What are everyones thoughts on working for a newspaper before a magazine? I have held one magazine internship and want to eventually work for a magazine and do freelance writing on the side… Is working for a newspaper going backwards if I want to end up at a magazine? Any advice?
I want to build up clips, but do magazines take newspaper clips as seriously? Thanks!!
It definitely works. One of
It definitely works. One of the new editors at my magazine came straight here from a daily newspaper. Although she’s said the change in general writing style took some getting used to, she loves the pace of a monthly magazine compared to the daily stress of the newspaper! Her newspaper experience was very respected by hiring editors, and she’s doing a great job with the magazine.
I did it.
I did it.
Of course it depends on where you ultimately want to go—you probably won’t make it from a newspaper straight to Vogue (unless, perhaps, you’re a fashion reporter for the NYT or some such)—but we all know you have to work your way up regardless of where you’re starting.
While in school I interned for a website and a magazine, and concentrated my freelance efforts in magazines. But frankly, newspaper jobs are WAY easier to get. So after six months of hunting a mag job, I sucked it up and became a reporter at the daily in my college town.
It was a 35,000 circ paper—so not big by any stretch, but not a podunk town paper either. And I LOVED it. I stayed in papers for a year and a half before making the switch back to mags. I now work at the same city mag I interned at while I was in school.
Working at a paper means you get the clips, yes. But it also means developing the discipline to work on tight deadlines, generate tons of story ideas and tighten your writing. The best reporters also know their style guides intimately, another asset when you move back to mags. (Yes, those style guides may be different. But the ability to learn and apply them, and quickly, is a good good thing.)
So is it going backwards? No. It may not be the right thing for you—some people hate it—but it’s an option I think is worth considering.
It’s a lateral move more
It’s a lateral move more than a backward one. The main thing is that you gain good clips that demonstrate your range. At a newspaper job, also, you’ll be doing more writing/reporting than you would in a magazine EA position, which in some cases is largely administrative.
Thanks so much for the
Thanks so much for the feedback. I worked at my college newspaper for a semester, but I’m not familiar with working for a daily newspaper… any tips on that? Is it pretty busy or stressful? I’m sending my resumes to mags and newspapers, so we’ll see! Thanks again!
Busy or stressful?
Busy or stressful? Absolutely!
I’m glad I saw this
I’m glad I saw this question. I currently work part-time at a newspaper - a job I had to settle for in June because I knew I had to get the bills paid.I still apply to mag jobs ALL THE TIME but we all know how that can be. I’m SO glad I took this job because I surprisingly like it, though I’m positive I want to transition into mags sooner or later. It’s good that it pays the bills now and I’m glad I’m gettnig this experience. If I didn’t, I would have been sitting around the house doing nothing since May and it shows that I took the initiative to get a job and NOT sit around.