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, the highest ranking woman at the Associated Press in Chicago, will discuss the professional and personal challenges and opportunities facing journalists at the
Association for Women Journalists-Chicago's Jan. 28 annual celebration.
As a preview to her talk, Nordgren, who leads AP’s global staff recruiting and U.S. news coverage from Chicago, answered seven questions posed by AWJ-Chicago member Robin Florzak about the 2010 outlook for the media industry, AP and journalists’ work-life balance:
Q: What do you think about convergence? What are the greatest challenges facing journalists who are trying to reconcile their traditional role with the new realities of the news industry? NORDGREN: Convergence is important, but good journalism skills lie at the top of the hierarchy. It's more important to understand what makes a good reporter—and to become one—than it is to have a bulging toolbox of skills that cross every format. That said, finding the format (or formats) you love, whether it's print, photos, multimedia or video, and becoming highly skilled in those areas is critical to success in today's market.
Journalists need to stay current with the news industry, in the same way they'd stay current with a beat or coverage area they may have had as a reporter. Increasingly, through social networks and advancing technologies, news will literally 'find' its consumers—through Facebook, Twitter, or any number of new platforms. That model is the opposite of what many of us grew up with, in which consumers have to seek out individual bits of news by waiting until the newspaper is delivered, or turning the TV or radio on at certain hours. Journalists need to embrace that, and imagine what tomorrow's media world will look like. Keeping up on the industry doesn't mean you need to know what The Next Big Thing is, before it happens. It does mean keeping on top of how people are receiving news, thinking about how that applies to your current job and to the next job you're looking for.
Q: How is AP’s role changing?
NORDGREN: AP has been, and will continue to strive to be, an all-service news agency, providing comprehensive coverage of the most important stories worldwide. We have an advantage over some other media companies, in that we've always been "multimedia." We have had print, photos and broadcast divisions for decades and a very healthy video and multimedia arm, developed over the past 15 years or so. What we're working on is knowing our audience and developing the tools to get news to where our audience is. The trick is in having a video editor sit side-by-side with editors from print, photos and multimedia, thinking creatively about how best to tell a story. Sounds easy—but is anything but.
Q: How might Chicago's local news and its changing media landscape affect AP coverage?
NORDGREN: Perhaps the biggest impact has been in domestic statehouses. As newspapers have gotten smaller, and some have gone out of business altogether, statehouse bureaus have gotten smaller. That means the role the AP plays in covering state government has taken on increased significance around the country. It's a responsibility we take very seriously. Like other media companies, we have had some staff cuts, but we have worked extremely hard to ensure that we have a very vibrant and growing group of journalists keeping their eyes on how tax dollars are being spent, or misspent.
Q: How are journalists’ relationships with news outlets changing? Will more freelance or work part-time?
NORDGREN: I do think we will see an increase in freelance and part-time work in coming years. More journalists will be working on their own—blogging, creating video, reporting— and, by necessity, figuring out the economic model to make that possible.
Q: What advice would you give to students planning to enter journalism and for journalists who’d like to work at AP?
NORDGREN: Be flexible, and follow your passion. With a good base of journalism skills and a creative eye, there are plenty of places to prosper in an aggressively evolving media market. If you're truly curious about the world, or even one corner of it, you can be a good journalist. What's important is to imagine your ideal job (or the ideal job that will keep you happy for the next five years), then relentlessly pursue it. If you're lucky, the job will come right away. If not, take mid-steps that keep you pointed on the right path.
Word of warning: Depending on the type of journalism you expect to practice, be cautious about your social networking profile. Tweeting about yourself at political rallies or posting Facebook photos of a night when you had more fun than you might want to remember aren't going to win the hearts and minds of traditional news media leaders—the ones who will hire you.
Q: Where do you see opportunity for those entering, or repositioning themselves in, the field of journalism?
NORDGREN: Again, flexibility and curiosity. Most good journalism programs these days are equipping students with the right skills for the market. But there are plenty of good training and educational options online—many of them free of charge—that can help you along the way. The Knight Foundation, for example, has a vibrant training Web site for multimedia skills. The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism in Phoenix offers a wide array of online courses in business journalism. Other more entrepreneurial groups, like Webbmedia, help keep you informed on social networking and beyond. And, of course, networking with people you know in the field is critical for any job success.
Q: You were among of the first to job-share at AP when your children, now in college, were young. What advice do you have for journalists trying to balance personal and professional lives?
NORDGREN: Freud said the key to a healthy life is a balance of work and personal relationships -- lieben und arbeiten. Don't short yourself on the personal front. If being at home part-time (or even full-time) for a few years is what is best for you, go for it. It can be scary to take some time off, particularly if your employer is less than generous about such things. But it's time you'll never get back. It also can be a good time to reframe your thinking about the best professional fit, going forward. No, you can't have it all. But you can have enough of both to have a very satisfying time trying.
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Robin Florzak is a journalism veteran. Formerly an assignment editor with Fox News Chicago and a reporter/weekend editor with City News Bureau of Chicago, she is currently on staff at DePaul University.