Motivation

Selfishly, my first motivation for becoming a journalist was to have adventures! I love seeing new places, experiencing new things, and meeting new people. My dream journalism job would be to cover international news, traveling to different countries and being immersed in different cultures. I have come to the realization, however, that many journalists don’t actually get out much. Aside from that, a mother that is constantly traveling would not be ideal for a family.

Now if I were to go into journalism, my main motive would be to make a difference through reporting worthwhile news. I liked what Willis considered to be true reporting- the urgent kind where the little things don’t matter anymore because something bigger is happening. While those stories are often tragic and urgent, they are life-changing. It would be incredibly moving to be able to honor people through writing and give others hope through inspiring stories.

Aside from other reasons, becoming a journalist is a great way to be informed and involved in one’s community as well as in the world. I would love to have a career where the significant part of my job was to be involved and informed and then to involve others by informing them.

“A Girl in the Window” is an example of the kinds of life-changing articles I would live to write as a journalist. It is a Pulitzer-Prize winner, but that is not the point. The point of writing these kinds of stories is not to win awards, but to be inspired, to change, and then to change others for the better.