This week’s word of the week was chosen in reference to my growing sense of needing to fight, whether for my beliefs, my sanity, my family, my varied interests, my identity, or my writing style. It’s a tough job, this being a reporter while being a person.
I never quite realized how much people might start expecting me as a person to embody me as a journalist. As if I cannot have opinions, not be able to distinguish and separate one from the other, not be able to be a better reporter exactly because I am not an empty vessel to be steered according to the direction of whoever makes the strongest case. My job is to research, distill, expand upon and communicate. As a community reporter, I am in people’s communities to shine a light on their issues, but also to frame it fairly, relevantly and thoroughly. It is not my job to simply spit out facts and give no analysis. Objectivity does not require obliviousness.
Then there is the fighting against pressures – whether from sources, family, superiors, colleagues or yourself – to live for others, for the job, not for yourself. It is awfully tempting to lose yourself in your job, especially when you enjoy it. But it is important that you maintain a sense of who you are and who you want to be, now and in the future.
I do enjoy realizing that I still have a spark in me.
These are some of the things I’m struggling with this week. Work is fine. Stories continue to be varied. No tragedies this week, knock on wood. Just lots of big news and changes and running out of page space for story content due to the coexistence with the classifieds and ads again. Some stories I’m proud of. But no worries, because I’m still fighting strong.
Heather J. Chin media 