Brea Jones

I never took a class from Susan Brockus, but I never stop learning from her, either. When the CNPA speaking engagement came up, I asked her advice because she has held essentially every role in this industry from kid playing in the newsroom to publisher.

We got into talking about corporate media and my career, and she asked these series of questions, which I’ve gone on to share with a SPJ Generation J blogger and several friends:

“So, what is journalism to you? A career? A job ladder? A mission? A calling? Who do you do it for?? Yourself? The community? The company? Maybe clarifying this will help you figure out where you want to go.” (Reprinted with permission)

Here is the gist of my reply:

I don’t know yet know what journalism will be for me.

I entered the field in college because I loved being a reporter for the blend of altruistic and ego-driven reasons many people do it. I worked 40 hours a week with essentially no pay because I thought every quote, headline and photo was a life or death decision. When I saw people reading the paper, it was fulfilling, and breaking news was exhilarating. But that’s not what I do anymore. I’m not even a first-generation newspaper person. I’m a media producer.

I think I do it because I want to learn — a selfish goal — and because I think I can make a difference with how my generation gets news — a bit less selfish. I think about how I get information, how I can help more people get accurate information and how to package that information in a useful way. I think the Web is a forum for community. When I process user-submitted photos or send out a breaking news text message, I realize my job has an important purpose that is far beyond a rung in a ladder.

I know most people who read this are fellow journalists — so what is journalism for you?