Deadline USA, All the President's Men, The Paper, His Girl Friday, Up, Close and Personal, (State of Play definitely falls in this category but came too late) - these were dangerous movies for an impressionable young mind such as mine. For a while in my past (college years and grad school) I sincerely believed that I wanted to be a journalist.
I majored in Journalism/Mass Media, then got an MA in Media and Public Affairs, working for school papers, contributing for my hometown sheet, bylining for a national financial journal, interning with experienced journalists.
But then, after almost 2 years in the States, when it became obvious that there was no chance for me to get a job in journalism (papers were already struggling with dwindling readerships in 2006, and my English writing skills were still not up to par) - I gave up, turned in, tuned out and took an internship with a public relatiosn firm. One thing led to another and, four years later, here I am, working for a public relations giant.
Looking back, I think I made the right decision. It's a sad thing when you realize that crushing your own dreams with the fist of practicality was "the right thing to do".
This is the piece that got me thinking about it: Lou and Me, by Don Terry, formerly of the Chicago Defender, the Chicago Tribune, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the St. Paul Dispatch, and The New York Times, where he was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for the series "How Race is Lived in America."
My heart is with you, Don.
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