“If you’re good at something, never do it for free.”
Journalists can learn a lot from that line from The Dark Knight.
Journalism doesn’t pay a lot and journalists are reminded of this fact every payday and every time they visit home and their parents ask why they didn’t pick a more lucrative career like law, medicine or laundry. Yes, every journalist knows slinging copy for a newspaper doesn’t pay but there is a value in knowing how to write in coherent English.
Journalists are constantly asked by every relative, friend, past lover, neighbor and mail carrier to help them write or edit (or both) a term paper, family newsletter, obituary, garage sale ad, etc. Though journalists are usually reluctant to agree, they ultimately oblige because in asking for a journalist’s help, that person is redeeming the journalists’ career choice. The value of being a good writer doesn’t transpire until people realize you’re good with words and want you to write or edit for free.
But this is something journalists are guilty of themselves. Journalists will routinely turn around to a coworker and ask them to help edit copy or seek advice on rewriting a 65-word lede.
People don’t do this with other professions. People don’t ask doctors to perform operations for free or ask firefighters, “Hey, can you put out this brushfire for my niece?”
Journalists’ moms will remind them writing doesn’t pay then will turn around and ask them edit a letter – free of charge. Oh, the irony. If mom ponied up some cash, maybe their son or daughter could afford to shower on a daily basis.
But it’s in those requests journalists feel their “skills” have value. Avoiding dangling modifiers, passive voice and comma splices make journalists prized possessions for anyone who has a paper due in 24 hours.
So in addition to editing a weekend piece for the newspaper, going through public documents, and hunting down sources, journalists in their spare time have to edit their nephew’s 10th grade history paper and rewrite their aunt’s announcement for her fifth wedding. And journalists couldn’t be happier.
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Are journalist happy with therw career choicw, write edit
Love this. Friends now barter with me. I get free tickets, food, tech help etc. in exchange for emergency editorial edits. I think carefully before I say yes. It’s fun.
I’m fine with all of it as long as the piece is intended for publication and on an interesting topic. I cannot cope with beginners or stuff written just for fun. My eyes glaze over.
Love your Website design. Very charming.
My wife graciously agreed to barter her massage services to the person who edited my self-published non-fiction book. Just like the fool who represents himself in court, only a fool would try to copy-edit his own work.
Great read, but couldn’t help but cringe at grammatical error in headline :-/