“A Message to Grumpy Veteran Journalists: The Kids are Working Hard and Deserve Your Support”

My journalism career truly started in 2011-2013, as an intern-turned-contributor for Gambit Weekly, “general assignment” reporter at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, then staff writer back at Gambit Weekly. I was 26-28. During that time, newsrooms were just starting to learn about social media and smartphones. There were several times I suggested something, and it was turned down by the more seasoned higher ups, only to be done eventually. I guess they paid some old rich white dudes to come and tell them what I, and all the other youngsters, had been telling them. It used to frustrate me and hurt me, along with some other things happening in these newsrooms, but I take joy in knowing I was right all along.

These days, I am something like a Grumpy Veteran Journalist myself, sending screenshots back and forth with former colleagues I used to take shots with at bars long since closed and forgotten. Lots of times, we are complaining about how actual journalists today are trying so hard to be cool or sexy or whatever for social media and have blurred the lines like newsprint smudges (what they know about that?!) between reporter and influencer, and how influencers are just ruining news culture as a whole. Very sick of being in rooms with them and those loud ass portable lights, if we’re being honest. Glad to be in rooms where the real transformative work is happening. (There are some influencers I love, but they are people with job jobs, mostly in education. Just good, sweet people.)

Friends outside the field tell us to be nice, but damn that. I’m not here to be nice, I’m a journalist. A Creole lady Lou Grant, if you will. However, like Roy Peter Clark says, it’s important to “tell the kids how much you admire them.” And I do. Some of them. The team at WWL right now really got it going on, and I believe we have news director Tyrianne Waivers to thank for that. I love watching them and even learning from them. The one time I saw something crazy, I messaged Tyrianne personally so she could handle it.

I think back to when my editor Kevin Allman, someone I text back and forth often with screenshots of foolishness, used to take time out of his day to literally print the nice things people said to him about me in emails. Back when some people would be so mean to me and make me cry! (Hey, Skooks, I wanted to beat your ass once upon a time yeah.) When I worked at Nexstar Digital as an overnight news editor, I would always be gentle with the cub reporters when correcting them, being sure to also let them know when I thought they were doing great too. And, I mean, today I write these “currently reading” posts weekly on this website. (In my Pawn Stars voice) That’s the best I can do.

Another thing Clark touched upon in his editorial, is about how yes Jeff Bezos is a loser but also ending your subscription to The Washington Times is only going to hurt the employees who ain’t got shit to do with his fuckery. Never thought about it like that, but that makes sense. Think about it, when companies lose money what do they cut first? Are they gonna cut their salaries to give to the folks they’ll lay off? No! Never! That has me rethinking some situations now, things I’ll think about first and maybe post later. Like a real old school journalist.

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