Comments on: Marci Alboher on navigating a disrupted journalism career http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/03/marci-alboher-on-navigating-a-disrupted-journalism-career/ Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:31:41 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Kevin http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/03/marci-alboher-on-navigating-a-disrupted-journalism-career/comment-page-1/#comment-12558 Kevin Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:11:52 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=3440#comment-12558 As a young journalist plying his trade in college, I just wanted to thank both of you for this wonderful resource! It will be interesting to see if, and probably how, the lines are going to blur with respect to "doers" and "writers." I think that also partially explains why so many young journalists like myself are pursuing further education through graduate school. Since so many educated "slashes" with advanced degrees are writing, such as Paul Krugman or Atul Gawande or Michael Pollan, it seems like writing ability is no longer enough anymore. Today's generation of journalists need more than ever the ability to think critically and grasp complicated topics. Thoughts? As a young journalist plying his trade in college, I just wanted to thank both of you for this wonderful resource! It will be interesting to see if, and probably how, the lines are going to blur with respect to “doers” and “writers.”

I think that also partially explains why so many young journalists like myself are pursuing further education through graduate school. Since so many educated “slashes” with advanced degrees are writing, such as Paul Krugman or Atul Gawande or Michael Pollan, it seems like writing ability is no longer enough anymore. Today’s generation of journalists need more than ever the ability to think critically and grasp complicated topics. Thoughts?

]]> By: marci alboher http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/03/marci-alboher-on-navigating-a-disrupted-journalism-career/comment-page-1/#comment-10826 marci alboher Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:02:23 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=3440#comment-10826 Josh, Thanks for a great interview. This is the trouble with speaking totally off the cuff. As I just read and watched that I realized that I left out a really big point on the issue of journalists writing about their areas of expertise. Transparency and disclosure can cure a lot of questions of conflict -- so I wish I hadn't taken such a hard line on that hypothetical about that former journalist who wanted to write about issues happening at his new organization. You're right -- he is ideally situated on those issues and it would be a shame not to do that at all. He can certainly write Op-eds or other opinion pieces where he can disclose his affiliations. There are probably other instances in which he (or others in similar situations) could write other pieces -- even more straight reporting -- as long as proper disclosures are made. On the panel what we were saying is that he'd have an easier time of it if he wrote on other subjects. I fully agree with you -- organizations and journalists themselves are going to have to get a lot more open about the different roles journalists will be playing. Josh, Thanks for a great interview. This is the trouble with speaking totally off the cuff. As I just read and watched that I realized that I left out a really big point on the issue of journalists writing about their areas of expertise. Transparency and disclosure can cure a lot of questions of conflict — so I wish I hadn’t taken such a hard line on that hypothetical about that former journalist who wanted to write about issues happening at his new organization.

You’re right — he is ideally situated on those issues and it would be a shame not to do that at all. He can certainly write Op-eds or other opinion pieces where he can disclose his affiliations. There are probably other instances in which he (or others in similar situations) could write other pieces — even more straight reporting — as long as proper disclosures are made. On the panel what we were saying is that he’d have an easier time of it if he wrote on other subjects.

I fully agree with you — organizations and journalists themselves are going to have to get a lot more open about the different roles journalists will be playing.

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