What I've Learned In Graduate School

15) Reporting is Messy. People are messy, so is reporting. Managing the relationships of a collective group of people is tougher than you might think, especially if the subject matter is sensitive.

14) Think through the consequences of your reporting before you do it. What might be the outcome and ramifications of your story if all goes according to plan. Will people be upset? Lose their jobs? Be embarrassed? Worse? There is a time and place for adversarial reporting, but make sure it's done professionally and in a way that protects you from unintended consequences.

13) Never report on family and friends. It's simply too dangerous. Keep your personal and professional life separate. It's too easy for incentives to be mismatched. The stakes get high fast when operating in the public sphere.

12) Relationships + Matching incentives = Winning. Leveraging relationships and building upon past work is a surefire way to carve out a niche. When doing so, make sure your incentives as a reporter are aligned with those who are giving you access. Don't do PR, but at the same time remember there's got to be something in it for the source.

11) Over prepare. The better prepared you are, the better you will handle the surprises that come with the uncertainty of reporting what's happening in real time.

10) Like everything else, journalism is a business. A website, social media presence, marketing, branding, and industry connections are all a must. Trying to set that up while also producing engaging content that merits subscriptions/advertising revenue can be a bit overwhelming.

9) Consistency is everything. To establish a presence you must constantly put out content. Consumers expect it, so deliver.

8) Ideas are only so good as you can make them a reality. It's easy to come up with a lot of good story ideas, much harder to execute. Do reporting that is doable, has good planning, and a clear reward.

7) You can't please everyone. Some people won't like your opinions. If you do commentary, that's part of the job.

6) Branding matters - a lot. If you want to work for mainstream media companies then you need to brand mainstream. Your social media profiles should reflect level views and safe thinking. Anything that hurts a potential employer's brand should be considered off limits. As an employee, it's your job to be a value add to the company, not the other way around. If you have the desire to go independent then you are your brand, so be as authentic as you like. But make sure you understand the cost. It will be multiples more work and you may fail.

5) Media and journalism are not the same thing. When I came to USC I did not understand this. Reporting is reporting, commentary is commentary, and journalism is... well it depends on who you ask. The old-guard view journalism as reporting, with commentary a reserved privilege for established veterans. But...

4) The world is changing - fast. The new world doesn't care about the old rules. Outside of subscription behemoths like the New York Times social media has destroyed traditional journalism. Influencers pull in more engagement and advertising revenue than many newspapers or local TV stations.

3) Competition democratizes. On social media, individuals, newspapers, businesses, and television stations all compete for the same eyeballs. So far, entertainment has been king. If you can't find a way to make your reporting entertaining, you'll be irrelevant before you know it.

Outlets like Barstool Sports get this:

A day later, May 4, the Pulitizer Prize announced its 2020 reward recipients, receiving only a fraction of the engagement:

2) Know what motivates you. People are wired very differently. I got into journalism because I love the adventure of finding out what's true, reporting what I find and then making an impact. Others love storytelling, and some value narrative over truth. Remember, people get into a field for all sorts of reasons. Know yourself and know others.

1) If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Hard work and discipline aren't enough. There's simply no substitute for what a team can accomplish together. While it was a privilege over the last 10 months to try so many different things, it at times felt unfocused. After I graduate, I am excited to join or build a team that shares my values, purpose and sense of mission.