There was a time when you needed at least a few internships on your resume before you could get hired at a competitive newsroom. You changed markets when you wanted better pay and to reach a larger audience.
For many journalists, this is still a path to a rewarding career in the news business. But for many others, getting started or finding a new job has become seemingly impossible after hundreds of positions evaporated across newsrooms in the first half of this year because of layoffs and buyouts. Publishers have cited the need to restructure production teams and focus on digital journalism, as well as the years-long decline of advertising revenue.
So how do you stay in journalism when there are fewer traditional newsroom jobs?
A recent email I received from a young journalist who asked to remain anonymous included a cascade of questions that reflect the growing anxiety many are feeling about whether a secure career path in journalism still exists. She writes:
Where is the line right now between acceptable nonjournalistic employment and something that would make a traditional newsroom not want to hire me in the future? For example, I want to be a tech reporter. Does that mean I can never work for Apple or Anthropic?
Is building an independent audience through Substack while employed in a nonjournalistic role a viable strategy to getting journalism experience?
Do you even advise students to pursue traditional journalism jobs anymore, or do you think there should be a heavier emphasis on building a career through independent publishing and the Substack route and entering “news influencing”?
When I was younger, I was a big believer in following the so-called rules we were taught about how to nurture your career in journalism. You want to work somewhere with a strong reputation for ethics, our mentors told us, even if you don’t get paid much or have to live in a city far from your family and childhood friends. You wanted to be like Bob Woodward, Connie Chung, Christiane Amanpour.
Then, as the digital media click wars consumed newsrooms in the 2010s, perhaps best captured by the phenomenon of 800,000 people watching as BuzzFeed employees wrapped 686 rubber bands around a watermelon, I started to suspect the rules were changing. Soon after, top writers and editors from digital-first newsrooms such as BuzzFeed and Gawker were landing jobs at The New York Times.
A decade after that watermelon burst, the outlook for the journalism industry looks even more uncertain. AI chatbots are transforming how people find information, layoffs feel heartbreakingly routine, and trust in the media appears to be plummeting.
When people ask me what they should do next, I tell them to keep applying for jobs, keep networking, keep sharpening their resumes and skills. I talk to them about growing as a reporter, finding mentors, and the value of being well-read. I share that many jobs are never posted — roles sometimes go to people the hiring editor knows as soon as the budget is approved — and you should not rely primarily on job postings to find your next opportunity.
At the same time, I believe the future of journalism depends on our ability to create a new, stronger era of storytelling. That doesn’t mean we should abandon the values that brought many of us into journalism. But it does mean being flexible about what a career in journalism means today.
Write that Substack. Start a series of explainer videos for Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. Experiment with live journalism. Learn what you can from the most successful makeup, fashion and travel influencers who understand how to earn and keep an audience’s attention.
Doing this work doesn’t mean you have to be an independent journalist. You can pursue that route, join a media startup or create a job description and pitch it to a legacy newsroom that needs your talent.
As for the idea that you can’t gain skills or pay your bills by finding employment in other industries, I firmly disagree. I have worked with excellent education reporters who previously worked as school teachers. One of my favorite former breaking news interns was a theater producer before he switched careers. Many celebrated top editors have spent time working at think tanks or universities in between newsroom roles. When making that transition, it helps to explain in your resume and cover letter how your non-journalism experience makes you a stronger newsroom candidate.
Still, even as the way we deliver information changes, there is some traditional guidance I urge journalists to consider as they figure out what’s best for their career:
Sharing your opinions on most political and social issues goes against the policies of many traditional newsrooms. If you could see yourself one day applying for a hard news job, you probably want to avoid publicly engaging in partisan debate.
Most traditional newsrooms want their employees to comply with certain professional standards. I would avoid doing anything in a public forum that could make you unhirable, such as sharing profane rants.
Understand journalism ethicsand embrace them. Verify information before reporting it. Do not plagiarize. Do not accept payment from a source. Present fair, accurate and well-sourced information from diverse viewpoints. These are some of the standards that ensure the information we share is thoroughly vetted and can be trusted.
How we deliver and consume news will continue to dramatically shift over the next few decades. I am excited to see what solutions our brightest minds come up with to overcome apathy and distrust toward the media. My hope is that journalists will find new ways to make people routinely engage with the most important stories of the day with the same interest and curiosity they bring to watching, say, ASMR, OOTD or exploding watermelon videos.
Our industry’s future depends on innovation. It depends on you, your great ideas and your willingness to trust yourself and do something hard: be different.
