Forrest Berkshire (’01)
Debbie Cafazzo (’78)
Tom Embrey (’97)
Tim Funk (’77)
Travis Gettys (’13)
is head editor of The Kentucky Standard based in Bardstown, KY.
has covered education in Washington state since 1982. She is currently the education reporter for The News Tribune in Tacoma, WA.
is a senior writer for The Pilot Newspaper in Southern Pines, NC, where he covers the police and fire beat, as well as sports.
is the faith and values reporter at The Charlotte Observer, the largest daily news provider in the Carolinas.
is an editor for The Raw Story, an independent progressive online news site based out of Washington D.C.
Northern Magazine: Most journalists we know are headstrong, intelligent, and want to serve a greater purpose than simply making money. What is it about the field that attracted you? Debbie Cafazzo: I attended NKU as a child of the Watergate era, a scandal that broke when I was still in high school. Many people saw journalists as heroes, changing the world. Also back then, there was a decent economic model to support the industry. Travis Gettys: I’ve been reading the newspaper daily since I was a kid and worked for my high school newspaper and yearbook, yet when my dad asked what I’d major in at college, I told him that I wouldn’t choose journalism. “Dad, I don’t want to do something I love for my job,” I said in my infinite, 17-year-old wisdom. “Well,” my dad told me, “then you’re a damned idiot.” Tim Funk: What attracted me to journalism was the chance to write nearly every day, to get a byline, to travel, to be the eyes and ears of readers, to cover what was happening RIGHT NOW, and to report, on deadline, what would soon become history. Decades later, even as the journalism biz changes by the hour, those are still the thrills that get me up in the morning. Northern Magazine: CareerCast.com ranked newspaper reporter as the worst job of 2013. The study cited in its reasoning the field’s negative environment, lowest pay, most stress, and bleakest outlook. Soon before that, Kiplinger listed journalist as one of the “worst jobs of the future,” and suggested that reporters find work in PR. Do you agree with these findings and suggestions?
TOM EMBREY: No. Journalism has and always will serve a valuable purpose. Journalism is not for everyone and neither is a career in PR. I worked in the sports information office at NKU for a few years while I was a student. It was a great learning experience thanks to some really great people, but it wasn’t for me. I enjoy the deadline pressure and the stress that comes with being a journalist. And as for the low pay, I make enough to have everything I need and most of what I want. Forrest Berkshire: Low pay, long hours, deadline stress, personal attacks from public officials as well as the general public—what’s not to love? Reporter is the worst job in the world if your heart isn’t in it. But if you think writing a city council story is boring, try writing a press release. Reporter is the best job in the world if you have a passion for it. I will take hard work and job satisfaction over a little more money and mind-numbing boredom any day. FUNK: Yes, reporters should be paid much better than we are. And we work crazy hours. Those two things have always been true. What’s new and distressing is that there are fewer bodies in newsrooms, so everyone is being asked to do even more. GETTYS: Workers are too fungible in today’s U.S. economy, and our employers let us know. But I don’t agree that this is an industry with a bleak future; the Internet offers too many opportunities for talented writers with something to say. Northern Magazine: Versatility is becoming increasingly vital for new journalists. What skills besides interviewing/ editing/writing have you acquired since you entered the field? CAFAZZO: Writing is my first love, but the job now demands
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