Erie Times-News, Sept. 20

PNA Minority Job fair should have taken place

By Kevin Flowers

A missed opportunity. That was my first thought upon learning Times-News colleague Peter Panepento and I would not be attending a Sept. 29-30 Pittsburgh job fair for minority college students interested in pursuing careers in journalism.

Panepento and I jumped at the chance when the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association approached us in late spring about conducting an investigative reporting seminar for job fair attendees.

But on Sept. 9, PNA officials canceled. Despite months of advance notice, officials said just eight students signed up. The PNA had hoped for at least 200.

This column isn't about placing blame. But it's too bad the job fair's not happening.

From where I sit, young would-be journalists -- from all racial, ethnic and gender backgrounds -- have more resources available than ever before to help them succeed.

Many newspapers -- including this one -- offer comprehensive internship programs that coordinate lodging and provide skills training. These apprenticeships let students do more than fetch coffee or fact-check for veteran scribes -- the kids tackle real work.

High school students are increasingly exposed to professional journalism via shadowing programs and other efforts.

And you'd be hard-pressed to find a college journalism program that doesn't offer challenging courses like computer-assisted reporting and journalism ethics.

I'm not about to spin a "when-I-was-a-boy-I-walked-10-miles-to-school-in-a-blinding-snowstorm" tale about my nearly 20 years of reporting.

But consider the internship I walked into as a 19-year-old neophyte:

A veteran reporter showed you around the police station/county courthouse/city hall one afternoon.

The next day, the city editor turned you loose and said: "Bring us back some news."

Bottom line --figure it out, get it done, get it right, and spell all the names correctly.

My cub reporter experiences made me relish any chance to chat with young reporters about what we do. But that's not the only reason for my disappointment.

Our profession -- like many others --badly needs more diversity. The American Society of Newspaper Editors recently found just 34 more minority journalists of color working at U.S. newspapers than five years ago.

Another recent report shows 73 percent of the nation's big newspapers employ fewer minorities now than they did at some year between 1990 and 2004.

I don't have the magic answer. But I know those numbers won't cut it if we truly want to represent our communities via print, photos and graphics.

For me, the Pittsburgh job fair was much more than a free trip. It was about the future of our business.

Here's hoping the PNA tries again soon, and that the job fair's target audience signs up in droves.

Simply put, journalism needs that.