Find Your Own Power First

Journalists are expected to hold institutions, individuals, and governments accountable, which, in turn, gives journalists their power. But we rarely talk about how a journalist finds their own sense of power.

The real difficulty is feeling powerful enough as a journalist without needing it to come from external sources, like your professional status or other people. It’s the sense of journalistic purpose that pushes you to continue when faced with resistance or when the universe seemingly has it out for you. That has to come from within yourself, and it’s not an obvious thing to find. At least, it wasn’t for me. 

I don’t fit the stereotypical personality of a journalist. A lot of the journalists I’ve been around are very outgoing and energetic. They strike up a conversation like it’s nothing. While I enjoy talking to people, too, I don’t necessarily seek it out all the time. I prefer to stay at home reading, watching TV, or playing on my Switch instead of going out to bars, and I’d rather spend time with one close friend than be in a large group of people that I know tangentially. I’m pretty different from most of the journalists that I’ve worked with in that sense, so I haven’t automatically fit into those spaces. I’ve had to make my own efforts to feel powerful as a result, and that manifests itself in many ways.

Finding your own power as a journalist can come from a specific issue that you are passionate about; a media outlet you admire, a story idea that keeps you up at night, a city that you live in, or one that you want to work in. There are so many sources that it’s impossible to list them all. My main source of purpose in journalism was my desire to cover sports. It’s what I’ve done more than anything else, in written, audio, video, and broadcast formats. I covered sports all around Montreal, in both languages, thinking this would be my life.

That’s what felt like home for me, and it has given me the foundational power I need to know I can do this well. Not only that, but it gave me the confidence to start questioning power dynamics and injustice within sports, such as instances of discrimination at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the NHL’s handling of Pride and Native American Heritage initiatives. Then I felt confident enough to start thinking about power dynamics within society in general. All of that came from finding my original passion as a journalist, which is so key for every reporter to have. 

To speak truth to power, the critical condition is a moral urgency to push back against inequality and unbalanced power dynamics.

I think this is precisely where educational institutions can do better. Most journalism schools emphasize skills such as pitching stories, interviewing, writing, and technical skills. They shape the way that journalists talk to people and think about their stories. That has also been my experience studying journalism. Obviously, that’s all very important, and they are a big part of the foundational skills that a journalist needs, but the missing puzzle piece is helping journalism students find their passion for reporting. 

Ultimately, I don’t believe it’s a specific personality trait or skill that qualifies somebody as a good journalist, especially since technology and communications evolve so quickly that a skill you learned a couple of months ago could no longer be relevant.

To speak truth to power, the critical condition is a moral urgency to push back against inequality and unbalanced power dynamics. This usually manifests itself through emotional activation: if witnessing injustice, exploitation or bureaucracy makes you feel something, and you have a strong desire to advocate for those who draw the short straw, then that’s the first and most crucial step. The skills that are taught in journalism education are essential, and there’s no debating that. But they are most meaningful when the person learning them has a strong sense of belonging in the field.

Finding your conviction as a journalist is the most important thing. This isn’t just true for journalism, either. Journalism is a unique profession but it has universal principles [...] Any job will require new skills, but that feeling of purpose cannot be taught.

The best thing about journalism is also its biggest warning sign: it requires a very high threshold of passion and commitment to fulfil your responsibilities. You have to be willing to cancel dinner with your family or plans with friends you haven’t seen in years to go report breaking news. You have to be willing to work any and all hours of the day. That attracts people who truly love what they do and never work a day in their lives. But it’s also easy to burn out if you don’t fully love what you do, which is the case for a lot of professional journalists and students.  

Finding your conviction as a journalist is the most important thing. This isn’t just true for journalism, either. Journalism is a unique profession but it has universal principles. If you want to spend your whole life, or any large part of it, doing one thing, then that one thing needs to make you feel like you’re doing something that matters. Any job will require new skills, but that feeling of purpose cannot be taught. Sometimes you need a bit extra to be able to get out of bed or put in that extra 30 minutes of work. That’s what power looks like. If you have it, then everything else will follow.