5 tips for young journalists from J-School grads

By Ryan Levi

Wikimedia Commons image from user Mojourcomm

As part of my extensive summer reading list (highlights so far include Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams), I took a look through our Letters Home series, a collection of letters from J-School graduates to students currently studying at the finest journalism school in the world. Below are five big-picture takeaways from their letters.

Letters Home: Jeremy Harlan

Jeremy Harlan is a photojournalist for CNN in Washington,
D.C. He graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism
in 1999 with a degree in broadcast journalism.

The following letter was submitted June 25, 2012

Dear ONA Mizzou,

Being #2 is for pencils.

I don't know if Greeley Kyle still has that line hanging somewhere in his office, but it's forever etched in my head. And today, as I write this letter back to you, it's the first thing that comes to mind as advice for Mizzou journalism students.

Sure, there are some anecdotal suggestions: don't drink the water on international assignments. Have an overnight bag sitting under your desk for breaking news.  Always carry a disc, mic, and battery on the plane to still do TV when the airline loses your gear.

But none of that's a concern if you don't have the drive and desire to WANT to be in those situations.