Writing for OpenFile Toronto, John McGrath notes (with alarm) a new trend: more experienced journalists pointing the finger at the young’uns for all sorts of problems with their industry. He points out recent articles by Margaret Wente, Bert Archer, and Tim Knight (1, 2, 3…it’s a trend) that call out young journalists for a) going to journalism school b) being “scabs” and c) wanting jobs. Imagine the nerve. Especially when they—and their fellow recent graduates in many other fields—are faced with such a target-rich, easy-to-penetrate job market.
But do a few articles really represent the relationship between experienced journalists and young upstarts? While there may be some bitterness on both sides, we wager there are more than a few freshly minted j-school grads who are entering the workforce with reliable and inspirational mentors on speed-dial (and in their Google chat list). McGrath’s post provoked at least one young journo to say as much on Twitter:
@OpenFile For every editor who has turned their nose up at me there was another willing to take me under their wing.
We’re curious: Have you sensed the antipathy that McGrath outlines growing in the industry? Have you experienced it firsthand? Do you think the relationship between older and younger journalists has always been tinged with distrust? Or is this trend really just a mirage—the result of the three articles cited coincidentally appearing around the same time?
