By: Jacqueline Ingles

The best advice from my college journalism professor was to always remember journalists are like doctors, people choose to specialize in different things. For example, an ER doctor loves the rush and being under the gun and I think a reporter who strives for breaking news is pretty comparable. But for some of us, we want to do it all, like a general medicine doctor, that is why we have general assignment reporters.

Last week, a fellow Medill graduate in my class, James Foley, was taken prisoner in Libya. He was reporting there for his newspaper when his van was shot at and he was taken prisoner by armed men.
James is still being held prisoner as his family awaits word if he is safe, etc. Stories like this typically make headlines and the entire world gasps that “an American journalist” would be taken prisoner.
I believe a free press is necessary and journalists do play an important role in our society. However, I know that James wanted to do international reporting and that job comes with inherent risk.
Did James think he would be taken prisoner? Probably not. Did he likely know the possibility existed? You bet.

I am praying for James to return safe, but I think there is a great lesson in his story: know what you are signing up for.

Niche journalism has definitely arrived in the field and it is here to stay. Some people are great food writers, movie reviewers and then we have journalists who thrive on politics and love sitting through House sessions. For me, that is like watching paint dry. On the other hand, if there is crime scene tape, blood spatter and a body, I want to be the first on the scene in the thick of it all. I have a few friends who even got out of the business because they couldn’t do crime.

The likelihood when you start off reporting is that you will be a general assignment reporter and cover it all. Then, some people naturally find their fit as an investigative journalist, a political reporter, consumer reporter, etc.

I think before someone specializes in a niche they really need to ask themselves a few questions. For example, if you are thinking you want to cover the military and wars, you might ask yourself:

1) Would you be willing to be an embedded reporter and travel to Iraq or Afghanistan?
2) Do you want to spend time on military bases and likely be interviewing generals, strategists, etc?
3) Did you know that there are handbooks on military titles and how people should be supered in broadcast work and how to abbreviate for print?
4) Are you willing to travel far?
5) Are you willing to learn about international affairs?
6) Are you willing to deal with the red tape that goes along with getting access to bases and officials?
7) Would you be willing to live overseas and/or be away from home for long periods of time?

Every person needs to use critical thinking skills before committing to a certain job. I cannot speak for James Foley, but I have no doubt the dangers of heading to Libya crossed his mind before he got aboard a plane there. The obvious thing to keep in mind is to never do anything you are not comfortable doing.

Jacqueline Ingles is a multi-platform reporter for KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas. She writes, shoots, edits, fronts her story and then provides a more in-depth story version on her station’s web site daily. She founded the blog “In Ingles Please” in early 2010. A native of Chicago, Jacqueline received a master’s in broadcast journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola University-Chicago

By: Jacqueline Ingles

The other day, I had the opportunity to see how someone in a hiring position for on-air talent went through demo reels. Let me tell you, it was eye-opening.

I always thought it was a myth that news directors only watched demo reels for an average of 10 seconds. I was right. It is more like 7 seconds. This person zipped through tapes quicker than I could blink.

Here is what had on-air hopefuls hitting the road instead of landing an interview:

1) “Not enough energy” That is all this person kept saying tape after tape after tape. Bottom line, if you are not interested in what you are talking about and telling viewers, the person who is watching your reel can tell. If you are on the scene of a breaking fire ACT LIKE IT. Don’t just stand there, move around. It is understandable that sometimes you simply aren’t allowed to walk and talk because of dangers, but how about directing the cameraman by saying,” I am going to go ahead and have Scott zoom in on the roof. You can see where it caved in. Directly under this portion of the roof is where the twins were trapped.” Sure, you are not walking and talking, but boy are you showing something. Nothing screams amateur like standing in one spot looking into the camera. If you are live, you are live for a reason. Show the viewers why you are live or why you are doing a standup.

2) A Glamazon NOT a Grinder With newsrooms turning into multi-platform shops, you want to show that you are a grinder. This means you can churn out stories and not do it to seek on-air glory time. One applicant created an entire biography page and they had a picture posing with an award. The minute this person saw the picture he asked, “Who poses with an award? Really?” He couldn’t get past the picture The applicant’s demo was not even watched. Awards and recognition are great, but they shouldn’t be the shining star of your demo reel or homepage. Definitely highlight your success in a cover letter, resume, etc. I believe the word used to describe this applicant was “HAM” and he is still the butt of jokes.

3) Lack of Variety- Broadcast is a visual medium. The more action packed your tape is the better and the more enterprising stories you can tell the better. This one person’s tape was literally meeting after meeting after meeting. There simply was not enough to keep the person watching interested, let alone awake. The tape was a snoozefest. Show some breaking news, have a cool feature on there and toss in something enterprise. What I found was that not one of this applicant’s stories were different than the next. A broadcast story should be something can watch even when audio is on mute.

Also, think variety in terms of shots. Not everything needs to be shot on a tripod. Not everything has to be a sequence of wide, medium, tight. When you are out shooting, don’t be afraid to rest the camera on the ground or to balance it at an angle on your hands. During one shoot, I actually climbed on to the roof of my news truck along with my camera and tripod just to get more of an aerial view. Bottom line, if you are at a fire, show me flames, firefighters pulling hoses, etc. Do not get stagnant shots of a fire truck sitting and go tight on the fire department emblem on the door. In grad school this was called sign journalism and no one liked it.

There are some tricks to getting an interview too.

1) Drop your demo off in-person My former colleague decided to get her demo reel out of the pile and showed up at the station she wanted to work at in person. They did have jobs open and she kindly asked the secretary if the news director could come to the front office. It worked. He admired her bold move, sat down with her, watched her entire reel and then asked her to send more links. Four weeks later, she was the new reporter at that station. At 23, she was in market 40.

Don’t get me wrong, do not go booking tickets all over the nation to drop your demo off. If you are close to a few markets go ahead and take a drive. Or, if you are on vacation, pack a suit and go for it. It puts a face to a demo reel. You are no longer a link or a DVD, you are a human being. It also shows potential bosses you are aggressive and persistent. Both are attributes all reporters need to have to be successful.

This can also work if you have a friend at the station. They can act as a reference and put your tape in the right hands. Then, they can casually stop in and remind your news director to take a look or allow for another opportunity to bring your name up.

2) Save a Stamp/Think Outside the Box. Long gone are the days of mailing hefty VHS tapes to news directors. Upload your demo reel to YouTube and send everything via email. It is the quickest and easiest way to get your work out there. Also, you do not have to cold call, write endless letters or hope you hit the demo reel lottery. The way I landed my job in Austin: Facebook. That is right. I contacted my news director on Facebook. Crazy, right? A lot of my friends thought I was nuts and that I looked unprofessional. Well, I got a call three days later about their multi-platform job. I was also told they thought it was neat that I used social media for my job search. It has been 18 months and I am still here. The lesson: in broadcast, nothing is off limits. So, get on Facebook and tweet that ND a link to your demo.

3) Be Persistent, Very Persistent. I spent 9 months conversing with my second boss via email. I wanted in to WCTV in Tallahassee so bad because I knew it was a reputable shop. Every few weeks, I sent links, pitched my own story ideas, etc. I never gave up even though I had questioned being a pest. The news director would write back sometimes, other times he wouldn’t. Finally, after almost one year, he called and told me there was a job open and how he appreciated my dedication. He also made note of how many reporters would find out there were no jobs at his station and disappear into the night never to be heard or seen from again. The simple message is do not give up. Stay on someone’s radar. Again, email is free.

4) Find Common Ground. Googling a news director is not hard. You can easily find out where they worked in the past, where they went to school, etc. Anything that you have in common with that person will help you. When you go out on a job hunt, do yourself a favor and spend five minutes on google or Linkedin, etc. Also, research the station’s web site and watch the station’s newscast. Provide a little commentary on certain packages and voice your likes and dislikes. Maybe there is something you would have done different. Doing this will show how deep your interest runs in that shop and that you are a go-getter.

Also, there places that are simply destination markets to work in. Think Tampa, Phoenix, Miami and San Diego. Everyone and anyone wants to work in these markets and get the added bonus of fun in the sun. One news director in Florida told me when they had a reporter opening, 450 people applied just because it was Florida. You do not want to walk into an interview and not have good reason why you want to work in that market. Maybe you are an excellent crime reporter or strive to be and see opportunity to cover the international drug trade and corridor in Miami. Watch how the station covers crime and tell them how you would do it. Maybe you are fluent in Spanish and could get them the scoop on stories easier. Bottom line, find some way to make yourself memorable.

Jacqueline Ingles is a multi-platform reporter for KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas. She writes, shoots, edits, fronts her story and then provides a more in-depth story version on her station’s web site daily. She founded the blog “In Ingles Please” in early 2010. A native of Chicago, Jacqueline received a master’s in broadcast journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola University-Chicago.

By: Jacqueline Ingles

“I am not working Christmas.”

“What are your days off?”

These are two things I most recently heard fly around my newsroom from an intern (insert internal chuckle). All I wanted to ask was, “Are you joking?”

If these are your first two questions walking into the media world, please, exit left and do us all a favor. It led me to do a lot of thinking and I came to the conclusion
that reporting is a lifestyle, not a job.

Technically, I never have a day off. I work my sources seven days a week. And, just because I have two days off does not mean that my beat gets frozen in time. I cannot expect that on a Thursday and Friday Texans in the five counties I cover decide to stop living. At least one of my days off is a mini-planning day or source day. I am calling police departments, organizations, reading papers (online and print) and I am often writing web material from my living room. I take notes, brainstorm stories and go over older files to review what needs to be followed up. I do not get paid for this time, but it only benefits me the week ahead.

The same philosophy applies when at work. I am not cruising Facebook, listening to YouTube, having a Gchat with friends or going to sit down lunches. Bottom line, if you do not like having extreme time crunches and no time for playing around, find a different career. I know a few of my friends who sit around watching the clock hit 5 p.m. to make their grand exit. In news, there is no leaving early or ducking out to make happy hour. There are often times where I have put in a full day and at 5:58 p.m. a woman decides to drive her car into a church. In truth, that did happen. I should have been headed home to enjoy dinner with friends. Instead, I found myself driving 45 miles away to shoot the scene, talk to witnesses, etc. My friends dined without me. I returned home at 10 p.m., popped in a TV dinner and went to bed. The next morning, I was back at it at 7:30 a.m.

As for holidays, in broadcast news they don’t exist. If you want to be sitting with your family celebrating (insert any event), you likely will not be. Oh, and just because the police department is a skeleton crew and the entire city shutdowns, you are still expected to turn a story and something hard, not some fluffy feature on what shoppers are buying last minute. Your news director and producers aren’t going to pat you on the back and tell you, “It’s okay, everything is closed, we understand.” Leading up to holidays, I am often shooting stories the day before to keep a little extra something in my back pocket.

I have no doubt the the large turnover in my industry is due to the demands and time you spend away from loved ones. I am separated from my family by five states. Did I mention that on birthdays I am put on a conference call to sing “Happy Birthday” to family members to feel included? Reporting will break you down and test your love and passion for journalism daily. The lifestyle is not taught in books or something you can learn in class or at an internship. The lifestyle hits you when you land your first job.

My advice to anyone thinking of getting into this career field is simple: Think of news reporting like getting married. It is a large committed and if you are not ready to give up a large portion of your life prepare for a divorce. You will be out of news faster than you can say, “Reporting Live.” I have said, “I do” and now it is for better or for worse. On the days I score exclusives or do well the good. The for worse…holidays, significant family events, slow news cycles, etc.

Are you ready to marry news?

Jacqueline Ingles is a multi-platform reporter for KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas. She writes, shoots, edits, fronts her story and then provides a more in-depth story version on her station’s web site daily. She founded the blog “In Ingles Please” in early 2010. A native of Chicago, Jacqueline received a master’s in broadcast journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola University-Chicago.

By: Jacqueline Ingles

Three years into broadcast and I have already had the pleasure and sometimes pain of working with close to a dozen interns. Internships are important and students should get them to take advantage of them.

Unfortunately, there are those that only come to a newsroom to sit around, do nothing and fluff up their resume. I chose to write about this topic because this past year I had an intern superstar. Not only was this girl motivated, but she was a self-starter. I would actually come into work and look forward to working with her. Not only did she go above and beyond, but she got herself recognized, liked and walked out with great references.

Here are a few things I noticed:

1) No Job was Too Small

Even if this intern was getting me a a diet coke, no job was to small. I get that everyone wants to help write, edit, shoot, and get standups for their real, etc. But, I often forget to eat in my jam packed day. And, I was thankful and noted every time she took on a task of little to no meaning. She did it and did it eagerly. Soon, we were spending lunches together and I was showing her editing tricks and sipping on Cokes together. We talked business and she got great insight. She realized how the littlest thing can impact someone’s day in the newsroom and how help, even if small, goes a long way. So, the lesson to all interns: even if you are getting coffee or stapling papers, running scripts to anchors, these little things mean a lot to reporters. Our days are long, detailed and while you may not realize, those little jobs and tasks are very helpful. Do it with a smile and be eager, and you will get noticed.

2) Ms. Self-Starter

If I were in the field taking photos for the web, guess who was right next to me snapping away on her iPhone? My intern! I did not ask her to do this or tell her. She did it on her own and it paid off. Her photos showed up on our web site with her own by-line. Also, as a one-woman-band, if I was shooting, she would ask to see shots, ask me how to position the camera, etc. She got so good at what she was doing, when I needed a hand shooting standups, guess who worked the camera? My intern. To thank her, I would then work the camera for her and she got standups for her reel.

3) Going the Distance…Literally

I have the opportunity to also work 50 miles away from my station in my own bureau a few times a week. Many people hear bureau and RUN. They only want to be at the main station, around the big anchors and in the nice studio. This intern didn’t. In fact, she made it a point to drive to the bureau and spend the day with me. Was it glamorous? No. Was it long, hard and grueling? Yes. But, she did it. She wanted to get her hands into as many pies as possible so to speak. And, it had me admiring her. It showed me that to her, TV was not about being on TV.

Now, I have had some interns who are best described as duds. One girl decided to leave earlier for a nail appointment. Apparently, her pedicure was more important than staying until deadline. Needless to say, she didn’t walk out with a demo reel or anyone’s respect. Bottom line, come in motivated and take everything seriously, big or small. Our industry is small. It is likely the people you intern for now will be in positions to recommend you for hire later.

Jacqueline Ingles is a multi-platform reporter for KXAN-TV in Austin, Texas. She writes, shoots, edits, fronts her story and then provides a more in-depth story version on her station’s web site daily. She founded the blog “In Ingles Please” in early 2010. A native of Chicago, Jacqueline received a master’s in broadcast journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola University-Chicago.

by Mike Brannen

So you’re months away from getting a diploma and heading out in the real world. You’ve been studying journalism, or mass communications, or another field, and you’ve learned all you can in the classroom.

Your professors have given you lessons on how to land a good job. Be polite, well-polished, have a good resume. Those are no-brainers. There are certain things that your advisors prep you for, and some things they can’t.

I finished school this October and have been job searching since September. I studied broadcast journalism and am looking to produce at a local affiliate. Although I haven’t signed on the dotted line at my TV station of choice, I can give you a heads-up on some things that will help your
process.

NOTE: For the non-TV folks, substitute “station” with “newsroom” and the same tips still apply.

1. Expect to spend AT LEAST two months getting the job you want.
I sent ten resumes and DVDs on September 22. I got my first call October 1 from a Hearst station. About a week later, I got a call from a Raycom station. Two weeks later, a call from a Gannett station. It took more than three weeks for that station to get back to me, and it was the station I wanted most.

The Hearst news director I spoke with said many of these jobs remain open until the right candidate becomes available. Rarely will a station get desperate to fill a spot immediately with someone they feel is unqualified. I thought there was no way a station would hire me during the November sweeps period. As the news director said, they will hire when the candidate is there.

2. Be careful telling stations about the other ones you are talking to.
The key thing is to not mention other stations until an offer is made.

The Hearst station wanted to fly me out. They said they were 85% sure they wanted to hire me. The Raycom station had a more appealing opening. I told the Hearst station I was not 85% sure I wanted that job. That news director said Hearst stations typically don’t like to be competing with others for candidates. They want people who have Hearst as their number one. Needless to say that bridge was burned. To make matters worse, the Raycom station filled the appealing opening.

I’m still in limbo with the Gannett station, but I’m slowly talking with a Belo station in a higher market. If I tell Gannett about Belo, Gannett will say “great, take that job if you’re looking. We’ve got other candidates who REALLY want to be here.” BUT, if Belo makes an offer, then I could go back to Gannett and mention how a higher market wants me. I would then also tell Gannett that they are more number one choice. Stations get a little jealous (and competitive). A station like Gannett would then feel like they a getting a great deal because this producer could
have gone to a higher market.

3. Flying out to the station is not an offer.
I mentioned how if I was to fly to the Hearst station, they were 85% sure they wanted to higher me, and that I should be 85% sure I wanted to work there.

However, the Gannett station flew me out last week. At the end of the interview, I was told I was on a “short list” of candidates. I assume I am not their number one candidate. Talk about a gut-check. I don’t think there is a clear way of asking if you are the number one candidate. Just assume you are not until they make an offer.

4. Apply high.
The worse thing these stations can do is say no to you. The Gannett station is in a pretty high market considering my age (24) and experience (2 years), but it’s worth taking a shot. The executive producer wasn’t too keen of me because of my inexperience. However, I’ve got an interview under my belt. If I go elsewhere for a couple of years, I have a great chance of working for Gannett in the future.

5. Be picky, be happy.
Take the job you want, not the one that is available. Remember, you’ll have to work there probably at least two years. Go to a place that will make you happy to be there. Same thing goes for position. I know I don’t want to work mornings because I’ll be unhappy. I’m waiting to find weekend jobs so I don’t have to work at 2:00 a.m.

6. Who’s in charge?
Find out who the top editor or news director is and mail your resume to them. NEVER SEND TO HUMAN RESOURCES. The people in HR really don’t want to do the hiring. Do your work and find out the name of who is making the news decisions.

7. Check your connections.
Many former grads came to my campus for Homecoming in October. An alumnus mentioned a student who sent a resume to her station. This student never contacted the alum. Now, the alum says she won’t make the effort to help because the student didn’t do his homework. Sounds catty, but some alumni have a pride about getting fellow alums in the same newsroom.

I interned with a FOX O&O after my freshman year. In a small world, a reporter and producer at the Gannett station both previously worked at that FOX station. I emailed some folks back at the FOX station to put in a good word for me. Thankfully they did because I left a good impression when I was an intern.

8. Spice up your cover letter
Tell a story, talk about when you had to make a big decision in a heartbeat. Avoid cover letter templates. They’re boring, unoriginal, and unimaginative.

9. Say Thanks
My sister gave me the tip to follow up interviews with thank you cards. If someone at Station X wants fill an opening within their station, and you end up getting that job, you might need something extra to justify the hiring. A thank you card to the news director or executive producer speaks volumes. And not a thank you email. A snail mail thank you card. It sets you apart from everyone else.

10. Save the Money for Later.
Wait, wait, wait for the station to make an offer and a salary value. Let them bring it up on their terms. If you bring it up, it gives the impression that money is your priority, even if it isn’t.

When they give the offer, negotiate a little bit. They will lowball you, so push for a little bit. It shows you have a little backbone and that you are not a pushover.

Everybody’s experience will be different depending on the medium, the city, the newsroom environment, and the job opening. Just be yourself and you’ll do fine. If you’re curious about my experiences in this job search or want to talk further about my tips, you can reach me by email: mike.brannen08@gmail.com.

Mike Brannen recently completed his thesis, Motivational Use of Twitter, and received a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has worked various positions at KOMU-TV during the past four years. He is currently a newscast producer and producer supervisor.

In early February, I became a freelance writer/blogger for the entertainment website Starpulse. No, it’s not The New York Times or Smithsonian magazine. Heck, it’s not even Entertainment Weekly. But I like it. And working full-time as an editorial assistant of a community newspaper where I proofread and copy edit press releases for publication as well as confirm letters to the editor, it’s nice to actually write an article once or twice a week. Plus it gives me an excuse to keep up with pop culture. As if I needed one before.

Unfortunately, I don’t get paid for writing for Starpulse. Yeah. Go ahead. Call me crazy. Yes, I admit that I hesitated to write for the website when I found out I wasn’t going to be compensated, given current economic conditions. But since I want to be a pop culture journalist when I grow up, this seemed like the ideal platform for me.

However, some younger journalists don’t see freelancing for websites like Starpulse as a means to further their career. My friend, colleague and Cincinnati-based music journalist Mildred Fallen briefly wrote for Examiner.com, a blog-like site that operates a network of hyperlocal news websites where writers and journalists can share information (and get paid for it, if they get enough web hits) on what’s going on in their city. Here’s what she said, in an email, about writing for Examiner:

(It) all depends on what you want from it, and where you already are in your career. In my experience, writing for Examiner was brief. I knew it wasn’t going to yield any returns money-wise that would make a difference to my pocket so I used it as a way to continue being productive while searching for full-time employment. Eventually, I started working full-time again, which whittled my free time down to almost none. Overall, it didn’t necessarily improve my writing career, but I think the visibility of the Internet helped me reach a wider readership and there’s also complete autonomy of what you publish. (Great point! OK, back to what she said.) And publishing something regularly helped me not be so depressed about not having a job in my field. Also, it was handy to learn social network marketing tools such as using SEO keywords to appear in more Google searches, and interesting to know exactly how many hits my pieces were getting each day. You also get immediate feedback if people comment. You definitely have to be hustling outside of writing for sites like these to be able to gauge if it’s worth it – like it’s best used as a supplement to broaden your portfolio. Now, I just use it as a link employers can access to see a few clips in a hurry without downloading a PDF or an attachment.

Writing for Starpulse is new to me. So while I can’t quite yet say that it’s helping my career, it definitely isn’t hurting. I get to write on a topic I love, plus I’m getting my name “out there”, which is good for any journalist, young or old.

And now for the shameless plug: Check out my articles on Starpulse.

What do you think? Do you feel that websites like Examiner.com and About.com (where you eventually get paid for writing) and even Starpulse.com help younger journalists in their careers? Is it worth it, or just a waste of time?

A few days ago, I resigned from a nonprofit job unrelated to journalism. Admittedly, I lasted a whopping two weeks.

Desperate and poor, I accepted the offer for employment, thinking I’d have enough time on the side to devote to writing. And my bright-eyed 22-year-old self couldn’t have been more wrong. So there I was, doing work that many people consider important, and doing it well. But by the second week, there was this incessant tug. And every attempt to ignore it only intensified it.  I had to address it, despite the consequences.

And that’s just what I did. In the end, I decided if I was going to feel overworked and exhausted, it was going to be in the name of my craft. I knew I would return home to frustration, to judgment, to more penny pinching. But do I regret it? Not one bit. I took a chance and devoted myself to a cause. My experience made me a better person and a better writer. Next time someone questions my decision to pursue journalism, with its uncertain future in the current economic landscape and all, I have a response I can feel good about. Why, they ask? Because I wholeheartedly tried something else, and it left me unfulfilled. Because for me, it’s not about money, it’s about purpose. And, well, this is mine. It was foolish to think I could do anything else. Lesson learned.

So, fellow Gen Jers, what do you think? We are a young and vibrant bunch, real go-getters. But is passion (and hard work, of course) enough to tackle this industry? Would you rather follow your heart and be broke? Or, in these times, work a job that satisfies your bank account, even if it leaves you feeling dull? Have you, like me, learned the hard way?

Over at the freelance blog, there’s some discussion of a backlash against news outlets that want journalists to, essentially, work for free.

We’ve all been part of it. You fudge the timecard because you had to stay late to finish a story, even though technically overtime has to be approved in advance.

We do it for the love of the readers, the viewers, the listeners. We do it because for many of us, our name is on our work, and quality work takes time.

Younger journalists, especially as they take unpaid postgraduate internships or clamber desperately up the ladder as layoffs loom, are quite susceptible to being abused.

Do you regularly work for more hours than you are paid? Do you think it’s a necessity for Gen J, or should we likewise rise up?

Edit: Just got a link to fellow ex-IndyStarer Christopher Lloyd, who argues in favor of free journalistic labor — even beyond the first few years of experience.

Last week, Gawker put out its guide to a career in journalism. Honestly, my first thought was “this is hilarious.” But then I thought about all of the people who have been laid off and bought out in the last two years, and it made me feel really sad for journalism newbies (i.e. college students) and some of our younger Gen Jers. The rules of the game have changed. How are they going to hold on when the earth continues to shift under their feet? Their struggles to get enough solid experience to land jobs is different from that of mid-career and veteran journalists, many of whom have the managerial experience to change career paths with less trouble. At least that’s my assumption. Am I correct?

Over at The Independent Journalist, SPJ’s blog for freelancers, committee chair Amy Green urges journalists to not work for free. “If you write as a hobby then perhaps the pleasure of seeing your work in print is payment enough, and I understand that,” she says. “I don’t mean to discourage anyone from the fundamental activity of writing, which bears significant value by itself. But if you are a seasoned journalist, then please do not write for free.” The operative word in that sentence is “seasoned.” What if you’re a newbie to the freelance game? Let’s say you’ve been out of school for a year or two, you haven’t found a full-time job, and all you’re working with is clips you have from your college days. Or maybe you’re in your first job, but you don’t have a lot of opportunities to write for your publication, so your clips are few and far between. How do you break into freelancing with these kinds of backgrounds?