I listen to "Mike and Mike" on ESPN radio as part of my morning routine. I'm not so much a sports nut as I like the way they produce and discuss sports. They are not loud, stupid and obnoxious and the cliche count doesn't get very high when listening.
One of the phrases used a lot on their program is "People say.." Or, "People are saying." It's like the politicians who use, "The American people want" or even more heinous in my book, "The American people think..."
Really? Who are these "people?" Who are "they?"
Yes, you can run a lot of metrics to discover who they are, what they do what they want or expect. Journalists have sources and that's fine. I read almost daily that journalism job hunters need to understand the ubiquitous multimedia skills. I see a lot of jobs posted asking for such experience.
But suppose you don't have the experience? There are many (competitive) fellowships which provide the opportunity to learn, or you can invest in more formalized and expensive education by going to school. I've certainly advised people looking for a particular job in that particular area reminding them that yes, breadth is more important than depth today; at least at big media companies anyway.
Still with a career, a job and in life, you need to decide what you need to know and when you need to know it. After all, it's all on you anyway isn't it?
They shouldn't matter.
*Chantal de la Rionda edits this blog
