Posts Tagged ‘how to write’
Those who can… shouldn’t?
The Guardian’s How to write journalism guide hasn’t gone down well with some hacks.
“I feel really pissed off that the Guardian thinks it’s fine to spill our professional secrets to wannabes,” writes Wordsmith. “Loads of people who bought the Guardian today are going to think ‘I could do that’.”
I imagine this happens on a daily basis irrespective of what’s in the paper.
Some of the people who think “I could do that” assume journalism is a doddle because they think it just involves writing, not finding stories, pitching editors, tracking down case studies, conducting interviews and so on. Or they think it means writing at leisure, not quickly and accurately under pressure. They annoy journalists by announcing “I could do that” without any vague comprehension of what “that” is.
Then there are the people who actually could do it. And why shouldn’t they? If they’re not good enough they won’t be a threat. So what’s the problem?
Wordsmith says the problem is people with no journalistic training or experience who think they can waltz into an already undervalued, underpaid profession. “People who’d be happy to get a byline for free, just to have their name in print.”
The people who are simply grateful for bylines already exist. But I’m not going to lump all wannabes who lack formal journalism training into this category. Some people are capable of waltzing into this profession and picking it up as they go along. Some aren’t.
If you’re a freelancer, you can champion (though not necessarily expect) meritocracy and hope editors will judge your pitches on quality. Or you can decide it’s a closed shop and nobody new should get a look-in. You can’t have it both ways.
This guide isn’t a golden ticket to media glory. Secrets? The real secrets of what being good involves aren’t in it, as anyone who thinks “I could do that” and can’t will discover. And if they can? Good luck to them.
