Why I chose journalism

Holding power accountable. Telling the truth. Informing and to an extent captivating an audience. These are motivations for me getting into journalism and broadcast news. 

I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia; and the three main news stations were WDBJ7, WSLS10 and WSET13. Almost every night, my father and I would watch the news together, usually on WDBJ7.  I believe that really set the foundation for me working in television news, but I was fascinated in television before that. 

My initial dream jobs were to be an ice road trucker or a Nascar crew chief. Neither one of these were real possibilities, but they both involved television and entertainment. 

But, after watching more news, I became interested in helping to inform the public about their environment and wanted to become a meteorologist. Needless to say, that dream did not last long because that takes knowing science, which I am bad at. 

So, at the time I settled for television news as a last result, but my opinions on it changed as I aged. I have learned and realized that telling truthful news is critical for a free and competent society. 

My end goal is to be a television news producer for a nightly newscast. 

I realize that I will have to work my way up the ladder starting at smaller markets then up to larger ones before even considering jumping to one of the networks. And I would prefer a nightly newscast because that tends to be more hard news and straight to the point instead of soft news. 

So, I would love to start in Roanoke and if possible move my way up to CBS News, but that is not necessarily a priority. If I find a good place to settle down, then maybe that'll be the end of the journey. 

Another dream would be to be a producer for 60 Minutes. For a long time and even nowadays, 60 Minutes has long been considered the cream of the crop when it comes to storytelling and journalism. I would love to tell captivating, truthful and informative stories through that platform. 

I like producing because you are basically in control of everything in a broadcast. You write scripts, plan shots, put in graphics, order the show, organize field work and much more. This way I can have control over a newscast in order to fulfill journalism's goals of telling the truth, holding people accountable and being transparent. 

Growing up, I would not say there was a particular journalist that I followed vigorously, but in the last year or so I have come to like Scott Pelley of CBS News and 60 Minutes.

He has had a long career covering many events such as the Oklahoma City Bombing, Bill Clinton scandal, 9/11, Iraq War, Afghanistan War and many others. He hosted CBS Evening News for a while and then transitioned to working for 60 Minutes. 

I have read his book; and I admire his desire for accuracy and truth above all else. He has been calm voice and reporter through numerous turbulent times, which has made him so successful and respected. 

In conclusion, journalism is a tough business that many "regular people" do not respect or like because they feel journalists are out to screw them over. Maybe I am crazy for wanting to enter the field, but I feel it is necessary for the success of human society because journalism's whole goal is informing the people about the truth and checking power.