So our teenage daughter mentioned at dinner the other night that she is giving some thought about making journalism a career. 

It’s really the first time she has spoken outwardly about her professional interests, so my wife and I wanted to handle this in a supportive manner.

It really should not be a surprise to us.  She takes after her mother, who is an excellent writer.  I know, because that was one of the first things that attracted me to my wife.  We first met over twenty years ago, on a documentary she was producing about Native Americans.  I was the video editor.  She handed me a first draft for us to use for the rough cut.  I immediately saw that it was head and shoulders above the average script and that it told the story with a unique “voice.”

So, having struggled to get my writing to a passable journeyman grade, I figured, what better way to get to the next level than marry a writer?  (OK, yeah, there was more to it than that.) 

Perhaps it was my wife’s reading to our daughter while she was still in the womb.  Perhaps it was the excitement we and her early teachers exhibted about reading.  Or maybe it was Harry Potter.  Whatever it was, just like her mother, our daughter developed into a bookworm, and if you think of all the bookworms you have known, chances are those folks also stand out in your mind as excellent writers.

My wife and I are privleged to know a number of successful broadcast and print journalists.  Some are much more than acquaintances — they are family members and close friends we have known for many years.

Most professionals realize that possessing a passion for a career is imperative in order to succeed.  Before we had met, my wife and I each had made conscious decisions early in our adult lives to follow our “passion” into the media field.

But we also know the realities.  We hear of “the democratization of media” caused by rapidly changing technology.  We hear of mergers resulting in layoffs.  We hear with chagrin of newspapers cutting staffs as readership declines. (e.g. Washington Post http://tinyurl.com/4vks5x  and Tribune Co. http://tinyurl.com/5qzl6g)

I recently caught an interview with Fred Smith, founder of Fed Ex, on ”The Charlie Rose Show,” http://tinyurl.com/4ps88j and Mr. Smith said that possessing the ”passion” is not enough . . . nor are great management and hard work.  He said that none of that matters if the business model of a venture isn’t viable.  That makes sense of course, but it’s noteworthy how many of seem to forget that.     

If you look at my David’s Website Picks http://tinyurl.com/4lw9ag, you will see that I list many links to articles about the changes taking place among print and broadcast media.  Yes, some of the news is unsettling for media veterans.  But on the other hand, I find much of it to be inspiring.  (Just for the record, I wear my “battle scars” from having been downsized in the media field.)

Yes, I may be naive, but I wonder if we are not presently within just the initial phases of a vast transformation in communications – one that rivals other watershed points in our history such as the introduction of electricity or the airplane, antiseptics or refrigeration to our lives.

Sure, we had the internet tech bust and boom.  But now that the dust has settled and saner minds prevail — and technology keeps advancing at incredible rates (take for example, the emergence of portable hard drives just within the past couple of years) — it appears to me we are in for on onslaught of amazing changes in our field.   Read what Microsoft chief, Steve Ballmer, recently predicted: http://tinyurl.com/5nar2y

That leads me to be a bit more optimistic than many about the future of journalism.  I think a democratic society will always crave for diverse voices presenting news, in-depth analysis and debate.   Case in point, amateur blogger Mayhill Fowler scooped the mainstream news recently in the presidential campaign — twice: http://tinyurl.com/6ym995

So in that light, does not the hand-wringing of some of the old-school journalists over the demise of paper and ink sound just a bit reminiscent of other doom-sayers of societal transformation?  I don’t want to appear flippant, but geez, might it be great not to have to cut down all those trees to supply us with our daily newspaper? 

I remain convinced some new profitable form of journalism will emerge – perhaps one we can’t even imagine yet, just like we had a difficult time imagining the power of search engines – as recently as just ten years ago.  Suzanne Clark,  President of the National Journal Group, seems pretty sanguine about the future of the  press: http://tinyurl.com/3fv58a 

And there are some interesting online attempts out there already for news reporting, as in Digg http://digg.com/, Redit http://www.reddit.com/ and Mixx http://tinyurl.com/4ns7t9.

Does my daughter read the daily newspaper thoroughly?  Sometimes, but not a lot.  And yet she says she might want to go into journalism?  Hmmm, there’s a disconnect you might say.

But she is more informed than I was at her age.  And the papers she is writing in high school are better researched and written than my college papers.  So how is my daughter getting her news?  Sure, the internet.  But it’s more complicated than that I think.  Maybe we can explore that in another post.  (Hey, duh, I should get her to write a post.)

So, what advice did we actually give our daughter?  Probably  not much different than a version what our parents advised us — a twist on the ”have a trade to fall back on” theme. 

While encouraging her to pursue her dreams, we suggested that she might also consider concentrating on another specialty field that interested her (like the law or medicine . . . ok, ok, no we didn’t say that) develop strong credentials in that field, and then become a reporter of that “beat.” 

And we also said that whether she decided to pursue journalism or not, she should keep honing her already very good writing skills.  In fact, we suggested that she consider majoring – or at least minoring - in English.  I certainly would not be the first person to submit that good writing skills are THE BEST job qualifications to have, no matter what field one decides to enter.   

Good writing is a talent that is resistant to technological change.  I have seen it with my wife.  With all the changes that have occurred over the years in television technology, she remains in high demand as a producer — for a number of reasons of course, but a leading one being her strong writing abilities.  Whether it be a documentary or an informational program, she knows how to tell a story.  (Read her latest entry on “Better Writing with Susanne” http://tinyurl.com/4w47mn)

As we have discussed with our daughter, good writing may not be enough to guarantee success, but without it, one will not reach their potential.

And, oh yeah, just for the record, I urged my daughter to keep working on her Spanish.  Por supuesto, este idioma va a presentar aun mas ventajas en el futuro. [For certain, knowing this language will present even more advantages in the future.]

I’d be curious to hear what you think.  Feel free to write a comment below.  Or write me at dryan@videolabs.net