How to get started...

I know that most of you are Sports Journalist from big papers, but i heard a rumor that Jason Whitlock posted on here. Any truth to that?

 

One of the things I loved about majoring in journalism at LSU was you got a boatload of electives to choose from in the curriculum. When you get to college, don't be afraid to take some off the wall stuff for the hell of it. Among my electives were dairy science, marine biology and Russian history. Look at all of your classes as a chance to learn something new that you might use at some point in your life or career.
People might snicker at the veteranary class you take, but if you do a story on rodeo it might help. Economics or accounting might be tough, but the first time you have to write a business story you'll be glad you have at least some idea what people are talking about.

And others have said it, but it can't be stressed enough -- write some stories. If you're not playing football in the fall, see if any local papers need you to string some high school games. Write for the school paper. Start with gamers and previews, the easy stuff, then get a feel for what's newsworthy and try writing other stuff.
When you interview for your first job, that 3.8 in journalism might stand out on a resume but clips are what'll get you filling out a W-4.

Also, read plenty of papers. Long-form features in magazines like SI and ESPN are nice, but that's a small percentage of what you'll write in your career. A lot of things are grunt work, nuts and bolts items. Read papers from around the country and see how they lay out their stories. Not only will it give you a feel for how to organize an article, it'll give you a better idea of what's newsworthy and what isn't.

 

Matt I agree with everyone else here, kudos for starting off on the right foot.

I have been skimming through a little bit, so I'll add one or two cents.

You're a teenager, so it's natural that you'll have a lot of opinions now. Just concentrate on the facts when you write.

I know you said earlier that you're involved in sports so you don't have a lot of time, but see if you can write a story or two during the offseason. Start taking any classes at your school that relate to journalism. Creative writing, photography -- stuff like that.

When you go to college get right into the school paper. Major in something else, but minor in journalism/communications. Make sure you're prepared for anything related to web journalism.

Pick up a couple of copies of Best American Sports Writing.

Best of luck.

 

He used to, at least.

 

Awesome I always read his column

 

Just tell him you'll work for $19K per year and you're sure to get the job.

 

What he said, minus the restaurant bit.
And buy a copy of On Writing Well, by William Zinser. Read it once a year.

 

Matt, if you want a couple books, here are some I used in high school and college journalism classes a couple years ago:

"The Elements of Journalism" by Tim Rosenthal and Bill Kovach. It's an easy read about journalism's purpose. Read it and keep it. It's good to check every now and then to remember why you do what you do.

"Inside Reporting" by Tim Harrower. It's more of a textbook but it has a flashy design and only covers the basics of different types of stories. It has a ton of first-hand anecdotes and is a great read. Like "Elements of Journalism," I still have it.

There are plenty of others out there, but those are good places to start. And definitely familiarize yourself with the Stylebook. It's confusing as hell at first, but it gets easier.

 

what classes are you taking in school?

 

An adjunct instructor is actually using "Inside Reporting" for an upper division class at the school I cover regularly.

 

At 15 years old, all you really need to be doing is reading a lot and writing a lot, and it doesn't really matter what you're writing, as long as you're trying to make it good. Could be a blog, school newspaper, well thought e-mails to friends, whatever.

While you're in high school, you can probably land a gig at your local newspaper as an agate clerk, which mainly involves taking calls on local scores and typing them into the computer. This is a great way to get your foot in the door, great way to develop a feel for the culture of newspapering and maybe after a couple years they'll let you cover a high school soccer game or something. Do that well and you'll get a football or basketball game. Do that well and they'll abuse you as a part-time employee until you quit or a beat job comes open.

Finally, once you get to college, drink beer with your coworkers. I'm serious, even if it sometimes means not hanging with your buddies. Absorb everything they say. I learned more about the business doing that I ever learned in college. Plus, they'll probably like you more.

 

Do you still regard him as a friend? </grouchomarx>