There’s definitely a future in journalism

As a cashier, it’s my responsibility to make small talk with customers. Topics such as the weather and the holidays can only fill so much time until the million dollar question, “What do you want to do after high school?” pops up. My answer to this question is always the same, “journalism,” but the reaction I receive to this reply always varies. I get the occasional “that’s nice sweetie,” or an eyebrow raise, or someone trying to defend my chosen major by saying “well, I guess people always need news,” as if I didn’t already know.

My favourite of all the responses, though, came from a man, who had a Toronto Star balanced on top of his groceries, who told me that print media was dead.

Whether or not my career path is seemingly bleak, the disparaging comments, talking down and desolate looks can’t stifle my desire to write, especially now, since I have had a full experience in the newsroom.

I did not have much experience in journalism when I began my placement at the Peterborough Examiner halfway through September. I had practice summarizing notes and creating little news articles in elementary school. I had written a few pieces for my yearbook before I slowly stopped coming to meetings and I only read news if I was curious about a really major event.

So, on my second day, when I was asked to turn a press release into a brief, I was quite confused. I was even more confused when I was told that what I wrote would be put into the paper the following day. The brief was about a butter tart competition and it was just one of the many things I wrote that have made their way into the paper during my time here.

As I stayed here longer, my responsibilities grew. I was allowed to write an article on my own based off of quotes and information I had been given. Then I was given the opportunity to write a column. Then, I was able to conduct interviews alone and discover a lead and then write a full article based on my findings. With the more experience and responsibility I was given, the more I was able to learn and expand my knowledge of journalistic writing.

The ability to write was not the only thing I learned when I began spending my mornings in a newsroom.

I learned a lot about Peterborough as a city too, here’s a list of some cool facts I learned since the beginning of my placement:

1. The mayor is EVERYWHERE. 2. With an emergency scanner in the newsroom I’ve learned that the people of Peterborough acquire a lot of bizarre injuries (I hope the two people that tripped over each other are doing okay).

3. There’s always some cool event happening in the city.

4. Especially art-related events. 5. Children are really bad at interviews.

Not only did I learn lots about the city I live in, but I was able to partake in many significant jobs in the newsroom such as photography, attending events around the city, viewing court trials and going to a city council meeting. I met lots of new people and acquired many new skills that I wouldn’t be able to acquire anywhere else.

Will I get the opportunities I had in co-op straight out of university?

Maybe, but I can hope that I at least get to experience half of what I experienced in the four months I spent at The Peterborough Examiner.