All newsrooms are different. 

All newsrooms are the same. 

Most newsrooms would make for great episodes of situation comedy television. 

All newsrooms have character, personality and huge helpings of sarcasm, except for the ones that don’t. 

Overseeing newsrooms in five states can be a challenge, at times.

It is rewarding all the time. 

It is great to watch young journalists grow their careers and to see seasoned veterans still doing great work. 

Reporters are an interesting lot. 

They come from many walks of life and have varied interests. 

Mostly, they are smart, inquisitive and did I mention sarcastic (in a good way)? 

Most newsrooms have one reporter that stands out in the crowd, marching to the beat of a different drummer but that begs the question: If the beat and the drummer are all that different, why does almost every newsroom seem to have essentially that same person? 

It is difficult to know if being a reporter shapes a person’s personality or if certain types of people more naturally gravitate to the profession. Most likely it is both. 

Reporters are inquisitive, curious people. 

While curiosity is a necessary tool of the trade, it may very well be one of the most basic human qualities that drives people toward a career in journalism. 

Reporters ask a lot of questions. 

And they should. 

They ask questions because that’s their job. 

They also tend to ask questions just because they want to know things. When it comes to being good at their jobs, it is that kind of innate curiosity that makes them excel at what they do. Actually, being curious and wanting to learn new things probably matters more than talent and raw intelligence. 

Sometimes the people they cover love the reporters who interview them. 

Sometimes not. 

Simply because they are doing their jobs — and these days simply because they are called “the media” — reporters can feel hated and despised. Reporters in cities and small towns throughout the country get lumped in with national outlets that seem to constantly be in the line of fire and the object of ridicule. 

That’s a shame. 

No one should be made to feel that way simply because of their chosen career. 

Reporters have something in common with everyone in the community, they are people. 

They are people with feelings. 

They are sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters and, perhaps, your neighbors. 

They care about the communities and institutions they cover. 

They are storytellers who love sharing fascinating tales about the many interesting people who make up a community. 

They are truth tellers. 

They work hard to make sure that the public has trustworthy, reliable information to make informed decisions. 

Unlike most people who might make a mistake at work, when they do make a mistake they publicly acknowledge it, own up to it and make a correction for everyone to see. 

They always want to get things right. They interview people, conduct research, fact check, make public data requests, then write and rewrite all because they want to publish factual, meaningful, important and poignant reports. 

They care about what they do. 

Imagine how it feels when they feel attacked, vilified, discredited, discounted and called “the dishonest media.”