Passion

.
Bloggers or Beat Reporters
What Makes Journalism Tick

“Incredible journalism is like incredible baby-making—it starts with passion. The guy combing through the city budgets because it’s his job isn’t the same as the guy combing through them because it keeps him up at night, because he thinks about it when he shouldn’t be. Institutions support that passion—but they don’t create it. When my old Howard buddy was killed by the cops, it was all I could think about, and it was all I wanted to write about. And I did it almost for free, because it helped me sleep at night. I was burning to get it down. I deeply suspect that the bloggers you love, and the reporters you love, are similarly on fire inside.”

—Ta-Nehisi Coates, blogger, The Atlantic, 2009 URL

Editor’s Note: Burn, baby, burn.

CALLING ALL UTAH STATE U. JCOM ALUMS: Where are you? We're updating our alumni list. Please send your current position, title, contact info (including email), graduation year and any news to ted.pease@usu.edu.

• • •