Be the Change

Introduction

To start with, I never planned to be a journalist. When I was in college, studying for my Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in English, people would ask if I was planning on being A. a teacher or B. a journalist. I didn't want to be either of those.

I assumed that journalism involved writing dry, non-fiction, a basic report of something that happened. I didn't want any part of that, as I felt it stifled creativity.

A few years after college, I found myself working in a deli. That's what I got for getting a BLA, really. One day, though, my co-worker's husband contacted me. He was a stringer for a local newspaper, and they needed more people to cover his area. He knew I had an English background and told his editor who was thrilled. We met, and I had my first assignment.

Boy was I wrong about journlism!

My very first assignment was taking a photo during a check presentation - a strict line-up, pose and shoot kind of deal.

My second assignment was a big deal. A local police officer was receiving a prestigous award. He was also a good friend of my editor's, and she was supposed to do the assignment. She couldn't make it, though, and neither could anyone else. It was passed down to me. I got to write up a full "story," as they're called, not "article." (Strange that journalists call articles stories.)

I realized right away how much creativity goes into being a journalist. Sure, I get my assignment, I go to the event, and have to write about it. But they don't tell you what to write. They don't tell you what angle they're looking for. It's all up to the writer. There's much room for creativity and good writing.

I cover community events, ranging from dress rehearsals for high school plays to installation of officers for local organizations. It may sound boring, but I get to meet the most interesting people. It really has started to give me more faith in my community, because I get to meet the people that really care about it.

I suppose it has its drawbacks, just like every other job. (I got yelled at by someone once who felt I was in the way of spectators taking photos. Excuse me, I'm just the professional photographer...) Overall, though, my experience being a stringer has been a great one.

I have a bit of a busy weekend ahead:

Tonight I'll be covering the swearing in of Fire Police.

Saturday morning I'm covering a "Hoop Shoot" at an elementary school. I have no idea what that means.

Saturday evening I'll be taking a photo of "Elk of the Year" in a nearby town. That'll be a quick one. The Elks are pretty secretive. I usually snap the photo, and they kick me out. They're really nice about it, though.


Here's to a weekend of surprises! Another thing I love about this job - every assignment is different, and I never know what to expect. Some may draw back in fear at the thought of their workday being full of surprises, but I love it.