Always do more

In our journalism class the past few weeks, we've had presentations from various health professionals on how they want journalists should report on things like suicide, viruses and pandemics and evidence-based health studies.

I've enjoyed each presentation because I've learned about who I can contact and partner with to gain good information for health stories.




But I've also found myself frustrated. I want to be a responsible reporter who does lots of research and thinks about all of my audiences and how to write/produce a thoughtful, interesting and timely story benefits my reader.

But will I always be able to do that by my five o'clock deadline?

I've barely started my journalism career - I've barely got my toes wet - but already I'm feeling pressure. Some external, but mostly internal.

I like longer-form, research-based journalism. But with Twitter, Facebook and blogs, journalism seems to be getting shorter, punchier and quicker - and, I'm editorialising here, worse.



I don't think I'm one who thrives on hard, breaking news, so I hope with a few years of general reporting under my belt, I can find my niche somewhere where can take my time and feel like my work is quality, useful, fair and substantive. And hopefully someday, I'll end up somewhere producing documentaries or writing longer pieces for Macleans or the Globe and Mail.

Or I'll be left always wanting to do more.


(Images from feld.com, domorefasterbook.com, amazon.com)