As journalists report the story, they can become the story
When you reach a certain status as a journalist, other journalists will report on you.
Isn’t that a contradiction? Aren’t journalists supposed to tell others’ stories, not be the stories themselves?
It happens all the time. Especially in broadcast news, some journalists are attaining a higher profile than the people they cover.
“I think it’s one of those things that is an oxymoron,” said Corrie Roe, the managing editor of the Vermont Cynic at the University of Vermont. “But it probably needs to be done for people to realize what’s going on.”
One of the biggest news stories of the past week was ESPN college football reporter Erin Andrews’ switch over to Fox. It doesn’t have any direct effect on college football, but it does affect the sport’s avid fanbase that watches on TV.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper’s coming out as gay was also another recent, largely covered occurrence. Cooper made this announcement simply as a matter of fact, maintaining that he is not an activist.
As a bipartisan journalist, it is essential for Cooper to keep his personal stances away from the camera. As a national news anchor, it’s doubly important.
“Because they’re so well known in the community, it can be much harder,” said Sara Tracey, a recent journalism graduate from Syracuse University. “Especially because they’re covered by different types of media.”
Every day, journalists on all levels find themselves walking the line of ethics. But as Tracey says, “journalists can have lives, too,” and they often show their humanity through different projects.
“But if they start reporting on [those projects], that would be crossing the line,” she said.
Conversely, Tracey said she had a journalism teacher who purposefully never joined a political party.
“She hasn’t voted since she became a journalist because she wants to remain so unbiased," Tracey said. "I respect her so much for it, but I think that’s a little extreme.”
Intrinsically, college journalists such as Tracey and Roe are going to reach for that high status. Every broadcast journalist’s dream is to make it at a national news station. Every print journalist’s dream is to cover an important beat and build up a high readership.
Every journalist wants to make an impact. It’s easier to do that when you're high-profile, but it’s also the easiest way to become high-profile.
Dan Norton is a Summer 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about him here.
This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.