Standing out in the crowd

[TheHacker]

When you work unpaid hours, you are reinforcing the notion that it is okay to expect reporters to work unpaid hours. That notion has infected the entire industry.

This ... thank you! Although in the next breath I'll say that I've worked many hours off the clock, and without any comp time, as we all have. But it's lamentable that it has become the industry standard. I agree you have to bite the bullet if you're going to be in this business, but I think what Rick is saying is that it sucks that so many people just accept it, because when that happens it becomes the rule, and anyone who questions that rule is quickly labeled a lazy bum.

But Cullen, to the point of your post, I think you have to build time or days into your schedule where you're not trying to do everything. You don't mention how many schools/teams you cover, but is it possible there are days when both you and your editor don't have to be out covering games? One stays behind to do the pages and make calls for features or work up phone games into more than just a brief, as someone else suggested.

I worked in a two-man shop once where that's what we did. There definitely were nights when I covered a game, wrote and paginated, but not every night.

Planning is essential as well. Look at your event calendar and figure out what would be a good feature to advance/preview the significant events that are coming up. These sorts of things shouldn't come upon you out of nowhere. You should look a couple weeks out and know what's coming and what you're going to do with it.

Another thing is to think of every game you cover as a chance to do two stories ... one is the gamer, and the other is the second-day story, something that gives a broader perspective. Could be a feature on someone. Could simply be a status report on how the team's season is going ... why is this team playing well, what's been the key, etc? In other words, when you do your postgame interviews, you should always get more than what you need to write your game story.

Are you going to work more than 40 hours per week? Yes. And I agree with Rick that it sucks. But how much beyond 40 is a factor of your planning and organizing skills. You're 23. You'll learn a lot in the next year or two. You'll see.

 

[mustangj17]

I'd call that getting out of journalism.

I agree. Get out. Not worth it. I worked a similar job to what you are doing when I was fresh out of college. It wasn't worth it. Probably not what you want to hear.

 

[Cullen9]

These were all great tips. Thanks, everyone.

 

[Mark2010]

I'm not sure I've ever met a decent journalist (writer, copy editor, designer, editor, whatever) who didn't work off the clock at least some. Might not have been every day, no, but every now and then, yes.

the truth

 

[NightHawk112005]

Wait, you imagine that moving up in the sports reporting business is going to bring you a higher-paying, less-stressful job?

I honestly don't, but my editor, who did have one of those bigger jobs for 30 years, tells me it will. He likes the work I do, so he doesn't have a lot of incentive to lie to me.

 

[peacer84]

I'd call that getting out of journalism.

I agree. Get out. Not worth it. I worked a similar job to what you are doing when I was fresh out of college. It wasn't worth it. Probably not what you want to hear.

Well, I have no reason to get out I love my job. Some of you complain about working off the clock on occasion. That's fine as long as you don't spent time at work in the afternoon on sportsjournalists.com, facebook,deadspin or any other personal website or blog you may be on while you're supposed to be working in the afternoon.

How about that time? When does the company get that time back? Oh right, you write that down anyways, because you're sitting at your work computer in the office.

Ask yourself this: Are you truly spending the time at work, working as in all eight hours? Are you being productive in the slow times in the afternoon?

I work off the clock sometimes because I enjoy my job and if it makes my life much less stressful the rest of the week if I update my basketball standings from home on my day off (which takes an hour), then I don't mind.

 

[Stitch]

Wait, you imagine that moving up in the sports reporting business is going to bring you a higher-paying, less-stressful job?

I honestly don't, but my editor, who did have one of those bigger jobs for 30 years, tells me it will. He likes the work I do, so he doesn't have a lot of incentive to lie to me.

Why did your editor take a smaller job then at your paper? It might have worked 10-15 years ago, but there's so much moving around you can do. How many newspaper jobs in the country pay more the $40K?

And yes, you're editor has an incentive to lie to you to keep you plugging away in the hopes of getting a big break that might not come. More and more people in the biz are getting out rather than hoping for that break.

 

[Alma]

When you work unpaid hours, you are reinforcing the notion that it is okay to expect reporters to work unpaid hours. That notion has infected the entire industry.

It's <i>writing</i> not snack cake delivery. People write off the clock all the time. It's part of wanting something to be good.

It's a business.

And people never work off the clock in certain businesses, do they?

 

[RickStain]

And people never work off the clock in certain businesses, do they?

They shouldn't.

 

[Brad Guire]

They still print newspapers? Find a real job. [/crossthread]

 

[NightHawk112005]

Wait, you imagine that moving up in the sports reporting business is going to bring you a higher-paying, less-stressful job?

I honestly don't, but my editor, who did have one of those bigger jobs for 30 years, tells me it will. He likes the work I do, so he doesn't have a lot of incentive to lie to me.

Why did your editor take a smaller job then at your paper? It might have worked 10-15 years ago, but there's so much moving around you can do. How many newspaper jobs in the country pay more the $40K?

And yes, you're editor has an incentive to lie to you to keep you plugging away in the hopes of getting a big break that might not come. More and more people in the biz are getting out rather than hoping for that break.

Personal reasons, he had a family member with a serious illness and took a smaller job to move closer to her while she fought through that. I'm grateful he did take this job. It's been a fantastic thing for me.

And no, he's got no incentive to lie because I love what I do and entered this job never expecting to make more than $25K a year no matter how long I did it or where I ended up. If he told me it never gets any better than now, I still wouldn't leave. I love this job too much right now.

It doesn't hurt that I'm not exactly hurting for cash on my current salary, and yes, I make less than $25K.

 

[flexmaster33]

Here's a question to ask yourself...if indeed you are going to work off the clock (I'd say keep in minimal 2-3 hours, if you're going to do it at all).

Am I spending this next couple hours to crank out something to fill out a page or am I putting in an extra hour to enhance a big piece that's going to enhance my story (and thus add a valuable clip to my stockpile).

I track my hours every time I'm doing something for the paper, but did find myself putting in a little extra time when I was exploring other options...just to update my file of clips.