Journalist/Newspaper Editor - Geoff
Description of Job:
In my particular job, I write
the articles, take the photographs and tackle the desktop publishing of the newspapers.
Usually, in larger newspapers, there are separate people to undertake each of these tasks.
A journalist would normally just write articles for the publication, or sub-edit the
articles written by other people.
A typical day involves interviewing people about their activities, or asking them
questions about their opinions on particular topical issues. The most interesting feature
is the opportunity to talk to people from all over Australia and, often, from other parts
of the world.
Experiences:
It's difficult to remember when I first
decided I wanted to be a journalist. My father was production manager of the two local
daily newspapers in the city in which we lived. My uncle worked there, too. My eldest
brother became a reporter when I was about 6 and we lived for some years in an apartment
on the top floor of the same building the newspapers were produced in. So, there was
probably a good chance I would do something in newspapers.
Interestingly, my other brother didn't. I grew up reading newspapers. My mother told me I
started to read them when I was four and always loved newspapers, any kind, from anywhere,
more than practically any other type of reading.
When I have travelled overseas I always looked out for the local English-speaking newspaper. I had fleeting moments thinking about a career in teaching, but never very seriously. I expected to become a journalist. My parents never put any pressure on me to do so that I can remember.
Opportunities:
Because of my experiences detailed in the previous question,
the door was opened somewhat easily to a career in newspapers. In those days (1969), jobs
were not difficult to gain and I had the inside running anyway I suppose. Although I was
never a brilliant English student, I enjoyed language and I had a wonderful man (a Marist
Brother) as English (and cricket) teacher at one stage. He would have been very
encouraging to me personally when I talked about careers. I was fortunate, too, that when
I started in newspapers the night editor of the morning newspaper I worked for took
something of a shine to me. He was a man with a fearsome reputation, but he, for some
reason, treated me as a son. The first day I met him, he asked if I was serious about
being a journalist. I told him I was, and he never doubted that. perhaps he met others who
weren't so serious!
Education:
I talked above about an English teacher who treated me like an
adult in a world (a Marist Brothers college) where it was possible to be treated by
teachers and other male students as unimportant, or a fool, or inadequate in some way.
Actually I have always been better at numbers than probably anything else! the ability to
be quick on my feet with figures has often been very handy in my career.
Training:
My training was done very much on the job. I left school one
day and started at the newspaper the next. I had no university training. I did notice
after a year or so that some people were earning more than me who had less experience but
had a university degree under their belt. That didn't please me and I was able to say so.
I am glad to say my employers recognised that I had some talent and did their best to pay
me accordingly. (University degrees in those days in the country in which I lived - South
Africa - were considerably less common than they are nowadays).
Training then involved a three-year cadetship. Truth was, however, that if you were keen and showed some aptitude for the job you got senior reporter's assignments regardless of your experience. The most senior reporter's job in an office of a couple of dozen reporter's was covering the city council "round". I was doing that as a second-year cadet journalist. Today, the emphasis is very much more on university degrees for journalists - not only in media or communications, but also in specialised fields, such as law.
I still believe young people who are able to get a job on a newspaper in a country town would do a lot for their job prospects and their career if they just took it and worked hard - starting at the bottom. Hands-on experience is still a much valued part of newspaper life.
Employment:
Was my first pay important? What a question! I was amazed at
the size of it. Things I had taken months to save for from pocket money were suddenly
available on the spot overnight. In fact, it went a great deal further in those days than
the much larger pay packet goes today with three children and a wife to get their fair
share.
As I get towards 50 I think a whole lot more about retirement. I'm in the same state as many Australians - I don't think I am well enough prepared financially. I try not to concentrate on seeking more and more of the almighty dollar, because I believe there are a whole lot more things in life than that. I need to make better use of the dollars I already earn. I'd say most of us are in that situation. I keep telling my 19-year-old son that he will never earn as much money as he wants; we never do. We have to draw the line somewhere between work and lifestyle.
I work on my own producing two monthly newspapers which I write, take the photos for, sell advertising and desk-top publish. My typical day is a mixture of bashing away on a keyboard and interviewing people either on the telephone or in person. So my work includes lots of people in one way.
The outcome of my work is very obvious to others - the newspapers I produce for the Catholic and Anglican Churches in Canberra - and I find many people are interested in what I do, even if they are not practicing Catholics or Anglicans. People are really interested in religion, in spiritual things. Many are quite ignorant of what the mainstream churches are doing nowadays.
Development:
I try to keep abreast as best I can of development in desktop
publishing, and in other areas such as digital cameras, the internet etc, because all
these impinge on my working day. The more I am able to keep up with new developments, the
more chance I have to decide whether I need to use some of them. I don't buy new computer
software, or updates, for example, just because they are new, however. I have to sell
enough advertising to keep my newspapers going, so I need to be careful about the dollars
coming in - just the same as if it was my own home budget. Yes, productivity is very much
affected by how well I keep up with developments in my profession. I do a far more
efficient job now than I did five - six years ago when I started in this job.
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