“If you’re not pissing somebody off you’re not doing journalism you’re doing PR,” said Jonathan Ballew, a freelance reporter who formally worked for NBC Chicago and the Chicago Reporter.
With a choppy internet connection, and a zoom call gradually ticking down from the 40 minutes mark, he discussed his start and propel into the field as a journalist, his advice for those just beginning in the job market, and the directionality of the media field in coming years.
“It’s pretty scary to take on the institution you are a part of especially as a small cog in the machine. Try to be fearless. I loved pissing off my school. As long as you have solid reporting and solid facts don’t be afraid to publicize something because that’s what being a journalist is,” he said.
Ballew’s first break in his career came when he wrote a story for DePaul’s student paper. He exposed the fact that the 22 million dollar naming rights deal for the new arena being built was given to Wintrust Bank due to the fact that the athletic director’s sister-in-law was a chief executive at Wintrust Bank. The school didn’t pursue any other potential sponsors.
Soon after the article was published, major sports media outlets in Chicago picked up the story and it became a prominent topic of discussion. He spoke on WGN, the local news stations, as well as the radio expanding on his findings. This was the first of many successes that came before even completing his degree.
“Student reporters should treat themselves like reporters. If you don’t respect yourself as a reporter then no one else will. Act like you’re a professional and that will go a long way,” he said.
The job market for those who have yet to become active members in the journalism field is rapidly changing. According to a Pew Research Center Survey, eight in ten Americans get their news from digital devices, and 86% of that statistic comes via smartphone or tablet notifications. Only 10% get information from print news sources often.
Ballew believes that the death of print will not be seen for a long time but predicts that the future will be largely digital. He said that there is the potential for journalists to become primarily freelance and focus on creating a brand for themselves through their content and social media presence. He also explained that developing expertise within the field could be extremely beneficial with the current state of the job market.
The Pew Research Center conducted another study that indicated that U.S. Newsrooms have seen employment fall by 57% between 2008 and 2020 while digital-native news organizations have seen considerable gains.
“The biggest problem in legacy media dying is profits over good journalism. I personally think the future of journalism should be non-profit news or public media. We should have publicly funded media sources. Journalists need to be pursuing stories because they are important and impactful and not because it’s going to get the most views or clicks,” he said.
Ballew goes on to explain that the Chicago Tribune is a prime example of a predominant trend in recent years within the industry where companies that own major publications begin selling them in bits and pieces to obtain the maximum amount of profit.
“I’ve been pretty frustrated and disillusioned with the journalism industry. Not because the journalists aren’t incredible or doing great work or because it’s dying and people don’t want good journalism. It’s because greedy people are running these publications into the ground,” he said.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for journalists in 2021, was $48,370 per year and there are 5,400 projected openings for news analysts, reporters, and journalists each year.
In the current socio-political climate, the search to fill these positions falls to individuals who can fit the criteria of objective and unbiased journalism.
“I don’t really buy into the notion of an objective journalist. I think objective journalism means being differential from the state, power structures, and institutions. When I write something that I’m really passionate about, I’m unafraid to share my opinions in public and on Twitter. We aren’t robots and pretending you are a robot is part of the reason why people aren’t trusting journalists as much,” he said.
Ballew explains that a wide range of journalists write articles skewed in a specific political direction and label themselves as non-partisan. His main focus is to be accurate and fair as opposed to unbiased, which is a rare sentiment in this field. He encourages up-and-coming journalists to strive for such values in their careers.
“Be careful with this idea that everything needs both sides. At the end of the day, if someone tells you it’s raining outside and another person tells you that it’s not, it isn’t your job to report that each person said if it was raining, it’s your job to go outside and look and see if it’s f*cking raining or not and report it that way,” he said.
When an individual is just starting out, editors can maintain a strong hold on the content of articles and the writing being produced. Ballew wants young writers to know that it’s okay to push back, and ultimately if they are uncomfortable with what is being written, it’s alright to be removed from the byline altogether.
“Don’t ever let someone publish something with your name on it if you’re no longer comfortable with it and they’ve changed your story. The editor can put their name on it or refer to the staff. Don’t be afraid,” he reaffirms.
In recent years, Ballew’s frustrations with the industry have created a segway for him into the field of law. He explained that he now has no limitations to being opinionated and that advocating for clients is refreshing in that it doesn’t require the inclusion of both sides.
“I don’t think that I’ll be done as a journalist forever. I don’t think I could ever stop being a journalist. I don’t know when or how I will enter back into the journalism world, but I don’t see myself ever totally leaving it.”
MFJS Reporter Spring 2022 