Is it worth it?

Yeah. There was a newsprint crisis at the time, but the early days of the Internet were around the corner and that was great for the newspaper biz -- all the job ads and everything were still conveyed in the print medium. Most papers underwent a fairly major expansion in the late '90s/early '00s.

I was working at a place so desperate for copy editors that they offered a $5,000 bonus to anyone who could refer a person who ended up getting hired. It was a one-year program. Before the program was over, there was a hiring freeze.

 

But it's true: There are still *some* jobs out there, and some people are employed in them, and it works.

It's simply the ratio is screwed to hell. The number of people trying to work in the business outnumber the jobs 30:1, easily, and possibly more. And the vast majority of the jobs that are there are total crap ($21k a year to work 70 hours a week covering preps in some far-flung podunk).

Are there a few good jobs out there and somehow has to fill them? Sure. But telling a young person that there's a chance they could beat the very long odds if they are special and life smiles on them feels almost negligent and cruel, because their minds are wired to skip right over the long odds part and assume that they are special and life will smile on them.

Journalists aren't known for their math skills (I always laugh that I wasn't allowed to take anything but the most basic math class, even though I had taken everything up through advanced calculus in high school and won some state-wide math contests, because only General Education Math counted toward my journalism degree), but instead of telling stories "this happened to me, that happened to this person," the math needs to be addressed.

Being the best graduating sports reporter at a division I college isn't nothing. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication and it's something to be proud of. But there's 340 division I colleges pumping out 340 "best sports reporter at a division I college" every single year into the job market. And there's 340 second-best sports reporters. And there 282 division II schools. And we're not even going to get into division IIIs, or kids who worked news getting into sports (my first job out of college was as a sports copy editor when I hadn't done anything in sports other than use my EIC power to take over the football tab each week because it was fun).

And there's a backlog, of course, because all those schools graduated reporters last year who still haven't found jobs. And the year before that. And maybe even a few from the year before that who haven't given up yet.

We're talking about many thousands of young, aspiring sports reporters out there.

Plus there's all the people who may be looking for a second job that's a lateral move to the first job. And veterans who have been laid off or are looking to move somewhere else or move up.

It's a labor market with many thousands, perhaps even 10,000+, participants, just spitballing off the top of my head.

Journalismjobs.com currently lists 128 jobs containing the word "sports," and maybe half of them are actually sports journalist jobs.

Trying to make a real living as a sports journalist right now breaking into the business is more or less like trying to become a professional actor or musician.

 

I remember it was about 1994ish that I was just starting high school and reading stories about newspapers being so desperate that they were trying to lure journalism students out of school without waiting for them to finish their degrees. Sounds hilarious now.

 

Yes. Those jobs aren't any more stable or well-paying.

The problem isn't newspapers per se. The problem is that web-based advertising revenues, in any industry, very rarely justify the salaries of full-time professional content producers.

 

I still have our phone list from my first gig in 1996.

57 names. All but 2-3 full time.

Same paper is in the 22-25 range now.

 

The odds aren't working in the OP's favor and who knows the process concerning his job-search strategy. Just writing you have had a few good internships is not enough. The resume and cover letter have to be perfect, and tailored to each job. The clips have to be tailored to each job. The interview has to be tailored to each job.

What does the OP have to offer to a newspaper, and can that pitch be reduced to 30 seconds, tops?

 

Speaking of cover letters (sorry to take this thread sideways), in the threads on this site that I researched, I saw a couple of the moddys and others suggesting short and sweet was the way to go.

Does that still stand? Does a short, sweet and to the point cover letter get a better reaction than those who try too hard to make their letter stand out?

 

I recommend searching this site. I know this has been asked before.

 

Backing up your point, for my last opening I got more than 300 applicants willing to cover preps at a 30k in Podunkville.

 

The OP may have the best clips in the world.

Today's journalism doesn't care how good you are, only how much you cost.

 

Well, the thing is, if you're going to land a print job today, you're going to have to bring online skills too. It's high on the list of most newspapers.

 

Run away. As fast as you can.