Sunday, 13 March 2016, 10:15 a.m.
Wondering what you need to learn to take that next step in your career? Interested in which skills news organizations are prioritizing now, and what might set you up for what they'll want next? Drop by and join us for a discussion of the skills that will help you progress.
- Mark Horvit, IRE
- Chase Davis, NYT
- Jill Riepenhoff, Columbus Dispatch
- Steven Rich, WaPo
- Stephen Stock, NBC Bay Area
- Nicole Vap, KUSA-TV
- Chrys Wu, NYT
MH
Database editor for investigative team at WaPo, 3 years. SR
Columbus Dispatch, 31 years. JR
Exec. producer of investigative unit, 15 years. Worked with 13 different investigative reporters here. NV
Developer advocate at NYT, 2.5 years. Previously LATimes, CBS Local in NYC, WaPo, Freelance. CW
Deputy editor on interactive news desk at NYT. CD
Investigative reporter at NBC Bay Area. Started as a photographer. SS
SR: This conference in 2012 in STL. Had no idea data journalism existed. It's been about the connections here and at IRE.
NV: Was a disgruntled TV producer. Met a newspaper reporter trying to be a TV investigative reporter. Started working on more investigative stories.
CW: Had a whole career before she became a journalist. 2 tips: Learning how to pitch as a freelancer, cold called seeking editing jobs. Always try to figure out what the next thing is.
SS: What you're doing is changing the world. You're investing in yourself. Imagine you're a painter in a room with Picasso, or a baseball player with Babe Ruth. There they are: Chase Davis, etc. They are here among you — get to know them. Treat your career like it's a story: be relentless, be passionate. Are you doing it for the right reasons: To be a star or to change the world? If you're doing it for the right reasons, you'll be successful.
If you don't believe in yourself, who will? Expect hardships. Practice, dive deep, do things that make you uncomfortable but that will make you better.
You're not as good as you think you are. Challenge yourself and keep getting better.
Think about what we do. We get innocent people out of jail, get rid of toxic waste in neighborhoods, brought down a corrupt presidency. We want to make a difference.
Benefits to both. Moving around is helpful. Sometimes it's accidental, but you get to work on more big-picture problems.
Making the jump to managing? Be ready for opportunities, but be ready for what the job gives you. Don't try to be someone you're not. If where you are isn't good enough, move. Be the job you want — don't wait for someone to call you a manager. Leading is not a title, it's who you are.
JR: How you set yourself apart from other interns. Go above and beyond. Don't wait for someone to come to you. Get it right (accuracy). Enthusiasm and passion.
CW: Do good work. They're outstanding at the level they are. Don't be like "It's all me." You have to want it — and show it. Be happy.
CD: Willing to take on anything, continue to prove themselves as member of the team. Build rapport and respect.
SS: You're not as good as you think you are. Don't wait until you get the job, go do great work right now. And then put it in your resume. Do the good work and the hiring will follow itself.
NV: Learn about the organization and the people who work there before applying.
CD: How can you do this as an introvert?
CW: Write a script in your mind.
JR: Interns hardly ever reach out.
SR: Fine line between flattery and sucking up. Journalists are susceptible to flattery.
SS: Be more humble
CD: Glad first job wasn't a dev. Wasn't typecast, helped understand more job roles.
NV: Humanize the data.
NV: Willing to try, will take direction. Be yourself, know that the next job may be something where you have to learn a lot. Change is going to happen, embrace it.
MH: Shouldn't be a stigma, it's the industry.
CW: The reality is you've gotta pay the rent. If you can't get a job in the industry you want to be in, where can you get a job that will help you improve your skills. There are a lot of ways to be involved in media without being in a newsroom every day. Maintain your contacts and connections because you don't know when the opportunity will come in.
SS: It's depressing. But stay engaged and be ready for the next opportunity. May be in a different industry or in a different place.
SS: Be a good writer/researcher.
SR: Get to know the team you want to work for, figure out where they're lacking, be that. You can't be great at everything, so be great at one thing.
MH: Do the kind of work you want to do no matter where you are. Don't sweat the place you go, it's what you do while you're there.
JR: Looking for impact. Solid, compelling, well-written. Something that affects everyday people.
NV: Don't wait for someone to give you permission. It's easier to say yes to a project if it's already down the road.
CD: Risk mitigation: We don't want someone to work for 6-months and not get anything. Come up with a minimum story.
SS: Gather string on the side for stories.
CD: If you feel bad about leaving, it was probably good you were there in the first place.
SS: It's good that you're passionate. You may wind up coming back.
MH: Also there's a fear of change. Sometimes you just have to do it.
CW: Life is not a straight line, it's a crazy straw. You are the architect of your own destiny, sometimes your crew has to change. Your friends will stay your friends, which may outlast their time as your crew.
SR: What do I need to know to do a project? If you aren't creating visualizations, don't worry about visualization skills.
NV: Learn what's available so you know what skills you can acquire when you need them.
SS: IRE is like a firehose. Be focused on what you want to know, what you want to learn. Figure out what motivates you.
SR: This community transcends the normal news competition. Almost anyone will help you.