Krista Staudinger -
UW News Lab

“It’s a lifestyle more than a job,” said David Boardman, executive editor and senior vice president of the Seattle Times, in relation to journalism today.

On Monday, Jan. 30, the University of Washington’s Department of Communication held the panel discussion “Journalism in 2012,” a Professional Development Month event. The panel consisted of six professionals with a wide range of experience in the field of journalism and was moderated by UW News Lab instructor Karen Rathe.

Speaking to an audience of mainly journalism students, Boardman addressed the question that most people in the room had probably been asked by a family member or friend: “Are you crazy? Why are you studying journalism?”

Passion seemed to be the underlying answer.

Mark Briggs, the director of digital media at KING5.com, advised students to make sure they do what they love. With all of the current digital platforms and social media tools to produce story content, a 24/7 nature of journalism has emerged.

Obviously journalists aren’t expected to blog and tweet through the night (though some choose to), but Briggs noted that “If you’re counting the hours, you’re in the wrong job.”

The importance of being able to produce stories on all types of platforms, from video to web to print, requires journalists to be on top of their skills and always be acquiring new ones.

Caitlin Murphy, a television host and freelance journalist, said she learned to shoot the camera and edit the video for her stories. Having these extra skills helped to differentiate her, because hiring one person who can fill multiple positions is more appealing in an applicant, especially in a time where news organizations are consolidating staff.

The ability to promote the whole package is just as vital as being able to produce it. Social media brings more viewers to stories than ever before, so journalists need to use these tools to attract and expand their audience.

“What you really have to work on is the relationships,” Boardman said.

Not only are the relationships with your audience important, but networking with other journalism professionals is vital. Attending events put on by organizations such as the Society of Professional Journalists was recommended.

Speed, accuracy and time management were other highlighted traits.

One quality linked to success was repeated down the line of panelists: curiosity.

“The people who are the most curious about finding ways to reach new people are the ones doing the best,” Briggs said about successful journalists.

Boardman suggested using curiosity to “find things out powerful people in institutions don’t want us to know.”

Paul Steinle, a veteran journalist and news media manager, stressed the importance of asking yourself: “What are you seeing and what are you doing about it?”

From a student’s perspective, Almeera Anwar, a UW senior majoring in journalism and anthropology, said what she found most helpful was hearing the necessary skills to land a job a journalism.

“It allowed me to think about myself and what I need to work on before attempting to find a job out there,” Anwar said.

Journalism hopefuls should fear not because there is no need to start from scratch. Steinle said, “What’s reassuring is that the fundamentals are still the same.”

KRISTA STAUDINGER is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.