Today, it feels as if the role of the reporter on a TV news channel has shrunk compared to the days when we started out. There are, of course, honourable exceptions, reporters who continue to produce high-quality work that makes an impact. But too many of the new crop of reporters deliver just what is expected of them—which is not enough in terms of originality and high standards.
What is expected can, however, be too much in terms of working hours, number of lives or ‘OB’s. But with little reward in terms of the feeling of a responsible and important job well done, burnout is faster for the young reporter today. The initial thrill of coming on air and having access to the powerful can last a while, but is not enough to sustain them for a long career. A young reporter I worked with was very clear when she said, ‘I don’t want to be doing this when I am thirty!’ I had been on the job for more years than she had been alive, but I could understand where she was coming from.
