While the news industry is frantically searching for solutions and new directions, journalists' lives have been disrupted by cutbacks and job changes. Poynter Online wants to help by sharing how-they-did-it snapshots from people who overcame employment challenges.
NATHAN THORNBURGH Age: 34
New job: Contributing writer, TIME magazine (freelance); Co-founder of the blog DadWagon.com
Old job: Senior writer and senior editor, TIME magazine. I wrote features for them (still do) and was an editor in various sections, from Nation to the redesigned Briefing section.
Biggest change so far: Working as a freelance feature writer and blogging on the side, my writing rhythm is, well, bifurcated. On the one hand, the long-form pieces have a familiar cadence of travel, research and writing. On the other hand, I'm posting five to 10 times a week about a completely different beat: parenting.
I left because: I volunteered for a severance package in 2009, not out of any animus against TIME, but because the timing was right for me and my family. To have real longevity in journalism, I think it will help to have a broader set of writing experiences than just one publication. This includes getting involved in blogging and what goes by the somewhat artless term "social media."
I was out of work for: I wasn't ever out of work. I kept working on assignments for TIME throughout the transition. It took longer for the DadWagon idea to come about. We launched 9 months after I left my staff job at TIME.
This new gig is: much more flexible, which is great because I've got two kids under the age of 4. God love 'em, they're a needy bunch. So it's great to be able make my schedule work around them a bit. Yes, the pay is less now, but it's worth the freedom and flexibility. Also helpful: my wife is currently employed, with a health plan that covers us all.
One thing I miss about my old job is: The camaraderie of working with some of the brightest in the business on a daily basis, both those who worked for me and those whom I worked for.
One thing I don't miss is: the effort of trying to reconcile my somewhat unruly set of interests with the needs of any one single magazine.
One surprise about my new job is: I really like writing often, and for free (we're not selling ads on DadWagon yet). That's due in part to the supersharp guys who started DadWagon with me: Matt Gross, the New York Times' Frugal Traveler; Christopher Bonanos, a senior editor at New York Magazine; and Theodore Ross, an associate editor at Harper's. We tend to be pretty involved with our kids, as are a lot of dads these days, so I think DadWagon really is starting to be a community. And, as anyone with small kids can attest, children colonize your brain. They make you start thinking about diaper rash and playdates and "
Yo Gabba Gabba!" It's great to have a forum where we can actually write about those things and swear while we're doing so.
I'm lucky that: I've had good opportunities since I left TIME. Not only was I able to keep working with TIME, but I've been able to write for The New York Times, The New Yorker's Web site and others. Any year in which I can travel and report from Berlin, Istanbul, Tbilisi and Wasilla is a good year. I'm very fortunate.
The hardest part was: dealing with some stupendously unresponsive magazine editors from publications I hadn't written for before. I realize that editors are overworked, but I when I was in their position, I think I always made an effort to be responsive (if I wasn't, feel free to e-mail me to gloat). It's disappointing that not everyone has that same approach.
I learned that: Tools like Twitter can be your friend. The highest-pedigree journalists are using it well -- think David Carr or Susan Orlean -- but it can help any journalist build a network of ideas and people. Freelance writing can be isolating, but it doesn't have to be.
My advice: Know yourself. For some people, it would have been crazy to leave a good job in a bad economy. But it made sense for me. I had freelanced for years before coming to TIME, so I had a certainly tolerance for risk. But I definitely wouldn't recommend it for everyone.
If you know of a journalism transition story that might help other Poynter Online readers, please e-mail joe.grimm@gmail.com.
Coming Tuesday: More employers are looking for candidates with social media skills. We explain what gets people hired.
