From the Rose Law Group Growlery
By Phil Riske | Senior Reporter/Writer
It was emphasized in my college journalism classes the career doesn’t pay well, so we better be dedicated to the cause. Still holds true today.
A recent CareerCast study of worst paying jobs in 2017 lists media, specifically broadcast reporting (annual median salary $37,720, with minus 13% growth outlook for hiring) and newspaper reporting (annual median salary $36,360, with minus 9% growth outlook for hiring).
Not that we needed CareerCast’s nod to the fallen nature of journalism. President Donald Trump called media the “enemy of the American people,” wrote Patrick O’Grady, managing editor, Phoenix Business Journal, which published the study.
My first reporter gig paid $9,000 in 1965, but I’ve been fortunate enough to exceed today’s annual median salary.
I have been more fortunate, moreover, than most of those listed in the worst jobs that pay more than journalism, simply because I and thousands of other colleagues remain dedicated to the cause despite pay.
Kyle Kensing, CareerCast’s online editor, said the worst jobs list has been populated for the last few years by jobs that are going through a tough time, that are incredibly stressful and often offer low pay and low acknowledgement. At the same time, like media, firefighters and military personnel, they all serve a vital function to society.
Student Journalists
The Arizona House has initially approved Arizona Senate Bill 1384, which would safeguard First Amendment protections for student journalists at public schools, community colleges, and universities who contribute to their school’s publications.
The bill’s sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Yee, was a student journalist and cartoonist herself and has recalled seeing administrators repeatedly censor her high school’s paper.
In bipartisan support, Democrat Rep. Ken Clark was spot-on with his comment: “And I don’t believe that you can fully teach students who are trying to learn how to be responsible journalists unless you respect the First Amendment.”
