It seems as though journalism is becoming a more and more flexible profession these days. Writers are expected to know the in's and out's of technology, while still being able to get the old-fashioned reporting done. Journalists not only should know multiple ways of getting news out to the public, but also should be able to report on a wide range of subjects. One will never know when breaking news is about to occur, so it is always wise to be ready. This article by Dave Kindred shows how important it is to stay on your toes as a reporter, even if you are on vacation.
Redskin's beat writer Rick Maese from the Washington Post did exactly that. He was on vacation in Hawaii with his wife when the earthquakes/tsunamis hit Japan and Hawaii. Instead of continuing to relax and enjoy the vacation, Maese and his wife decided to travel to Japan and cover the disaster. They both risked life and limb to get a first hand look at the carnage and report back to their employer. They were armed with only Kleenex tissues to protect them from the radiation as they were driven around Japan by taxi.
This story shows how dedicated reporters are to their jobs. Even if they do not cover world news or natural disasters, it's still part of their job to report the news and sports journalists are no exception. Just because the sport's department of news outlets report more on games than actual news does not mean that they are incapable of covering a real story. If I want to make it as a journalist, I will have to be able to cover more than sports or politics individually. Flexibility and Versatility seems to be the key to success in Journalism. I hope that I'm limber enough...
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