspapers covering major US cities?

deeper red — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:06:44 -0800

Is there an online list of newspapers for each major city in the US?

Newspapers/social networking?

beagle — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:14:47 -0800

Can anyone point me to newspapers that have set up real social networks—not just registration, not just social media features like commenting or bookmarking, but real online communities where people post profiles, make connections, share news items, maybe form groups around news interests, and interact in other ways. The only ones I'm aware of are at the Bakersfield Californian, and TimesPeople at the NYTimes (which is still pretty rudimentary and in beta). Any others? Any experiences with newspaper social networks appreciated as well. Thanks.

What do they read with their morning coffee in Qatar?

kjars — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:17:47 -0800

What's the paper of record in Qatar? I'm trying to determine which Qatar newspaper is the paper of record in the country. I have a list of four dailies (Al Arab, Al-Raya, Al-Sharq, Al-Watan) and I'm unsure of their respective reputations. Which would be considered the New York Times or Wall Street Journal of Qatar, so to speak?

As a bonus, any information on the English-language publications' reputations would be great.

What's the evangelical New York Times?

lilac girl — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:12:44 -0800

What are some popular evangelical periodicals in the U.S. about current events? Bonus points if they have an online archive; super-extra bonus points if the archive goes back before 2006. I'm looking for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, journals, etc. that report news aimed at an evangelical Christian audience for a paper about whether their press coverage of global warming has changed in the past few years. I don't need magazines about theology, missionary work,etc. I've looked at the Evangelical Press Association but I'm a bit overwhelmed by their lists. I'm having trouble identifying popular periodicals, and many of the ones I do seem to find don't have archives of their articles before 2006. Regional periodicals are fine (but I'd prefer U.S. publications) and I don't care how often new issues come out.

Espresso and turning pages

Happy Dave — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:18:56 -0800

Books, sofas, coffee and the Sunday papers - good independent bookshops in London that are made for relaxing of a Sunday morning? Me and the dear wife recently visited some friends of mine in Aberdeen, where I went to university, and we had a lovely morning in Books and Beans, an independent second hand bookshop/cafe hybrid. Now we're back in London, and looking for similar things in London. So far, we seem to be stuck in between the extremes of corporate bookshops with built-in Starbucks and musty Charing Cross Road places that smell faintly of mildew.

South London would be awesome, but we're willing to travel a bit for that perfect books, newspapers and coffee feeling.

One thing - we know about both the Waterstone's Picaddilly bar (not comfy enough) and the Foyle's Jazz Bar (also not comfy enough). Sofas and such are a definite plus.

How to see the underlying cause of the news?

djgh — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:24:47 -0800

What should I be reading so that I can read between the lines? Pastabagel's fantastic comment got me thinking - there's so much out there that I probably take as given, or if I think there's more to an issue there's nowhere of really substantiating that gut feeling.

So, what should I be reading so that I can better relate these newsworthy to their underlying causes, without resorting to crackpot conspiracy sites. i.e. what semi-authoritative sites/newspapers/magazines are there?

Goodbye journalism?

als129 — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:05:14 -0800

I am thinking about leaving my newspaper career and becoming a high school English teacher. I am 26 and for the past four years I have worked at a newspaper. The first two years I kept horrendous hours (4 p.m. to midnight, Wednesday through Sunday) working on the copy desk. The past two years, I somehow stumbled into a cushy entertainment/features editor gig, with great hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday).

But, as you all know, the newspaper industry is shaky. My paper recently offered buyouts (I wasn't offered one) and warned that people may have duties reassigned. I am horrendously scared of have to return to the copy desk, or worse, BEAT REPORTING. aHHGGHGHHGHHhghghg.

It seems this is scenario across the board in the newspaper industry and because I'm not particularly career-minded -- a job is something you do to make money -- I am in the process of applying to a teaching certification program.

I enjoy working with people and teaching writing and discussing literature. I would also enjoy not having to work holidays or the summer. I guess that sounds selfish, but it's the truth.

Questions:
1. How much do public high school English teachers make? (I know this answer varies on location, but hearing a few estimates would be nice.)
2. How hard is it to get a job as an English teacher?
3. Will the fact that I had a different career before teaching hinder me in any way?
4. Any advice from current teachers would be appreciated!

Thanks.

to pitch or be pitched?

arielmeadow — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:36:15 -0800

Is it better publicity to write an article, or to be a quoted expert in someone else's article? I'm often caught between wanting to pitch magazines and newspapers with ideas inspired by projects I'm working on, and finding myself contacted by journalists who've pitched similar ideas want to interview me and write about my projects.

Most current example: I wrote a book about nontraditional weddings. I recently spoke to a journalist who wants to pitch a quirky wedding story to the NY Times, and wants to quote me in the article. "That is, unless YOU want to pitch your own story to them," she said, knowing that I'm a writer myself.

This got me to thinking about what's of better value to me as an author: being published in the NYTimes, or being written about in the NYTimes?

I've pitched stories about my projects in the past, and it's always felt weird to write a piece about some lifestyle trend ... that, um, I'm totally into and feel like I should disclose that I'm totally biased and can't be objective about.

So, fellow authors, journalists, PR folks, entrepreneurs, etc: what's better for business: to pitch or be pitched?

What are those newspaper holders called?

gilgamix — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:14:33 -0800

What are those french-cafe-looking newspaper holders called? You know, the kind that holds a newspaper in a stick that can then be hung on the rack?

Washington Post = Only slightly less authoritative than the Bible, at least in my family

midatlanticwanderer — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 12:07:35 -0800

Help me find a copy of the Washington Post in Philadelphia. Here's the deal: I live in Philadelphia but grew up reading the Washington Post. I've found a few newsstands or shops (one little stand in the 15th Street El stop has it, but for $1.75, as does one of the vendors on 15th Street near Chestnut) that have it, but most charge way more than the (recently increased) newsstand price of $0.50.

Is there anywhere in Philadelphia where I can get the Post for $0.50 (or somewhere close to that)? Center City or NW Philly would be most helpful.

I read it online most of the time, but having a hard copy on occasion (esp. on Sundays) would be nice.

Cost of printing national newsapaper?

PandemicSoul — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:01:15 -0800

What is the daily cost to print a nationally distributed newspaper, like the NYT or WSJ? I'm just looking for statistics on how much it is to do the actual printing of one day's edition -- don't need to know anything about design, distribution, staff costs.

Who decides what the news is?

ibmcginty — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:26:56 -0800

Who decides what's news? This question is about seemingly peripheral stories that get coverage, not about the media's quest for the salacious, or about politicians' efforts to get the media to focus on the mundane.

Two specific times in the past week, news stories that seem to me to be unimportant have gotten relatively prominent coverage from a range of news organizations. This sort of thing happens all the time, but it's really jumped out at me in the past week.

Driving into work last Friday, I was surprised to hear Carl Kasell covering the New England Patriots spying scandal in NPR's 5-minute newscast. I stopped to get coffee, and CNN was covering it too.

Then earlier this week NPR gave up precious seconds of its national news summary to a story about a new California law restricting use of cell phones by teenagers while driving... and then CNN was on that story too.

What gives?

I can easily imagine the California law getting minor play from the LA Times; what the heck was it doing on the national news? Does some guy at the AP decide the order of news stories on the wire, and the rest of the media just follows suit? Is there a wider cabal somewhere? What's the deal?

This is a US-centric question, but the experience and wisdom of foreigners is welcome.

Origins of Newspapers Having a Food/Dining section on Wednesday?

gov_moonbeam — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:21:13 -0800

What is the basis of newspapers having a special Food/Dining Section on Wednesdays? The one weekly section I always look forward to in the newspapers I read is the Wednesday Food/Dining section. I'd love to know what person or newspaper started this practice so that all major papers (at least for the cities I've lived in) always publish these articles and recipes on Wednesday. How did it get started that they're always on Wednesday? Was it one newspaper? Or does it go back further to an older tradition having to do with cooking or markets?

Where can I find historic newspaper circulation data?

pluckysparrow — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:41:30 -0800

Where do I find data about 1940s newspaper circulation? I want to see what was going on with newspaper readership in the 1940s, before, during and after WWII. I think that newspaper readership went up during the war and am trying to find data to prove it! I'm looking for 1940s circulation statistics for some of the big newspapers (NY times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune & Christian Science Monitor). I am finding very little reliable information. Is there a reference librarian in the house who could point me towards a reference book or source?

Death by newsprint

em — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:47:33 -0800

Help me identify a story, written at least 40 years ago, about a guy who dies crushed under a pile of newspapers. I'd like to track down a book my father remembers reading 40-50 years ago. Apparently the story opens with a police report about a guy (let's call him Mr. Jones) who has died in his town house, suffocated under a pile of newspapers; in fact, every inch of his place is crammed with newspapers from floor to ceiling. The rest is a flashback to Mr. Jones's life, and according to my father it somehow managed to make his unlikely end seem plausible -- "by the end, even though you knew what was coming, you really felt like this guy would be OK if he could just get a few more newspapers!"