Every job has its difficulties and there are ups and downs to all careers. For a journalist, the most rewarding part of the job is working with a community, sharing their stories, and protecting them from danger.

Journalists have a responsibility to report news accurately, fairly, and ethically. When in school studying journalism, ethics are at the forefront of many classes and should be thought about everyday when working professionally.

Years before social and digital media came to light, the only real news reporting was done by professional journalists. They had the equipment and the means to talk to government officials, communities, and individuals about things happening across the world.

The rise of social media has changed aspects of all our lives. Society as a whole has been forced to adjust to a digital lifestyle full of posting and endless scrolling. For journalists and news organizations, the switch to the digital age has impacted almost every part of their daily responsibilities.

Turn on your TV around 5 p.m. and you’ll see dozens of news shows happening in real time. Since 1940, people have been turning to broadcasted news to learn about their communities and things going on across the world.

Everyone’s career path looks a little different. Some people go to college with no plan, no passion. For me, I realized exactly what I wanted to do at age 15 and oh what a journey it’s been!