Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

"My advice is to ONLY hire people whose skills cross media platforms. Look for people who not only understand and are enthusiastic about online media, but who also can serve the print edition well. If a job candidate says she has always aspired to be a newspaper reporter, and doesn't come in the door with some multimedia skills and experience such as video and audio production, frankly I'd keep looking."

That's some frank advice about the future of journalism from Steve Outing at Editor & Publisher magazine. Today, our special guest Kimberlee Morrison will discuss the skills fledgling writers need to survive in that rapidly evolving market.

Morrison is a web editor, writer, and journalism school graduate, coordinating the work of nearly 40 bloggers for Know More Media. In addition, Morrison is one of the original Freedom Writers, a band of dedicated authors who beat the odds in their rough California school district. You should check out her story in the new Freedom Writers film or read the award-winning book.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a serialized set of weekly interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing...

Jason Boog:
You also studied journalism. How has Freedom Writers affected your journalism career? Any general advice for young journalists looking for work in a world where print jobs are fading?

Kimberlee Morrison:
When I was a kid I spent a great deal of time in law offices, my mom was a legal secretary and after school I would catch the bus to her job (because it was closer and safer than going all the way home). So I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. Continue reading...

My mother raised me to be a critical thinker and also passed down a great ability to formulate an argument. I liked arguing and thought I was destined for litigation. I might revisit this idea in the future but at this point I feel most complete when I am writing and creating. I don’t think I would have come to this realization had I not been a Freedom Writer, because it was during the time writing and editing our book that I learned to truly love the writing process.  

I also would not be where I am now it not been for the Freedom Writer Scholarship. I had started and stopped under the preasure of having to choose between my dreams and feeding my children. That is a hard choice to make, and as a responsible person, I always chose my children over myself. I know now that I am the best mother when I am happy but I have yet to meet a good mother who doesn’t put her kids first. When I did go back to school it was to be an interior designer because I could not figure out how to make money writing. In other words I was going to take the easy road out by going to a trade school.

When Erin Gruwell offered me the [Freedom Writers'] scholarship, it was her way of helping me turn my focus back to what I really wanted to do. Being a Freedom Writer is the reason I graduated from a university and by extension how my career got started.

I think young journalists should look to build their own communities of readers and writers. There are print jobs but they are so few and far between, with little or no pay.

Most newspapers don’t staff even writers, preferring instead to outsource the work to freelance writers in order to keep costs down. New media has created another avenue for opportunity for young writers – not just journalists. I think citizen journalism makes it possible for people who are ambitious enough, to build credibility without using borrowed authority. All you have to do is be knowledgeable and willing to search for stories.

Be willing to look where you least expect to find what you are looking for. I have written for newspapers but have never been one for a beat or writing hard news. I like news about culture and society – and no I don’t mean the lifestyles of the wealthy and spoiled. I may studied journalism but I did not want to go chasing stories. Some of the most important, entertaining and interesting stories are right under our noses. Young journalists have to be prepared for the real revolution taking place in the mass media.

This means the power is in their hands and they have to be ready or they will not succeed when the dust settles and they will be just like those old guys, holding on to a golden age that has long passed.

(Thanks to Journerdism for the Outing link)