r/Journalism

I’m currently a student at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and I’m set to graduate in 2027. I’m also contemplating whether to pursue a master’s degree. However, I’m grappling with a significant question: is Ole Miss considered a reputable institution in the field of journalism? If that’s my primary concern, I’m beginning to wonder if a master’s degree would be beneficial in addressing it. My primary motivation for considering a master’s degree is the University of Mississippi itself. I genuinely lack the academic credentials required to attend other institutions. If anyone has experienced a similar situation, where they attended a slightly less regarded school with a low acceptance rate, and they managed to secure first-year jobs in the industry, or if they had to return to school for a master’s degree to obtain a basic entry-level position, I would greatly appreciate any insights or advice you may have.

Need some help. My station (nexstar) is moving away from cbs newspath. We will no longer be able to contribute or use video pkgs ect from them. No special report notices or nothing.

I am a morning producer (4:30 -7:00 shows). We rely heavily on cbs fast content to plug in. Right now we have the least amount of reporters in our market (We are loosing another next week). My morning shows usually split every half hour. The shows have different stories and I take pride in that. with the loss of reporters we have had to rely on more national stuff (guess where from) to fill some parts of the A block in mornings. in total today we used almost 9 minutes worth of cbs content (including a cbs mornings tease, not counting a repeated pkg). When it comes to Nextar content (which is our only other option) we used 2 minutes. Now the kicker, I have worked at least 21 days this year completely alone on this shift (wow). Our morning crew is completely understaffed with only 2 producers (technically 3 but the 3rd comes in so late it doesnt matter). We were the last producers to know about this newspath license thing. My news director is taking away building blocks and replacing it with what exactly? we already have Nexstar/newsnation and they are not enough. We will have to repeat so much content. At some point we will be repeating most of the stories every half hour because we just will not have content to fill. It is disappointing to me. I enjoy using a variety of content and my station is taking that away from me. They will make me hate my own shows. I well end up just filling shows as a job instead of actually trying to have shows that seem good in my head.

Despite all of this Nexstar still will not increase my wage. They will not add extra help. I am going to ask my boss about this and see what he says. If he say’s it is on me I am seriously considering leaving nexstar for good or at the very least transferring to a different nexstar station that seems to have enough reporters. How do I make my boss know how much of a blow this is?

I have quite a bit of information on localized Massachusetts public corruption. Where would I find independent journalists who may be interested in the information that I have? Please do not suggest local mainstream media.

I feel like my time in journalism has to come to an end. I've enjoyed the work, though covering difficult issues can weigh on me. My mental health has steadily declined and it at the point of going to urgent care. It's the pay, or lack of, the lifestyle and the instability of the field that weigh on me.

The problem is I feel like I can't do anything else. I've done this for about 10 years and worked really hard to get into the field. It just no longer feels sustainable. Starting over with something new is so scary to me. I struggle with change anyway and I have bad imposter syndrome in the role I've been in for several years already.

Some people like friends and academic advisors told me I could do PR, social media coordination, marketing, things like that. I struggle with what that looks like and feeling like I have the skills to do it, and that someone would desire to hire. I just feel really stuck, hopeless.

How have others dealt with this? What are some career pivots that a journalist may have the transferable skills for? Are there pivots within journalism that could offer stability and a livable wage?

Hi r/Journalism,

I have been working as an online news reporter for around 10 years now and I have worked for a major newspaper and major broadcaster in the UK.

However, I am starting to feel disillusioned with my career and I'm wondering what I should do next.

I feel like a lot of my job consists of rewriting reports from the wires. I do not find this fulfilling or rewarding and it sometimes feels like I'm an imposter just regurgitating the work of "real" journalists.

I have tried to pitch stories but the newsroom is very fast-paced so there is little - if any - time to find and develop our own stories. I also worry I'm not good at finding stories because of this, but I would argue we hardly ever get the chance.

While I'm very grateful to have a job doing something I thought I would love, it feels like there is little recognition for the work I do and the hours I put in. I rarely get feedback and it is beginning to feel like I am working at a coal face where there is no end to the work.

It also feels like there are not many opportunities for advancement. I've been applying for roles I am interested in, such as specialisms in politics and foreign news, but I have had no success so far.

This has led me to wonder whether it's time to start looking for a new career to pursue. While it may seem an obvious path, I do not think I would find working in a press office fulfilling. The parts of journalism I have enjoyed are speaking to people, experiencing events first-hand and writing. I also love the idea of travelling for work.

So I'm wondering, do I stick with journalism in some form and push myself or is it time to look for something new? If you have been through a similar experience, how did you decide what to do?

Guys, currently im beginner doc filmmaker i want to make a interview with someone who had a criminal past but i truefulness. Whats your approach for a background check to see if that what he tell is the truth ?.

I have a degree in Broadcast Journalism and worked in production at a TV station for several years. Unfortunately, that was over a decade ago. Since then I've been a freelance writer, but thanks to AI, I can no longer pay my bills with that work. I've been applying to producer jobs at TV stations with no interest. I know I have all the skills necessary- a degree in the field, previous experience at a TV station, good with AP style, etc. Unfortunately my portfolio is mostly Ad/PR stuff, but I can absolutely write and produce news. Any ideas how to express my qualifications better on my resume?

I'm currently burning through my savings and will have no backup by the end of summer. I'm still doing whatever freelance work I can get, but it's not enough to pay my bills. ​

So I work at a longstanding daily that is on the decline rapidly. We are under new ownership - and the owner is extremely arrogant despite the downturn of the publication that began basically the minute they bought it.

Meanwhile, a new publication has arisen in our town and seems to be growing and doing quite well. It has reporters who actually go and find stories, shake hands with people, and do things right. (I’m burned out, and the grass is definitely greener).

My boss walks around all day saying he’s going to send this new publication a “cease and desist”

I’ve heard this said quite a lot about these types of circumstances, where either a rival publication arises, or a former employee starts a publication of their own - and the former employer threatens to send a cease and desist letter.

My question is: do they have a leg to stand on? Or is this just an intimidation tactic used in the hopes that the new publications and/or outlets will just back down and stop attempting to exist in the same market?

I’m illiterate when it comes to things like these, but frankly I want to try and work at the new publication, because they seem to value their people, while our ownership asks for more out of us each month while simultaneously hamstringing us with staff cuts, no overtime, etc.

This thing should be pulped

President and CEO Katherine Maher said rescission blew an $8 million hole in their $300 million budget. This is compounded by a drop in station fees (an indirect consequence of rescission) and corporate sponsorship revenue.

They are offering buyouts to 300 employees, mostly within newsgathering desks but not including staff of the news programs. They will accept up to 30 buyouts and it they don't get enough buyouts, they will carry out targeted layoffs.

She says a wave of donations after rescission helped soften the impact of rescission, which could have led to a much bigger deficit.

SAG-AFTRA commends NPR for handling the cuts in a fair manner.

For those of you that have left journalism and returned, what did you do in the mean time did it serve you/teach you at all? How'd you leverage that experience when applying for jobs in journalism again?

I work in news right now but I'm thinking of leaving. Recently signed a lease so I'm stuck in the area for at least a year or so. While I believe journalism is for me long term, my current job is making me hate reporting and I don't know how much longer I can stay in it.

(I wrote this to be more information but in reality it's more me lamenting) I'm working in local news at a paper right now and I'm miserable. I don't get along with my coworkers. My editors tell me what we do doesn't matter much because nobody reads it (this is a favorite refrain of theirs when I'm asking follow ups about editing— I'm not even three years into this career and I'm just trying to understand/learn) and don't really seem interested in supporting me. This is my second job and the first one I really enjoyed— I feel like I understand what conversations between reporters and editors can be like and what I need from those talks. But at this job it feels like at LEAST once a week I'm seriously considering leaving the industry in its entirety.

And yes, I'm aware of how terrible the job market is in journalism and overall. I'm looking and applying anyway.

Hey guys,

I’m a JEE dropper and honestly, I’ve decided not to pursue Btech anymore. I am completely burnt out after this drop year. Plus, looking at the insane fees of private engineering colleges, the constant tech layoffs, and how hard it is for freshers to get a decent job right now, the ROI just doesn't seem worth it. I am totally DONE with it.

I’m exploring other career options that can still land me high-paying jobs, and I’ve found a genuine interest in Journalism and Mass Communication.

I really need a reality check about this field from seniors or people working in the industry:

1. What is the 5-10 year outlook? I know entry-level media jobs might not pay a lot, but is there good money in the long run? How is the scope if I pivot into corporate PR, advertising, or digital marketing later on?

2. What kind of salary can I expect? What is a realistic starting package vs. what can you make after 5 to 10 years of experience?

Please suggest some colleges.

I want a college that focuses way more on practical work (studios, hands-on projects) rather than just mugging up theory. Good placement and decent ROI are a must. Location is not an issue for me.

I looked into Christ University Bangalore and SRM KTR. But I don't want to prepare for another stressful entrance exam.

Are there other good colleges out there that give admission directly based on 12th marks or just a basic interview?

Please help me I am feeling completely lost.

I am a non-traditional student who recently returned back to college in mid-30s. I always wanted to be a news reporter for local TV news and figured I'd accomplish a long lost goal. I'm in Sacramento and always had the idea of wanting to finish my education in Los Angeles, due to its fast paced lifestyle and where news is breaking left and right. I feel like being in this environment and getting the best feedback from the on-air professionals in market no. 2 while interning would be an experience. I do know it does not matter what University I attend when it comes to broadcast journalism, but rather how skillful I become and how I make out of my time in college. I know a lot of fresh out of college TV journalists start their careers in high level markets, but in this day and age I feel like anything is possible and I feel like starting off in a top 20 market for general news reporter is doable for me. My pickle is deciding if it's worth relocating for the experience rather than financial means.

Oof. I Nearly filed a piece this afternoon and had one of those super fun last-minute moments where I picked up two of my sources flat out contradicted each other. They weren’t catastrophically off (we're not talking flat-earth vs NASA lol) but there wax enough of a gap that it shifted the whole tone of a paragraph depending on which one I used. One was a government report, the other a well-known industry body.

Both recent, both legit-seeiming with no obvious errors, but absolutely no time to go spelunking for a third source to referee. So sitting running through my options – average them? pick one and hope for the best? Rewrite? (gag) In the end I attributed both and flagging the discrepancy directly in the copy.

It's the honest call, but it felt less like good journalism and more like conflict resolution – more "here's the mess I found" than "here's the truth." Thing is, this is happening again and again.. Sources are at odds with each other more and more these days, but the deadlines don't really give me ample time to go digging. When you're out of time and can't reconcile conflicting sources, which way do you lean? Do you go with the more authoritative-sounding one,

flag it and move on, or does your editor have a policy that goes ahead and makes the decision for you?