Journalism is: late nights scrambling to write articles with tight deadlines, and it’s all worth it. 

Journalism is: early mornings filled with meetings and copious amounts of bitter coffee, and it’s all worth it. 

Journalism is: getting yelled at over the phone by the guy who doesn’t like your story, and it’s all worth it. 

Why? 

Because we’re journalists; it’s what we do.

Despite the way we are viewed by many people right now, we have one of the most important jobs out there and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to keep the people informed, entertained and impacted by the hard work we do. And for those of us who are truly passionate about what we do, there are benefits all around that far outweigh the stress and inconsistency of being a journalist. So here’s the thing:

Journalism also is: bringing to light hidden injustices through investigative reporting, and it’s all worth it. 

Journalism is: keeping an eye on sketchy government practices to protect the people, and it’s all worth it. 

Journalism is: provoking curiosity and sparking interest in readers to learn more or take action, and it’s all worth it.

Journalism is: telling the stories of those who have not had a chance to be heard, and it’s all worth it. 

While many of our stories may go unappreciated or even disliked, the important ones can make waves in a community, a state, a country or even the world. Without journalists to do the dirty work behind the scenes to prepare what you read in your weekly newspaper or online, the world would be an uniformed, unknowing place. And I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that I am terrified of what a world would look without journalism. 

While we continue the battle to gain the support of news consumers, we continue to persevere. And despite the countless obstacles we face and criticism we encounter, it is our passion for storytelling that gets us through. 

Though I am a writer, and it is my job to organize thoughts and ideas into paragraphs, in the end it is difficult to put into words the meaning of being a journalist to me. But I can say that I will never forget every time a reader has told me “thank you,” for telling a story. 

Those are the people who still see us and appreciate us for what we do. While they may be few in numbers at the moment, they are no less inspiring to me to continue through all of the rough.

And, of course, no profession comes without struggle. I am so grateful to be able to say that my job is truly my passion. When I was younger, I was already hyper aware of my fear of getting stuck in a routine office job. And for better or for worse, the inconsistency of being a journalist sure keeps me on my toes and makes every day a lot more interesting. 

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