«So, you want to be a journalist?»

Internet es lo que tiene, a menudo sorprende. Y hoy, divagando entre miles de blogs he encontrado este post: «So, you want to be a Journalist?«. Y me he visto a mi misma contestando a una pantalla de ordenador: «Of course!»

La periodista canadiense Fabiola Carletti, a la que sigo por casualidad en su blog (recomendado a todos los apasionados del periodismo) desde hace unos meses, brinda en un nuevo blog 24 trucos de la mano de periodistas jóvenes de gran éxito en Canada. Una cadena de artículos que replantean el periodismo enseñado en las universidades y que se adentran en lo real, o al menos en la experiencia más inmediata, o como ella misma apunta: «Fresh perspectives on a changing profession»:

1. Filter everything for yourself, including this advice. Advice from William Wolfe-Wylie
2. To write interesting work, you have to be interested. Advice from Leslie Young
3. You have to love it. Advice from Lauren Pelley
4. Come to grips with the worst case scenario. Advice from Arden Zwelling
5. When you think you’ve worked hard enough, work harder. Advice from Lucas Timmons
6. J-school isn’t the only option. Advice from Tamara Baluja
7. Get inspired. Respect your audience. Think ahead. Advice from Bethany Horne
8. Live an interesting life. Advice from Jessica Linzey
9. Don’t do it for fame or fortune. Advice from Liem Vu
10. Ten things you can do right away. Advice from Dylan C. Robertson
11. On student papers, digital footprints, and the art of networking. Advice from Sarah Millar
12. Focus on your own journey. Advice from Evan Duggan
13. Constantly update your skills, and never stop writing. Advice from Nick Taylor-Vaisey
14. Cross-platform ‘clippings’ are key! Advice from Erin Millar
15. Take every opportunity (even those that aren’t paid!) Advice from Devon Wong
16. Be relentless and build yourself a name and a niche. Advice from Amanda Ash
17. Pay close attention to your world. Advice from Chloé Fedio
18. Don’t wait until you’ve graduated. Advice from Jesse McLean
19. See if you enjoy writing for an audience. Advice from Beth Hong
20. Be part of the student press, and get on twitter. Advice from Stuart Thompson
21. Just do it. Advice from Rebecca Lindell
22. Get outside the classroom. Advice from Adrian Morrow
23. Learn by doing and learn to pitch. Advice from Kate Allen
24. Be flexible. Advice from Allison Cross

Creo que no cabe el que yo comente nada, sino que les dediquéis tiempo. Todos los consejos (artículos) están disponibles en la nueva web de Carletti.  No los he leído todos, pero algunos de ellos me han encantado. Por supuesto, que mucho de lo escrito es obvio y parece redundante para alguien que ya controla la materia e incluso puede hundir a los aspirantes, pero no está de más que se recuerde ¿no?:

«Are  you ready to work for next-to-nothing for an extended period of time early in your career? Are you willing to pull the late nights (like 3 a.m. late), early mornings (like 6 a.m. early), working lunches (it’s okay to type with your mouth full) and dinners on the go (just don’t eat and drive) that are an ultimate byproduct of this pursuit? Are you prepared to make some drastic sacrifices in the amount of time you spend with your family and friends? Are you ready to pick up a large, complex story on a subject you likely don’t completely understand and turn it out in a well-researched, informative and balanced fashion within just a couple of hours? If you’re going to cut your teeth in hard news like I did, are you ready to deal with death, pain, anguish, evil, hate, injustices and inhumane crimes on a daily basis? Are you ready to be lied to, generally disliked and told you’re an idiot by a magnitude of people?»