Dear 18 year-old me and other young journalists,
I know that you think you know what you want to do in journalism. Maybe if your first year in the field went differently you would’ve stuck to it, but that didn’t happen. So, you changed your mind. That’s OK.
You wanted to be a breaking news reporter. Then, you saw a classmate’s body on the pavement on a random November Thursday. That is traumatizing. It is OK to be traumatized by that. It does not make you weak to want to steer clear of breaking news. It is not OK to abandon those skills, but it is OK to not want to specialize in it.
University Police Chief Michael Barton presented a motorist and pedestrian update to the trustees in April 2023. Chairman Randy Jones is pictured looking at the future changes to AL-21. Photo by Anna Barrett.
So much has changed since your first year in the field. You’ve changed your minor twice before you landed on political science, you’ve been through heartbreak and disappointment, you’ve had nightmares from stories you’ve covered and received threats from your audience, but you’ve also made a difference in your community from the stories you wrote. You’ve met so many amazing journalists and you got to intern at the Alabama State House twice! And meet Gov. Kay Ivey!
There have been some serious lows in your young career, but there have been some amazing highs. You’ve won four national awards, two first place and two second place. You’ve gotten to travel to Las Vegas, New Orleans and Washington D.C. to network and learn how to be a better public servant. You’ve changed your mind a few times, which is totally fine.
You went from wanting to be a breaking news reporter to a political reporter. You’ve also learned that there is breaking news in every beat, so you still get that adrenaline rush. You’ve realized that it is more valuable to write about how people in power affect their constituents than to just write about what they said. You still want to hold them accountable, but you never stopped being nosy.
Former housekeeper Cathy Howell is pictured cleaning a classroom in Ayers Hall. The story you wrote about the nightshift housekeepers enacted change you didn’t know was possible. Stay nosy. Photo by Anna Barrett.
As I am about to graduate, I want you to know that it will be OK. You will want to quit, but don’t. Stick with your passion. Change your mind. Try out different sections like opinion (not your strong suit, but still try) and sports. You won’t know that you’re on the right beat unless you try out others. You can do this. Don’t let anybody undermine your curiosity. Write the story. Keep defending democracy. Stay nosy.