A message for young Mainers: Think journalism. | Opinion

Dave Griffiths of Mechanic Falls is a retired journalist who worked for the Kansas City Star, Tulsa World and Lewiston Sun Journal. He also covered national security for Business Week magazine during the Reagan years.

This is an open letter to young folks wondering how to shape their careers and have an interesting life.

Think journalism. Every day, the nonprofit Maine Trust for Local News keeps the profession thriving here despite competition from cable “news” and social media. Reporters and editors strive to give us a balanced picture of life in Maine and beyond. Like “newshounds” all over America, they honor our Founding Fathers’ constitutional guarantee of a free press, even though broadsheets 250 years ago were fiercely partisan, focused more on scandal than substance.

It’s simple. Without independent voices, our democracy would wither and die. For the sake of argument, let’s say a power-obsessed, dishonest, corrupt political leader rails against “fake news” and calls the press the “enemy of the people.” You could make the case that by discouraging public confidence in the press, he wants to be a de facto dictator.

To a much lesser degree every presidential administration has dealt with reporters questioning the self-serving statements issuing from every White House. And Graham Platner would still be in the Senate race if not for aggressive reporting by, among others, the New York Times. Democracy is messy.

So what’s in it for young Mainers surveying the job landscape?

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For one thing, your work day may range from quiet time devoted to “deathless prose” (a tongue-in-cheek remark I’ve heard in many a newsroom) to an often turbulent, always unpredictable life as you take on crime, drug busts, politics, odd “man bites dog” features, petty squabbles among elected officials, lost pets, acts of everyday courage, government overreach and the sparks that fly in our diverse culture.

Afterward, you’ll be jabbering in groups of two or three or more about a particularly memorable “news day,” perhaps in a watering hole just around the corner from the newsroom. In a good news town — and they’re all good news towns — you’ll never run out of ideas.

Many stories will stay with you years later. The point is: You’re involved in your job, not just putting in another eight hours. Count on it. I’ve worked at six newspapers, magazines and newsletters, and not once do I regret moving on. The next job — learning new turf and a new beat — keeps the juices flowing.

What about the writing itself? It’s not always easy, especially up against deadlines. But with the help of seasoned editors, you’ll develop a style that your peers recognize, and you’ll smile inwardly at just the right sentence and that jewel of a word or phrase that says it all. The English language is a vast treasure house of symbols at your command, but only if, according to Stephen King, you “write a lot and read a lot.” Meanwhile, you’ll come to value the connection between brevity and clarity — key to the quick read that makes writing “sing”(another newsroom buzzword).

But what if the weird hours and pressure to get your facts right on a strict time limit don’t suit you? After all, working into the evening may not lend itself to helping raise kids. So a reporter’s ease at the keyboard could lead to better-paying PR jobs for government agencies, the private sector or nonprofits. I’ve taught business writing courses for some 20 government clients all over the U.S. and in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. It was a challenge. I’m afraid people just don’t read much these days. The emails I saw early in those classes made me wonder why people don’t pick up the phone instead or walk down the hall to deliver a message or ask a question.

A life well lived is full of characters, including the scribblers you work with and the people you meet. I interviewed a federal prisoner in Denver who kidnapped women and kept them in coffins, and several drill instructors at the Marine boot camp in San Diego where a recruit had died during over-the-top training. I also interviewed two defense secretaries who were less forthcoming than a Trappist monk.

So you get to tell stories, holding up a mirror that helps explain us to ourselves. How cool is that?

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Tagged: columns