There’s some pretty powerful propaganda out there romanticizing my profession.
Whether it’s Blood Diamond’s Jennifer Connelly scooping the dirt on an evil civil war, dodging bullets and out flirting African militiamen only long enough to fall in love with Leonardo DiCaprio and pull down the greedy international diamond cabal —
or the stoic portrayal of Edward R. Murrow exposing the free-speech hating Senator McCarthy as America watched on the evening news in last year’s Good Night and Good Luck, I can understand why some of my idealistic peers might want to pursue a career in journalism.
I did.
But after my first year as a full-time journalist for The Common Language Project, an online multimedia magazine covering domestic and international social justice issues, I feel it would be unfair not to start by trying to dissuade you.
I know: what sounds better than a career exploring the world, challenging power, championing rights, indulging your curiosity, and writing about it? At least once a week I describe my job to someone new and their reply is something like “Ooooh, international journalist! How exciting! I would love to have your job.”
Ironically, the first thing to understand, future journalists, is how infrequently it actually qualifies as a “job” (in the money for services sense of the word).
By far the majority of journalists I meet are like me, underpaid and wild-eyed, trying to claw their way to the next grant or random payout from a piece that was finally picked up.
I can only speak to those of you who are considering devoting yourselves to freelance or independent journalism. (I’ve hear rumors that there is still a scattering of jobs in mainstream news outlets that serve up regular paychecks to a chosen few).
By far the majority of journalists I meet are like me, underpaid and wild-eyed, trying to claw their way to the next grant or random payout from a piece that was finally picked up. Often these same journalists must work multiple jobs because they write for independent sources that can only fantasize of paying more than a token amount to their contributors.
The thing about not getting paid much is you have to work your ass off. And I’m not talking about tromping-through-African-jungles and outsmarting-devious-bad-guys hard work either.
I’m talking about tedious stuff like internet research, cold calls, and scripted interviews with self-important bureaucrats. Most of my time is spent waiting for people who don’t want to talk to me to call back before I wear out their voicemails.
Of course, with any given story there are the days you spend actually traveling to some new place, interviewing a truly fascinating or courageous person, and “getting the scoop”. I’m just warning you, those days can feel awful few and far between, and I’ve yet to meet anyone that faintly resembles Mr. DiCaprio while on the job.
Now that you understand that you’ll work hard and get paid little, let’s revisit the “glory and admiration” you’re supposed to receive.
For every occasional movie that comes out weakly reminding Americans that journalists are the watchdogs of our democracy, there is a flurry of (sadly well-deserved) jabs at how corrupt, sleazy and bought-out the media is. Just last week I was introduced to someone as, “Sarah, she’s a journalist, but don’t worry she’s nice.”
Enthusiastically sharing their disdain for cheap saccharine journalists is pointless. Tutoring them in the finer distinctions between People Magazine and Mother Jones, or graphing media consolidation in the for-profit world of news and information, often earns blank stares.
Seems no matter how you try to define yourself, you’re eternally the “exploitive TV journalist” shoving a microphone up the nose of a defenseless victim or throwing soft-ball questions to a deceitful politician so as not to offend the advertisers.
Just about a year ago, my professor said it pretty succinctly in the final hour of my final class in my final quarter as a media studies major: “Don’t get into this profession if you need people to like you-it’s in opposition of what you’re out there to do.”
OK, I concede that I was asked to write this piece in response to the question, “How do I break into journalism?” and you may notice that I’ve avoided favored the more abstract and rambling Why? Instead of the pragmatic How.
In fact, the How is surprisingly simple (and unfortunately also a corporate slogan): Just do it.
As I mentioned above, if you want experience, really all that’s required is a willingness to go out there and teach yourself. Find a story or subject that interests you and start reporting. If you have a notepad and pen, an audio recorder, a camera, and a genuine curiosity, you’re outfitted.
As for a place to publish, the advent of online journalism has provided countless independent outlets for aspiring journalists, many that are more than happy to help people new to the field shape and develop stories.
I was first published by The Indy Media Center, an online media collective that has offices in American cities and worldwide.
Other online publications abound. A few to start with (specifically travel writing websites and sites that publish international stories) are:
World Peace Emerging, World Hum, GlimpseAbroad, World Changing, World Pulse Magazine
For folks interested in audio there is The Public Radio Exchange or Big Shed. And it’s always worth a try at your local National Public Radio affiliate.
A good place for video is Witness, Paper Tiger, and of course YouTube.
Now back to the Why.
It seems mean spirited that I would spend so much time outlining all of the reasons not to become a journalist, mention a few links if you haven’t been convinced to throw in the towel and leave it at that.
But I’m sure that anyone asking how to become an independent journalist is already afflicted by a passion for this job. This is a career that changes everyday and keeps you constantly engaged with the world, as well as a contributing to what has been called “the first draft of history.”
Maybe you’ve even had the experience of pulling a story from the chaos, shaping it into a narrative and hurling it back to the public in the hope of making an impact.
In short, you probably already know the Why.
Any aspiring journalist reading this is used to hearing that this is a hard profession to break into, that it’s underpaid and underappreciated. I still hear that all the time. But if you’ve been bitten by journalism you’re not going to be discouraged by me or anyone else.
If, like me, you can’t think of anything else you’d rather do you’ll jump right in. I did.
PS. Of course, I think the best way to break into multimedia journalism or travel writing is to write for The Common Language Project. Contact me at commonlanguageproject@gmail.com to find out how.
Sarah Stuteville writes for The Common Language Project – dedicated to developing and implementing innovative approaches to international journalism by focusing on positive, inclusive and humane reporting of stories ignored by the mainstream media.About the Author
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19 Comments... join the discussion!
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I’ve been in the field of journalism for several years now, but I’m relatively new in the field of travel journalism. I recently returned from the US to my home country, Honduras, and now work as the editor of the top travel magazine, Come to Honduras (part of the largest editorial house in Central America: Editorial Hablemos Claro).
I’m writing to offer connections and knowledge to you and anyone who is interested in Honduras, its culture and its destinations. Let me know if we can help in any way.↵ -
Hello. I am 15 years old and about to turn 16. I stumbled upon this site while looking for some information on a career in your particular field of work. I wanted to look into a career that will let me be my own boss ,alow me to travel, and look into the interesting things in the world today. I would hope you could share more information with me. Thank you for your time and i hope to here from you. Bye!
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Hi Ayana and Kalie,
Thank you so much for responding to my piece about being a travel journalist. Let me try and address some of your questions here and feel free to ask more if you come up with them. First of all, at least in my experience, there are very few people that are making a living entirely off of travel writing. Usually I encounter people in the field like me, who do all kinds of things to make money including writing for newspapers, submitting to radio, and applying for grants to do journalistic projects abroad (not to mention often holding down day jobs – I work as an antique furniture restorer in Seattle to make a little extra cash sometimes).
This is kind of the life of a freelancer – you typically live from project to project and you have to be pretty scrappy to get the bills paid sometimes. There are other ways to do travel writing as well: you can apply for paid positions at some of the publications out there, but competition is often pretty steep and the job openings few. As far as payment goes when you are working as a freelancer, there are two ways to get paid: one is to pitch a story when you first get the idea, see if someone will take it, and then if they do, you usually get to charge the expenses of your reporting in addition to getting paid for the piece. But this is a less frequent route.
Usually, I find my own way to a country (either on a grant or through my own savings); once there, I pitch stories out as I report and write them, hoping to get as much picked up and paid for as possible. Stuff that doesn’t get picked up ends up on my website. In short, travel writing is one of the most interesting and exciting – and really tough – jobs out there. As far as I can tell, it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, but it’s certainly one of my favorite things to do.
Regarding sexism in travel writing and journalism, well, sexism is a problem in any field. And any woman in almost any job will tell you that she’s encountered it. It can be especially challenging in unfamiliar cultures where gender and sex mores are really different from your own cultural context. Also, sometimes it can be hard to get people to take you seriously as a young woman in what is typically considered an often risky profession. But more often than not, good work, good sense, and an adventurous spirit proves ‘em wrong pretty quick. Also, while this field and especially journalism was long dominated by men, tons of women have been entering it in the past generation. I’d say I meet as many female journalists and writers as I do male ones, these days.
If nothing else, I hope both of you give this career a shot. Financial success might no be ensured, but really you have everything else to gain.
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Hi,
Please tell me how to get grants for a travel journalist. I am i interested in traveling to Scotland and Ireland. Thanks in advance.
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Just a thought to the novice and professional journalist alike, I am willing to build travel journalists or the aspiring writer a web-page at my website http://www.VacationRanking.com
It is free and you can use it to showcase some of your work, as long as the reviews are on the up and up.
The reviews will be available to visitors and they can rank the reviews.
If someone writes bogus reviews that shed a positive light on a place where it shouldn’t, that is an obvious no-no.
Use it if you feel it will benefit you and my readers.
Thank you
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Hello! I’m 15 & thinking of becoming a travel journalist. Do you know what A-Levels I would need for this? I was thinking of doing English, French & Drama. Is this OK?
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Hi, I’m 17 and very interested in travel journalism as well. I will be graduating from high school in the coming year and was wondering what majors/classes/ internships should I do/take in college in order to become a travel journalist. Also I was wondering if there are any outlets for people under the age of 18 to start a job in travel journalism or atleast get a head start in the field?
Thanks!
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I wanted to let you guys know about another great travel video website, http://www.tripfilms.com. This site allows anyone, professional or first-timer, to upload their videos. I’ve uploaded a few and I am already getting frequent flier miles and am eligible for their TripVlogger program where they send travelers to any country to make videos (it’s paid for!) Check it out: http://www.tripfilms.com/tripvlogger.do
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Hi, I would like to know What your experience of being a Travel Journalist? and I read from Andrew Marr that he quote: “That so much modern journalism works through baksheesh and back handers is an open secret which only the most simple minded readers don’t spot.
“If you take the money in the form of plane tickets or swanky clothes, you have entered a bargain and you feel awkward about not delivering at least a little – a paragraph here, a commercially useful little gush or adjective there..”
Based on above quote, Do you consider it ethical for a Travel Journalist to join a ‘facility trip’, or fan an arts reviewer to accept tickets, books etc?What is your opinion?
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That’s just crazy! It’s not about “free-lunch” and you know it!
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Hi i am a middle schooler who is interested in a traveling journalist as a career. I am currently writing a paper on the topic. so if anyone would be interested in a short 10 question interview via e-mail, please e-mail me at cameronjones_1994@hotmail.com / also if you have any advice on research sites or books to read those would be most appreciated
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Aloha Sarah,
I am very interested, like the others who replied to this article, in becoming apart of the comunications and broadcasting field. I am looking to apply to Pratt Institue in New York as well as San Francisco University. As my junior year is coming to an end I am taking a journalism class for summer school and I have a media broadcasting class for next year. I have four years experience in French language and I hope to study abroad in Europe my junior year in college. Do you have any advice for what I can do early to get my foot in the door?
Any summer internships you are aware of for a young inspiring journalist? Please e-mail me back. The information you send me will be used in a presentation called “Senior Project” in which I will receive a special award during graduation as well as to gain more knowledge.
Mahalo for your time↵ -
I didn’t really know too much about the Technical parts of this job, so thank you very much for clearing it up. Im still very intrested, i just have one question in this job have you ever helped anyone you’ve met? do you know a job like that? I knew that the movie was “off” on the profession, but i want to write stories that *inspire* people. Thats what i want. Please if you could answer this it would mean so much to me.
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Hi Ms. Stuteman, my name is Alex, I’m currently enrolled in college with a major in communications, and a hope to become a travel writer. I read and quoted your article in my portfolio on career choice and I wanted to request an e-mail interview with you for my current project. It’s only 10-15 questions and I would be honored to have the chance to get first hand information about your career journey. If you have the time, it would be great to hear from you. Thank you!
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Hi Alex,
Thanks for your interest. I would be happy to respond to your email question, just send them to sarah@clpmag.org.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Sarah
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Underpaid and wild-eyed…perfect description.
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Hello there Sarah, I have read a few of your articles and am definitely intrigued by the profession. I have been working onboard cruiseships for four years, and caught the travel bug for sure. I was a public relations person onboard, and realized that I love the microphone and informing people. I then in turn thought of actually pursuing a career in broadccasting, and perhaps eventually travel journalism broadcasting, I was wondering, is there any tips that you may have for me to do before or during my schooling, I am currently in college right now for a general studies proigram, but will be going into a Broadcasting Journalism program and then a post grad in Television news. I cant wait to get started. Anyways, any input would be greatly helpful.
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