Your post reminded me of a tweet a few years ago. Jane Slater from NFL network tweeted about an unpaid internship and the twitter verse lost its mind. Along with a bunch of blogs etc
Deadspin & Gawker were always mean-spirited journalism equivalents of the most cliquish, vicious table at a middle-school cafeteria. And they only got worse once they really started moralizing.
You didn't do anything wrong or say anything off-base. Even if you had, I'd still rather a person offer heartfelt advice even if it was muddled or misguided than respond with a shrug and shallow snark.
People at those sites act like one clever piece earns lifetime employment, when in reality it just earns them the resources to pursue the next piece. And they knew that up front, they are just too immature to cope with reality.
I kind of can't believe you are doubling down on this.
I'm a former journalist and there is no way to "make yourself indespensible." I live in Chicago and the Chicago Tribune is an absolute husk of its former self. As the Atlantic wrote in its now-famous article, the Tribune's newsroom is "the size of a Chipotle." Will the paper be around in two years? Not clear. The Chicago Sun-Times never crosses my radar. Chicago is the third-largest city in the country — imagine what it's like in Peoria.
These mythical "small-town" newspapers you cite don't exist anymore — if they do, they have three reporters, use 80% wire copy, and are being eyed by a hedge fund that will cripple it. But let's say you do get hired there. Do you know how much they pay as a starting salary? Do you know how much student loans today's college graduates have? Your advice amounts to: Move to the middle of Kansas, take this entry-level job in a backwater town, work there while also putting out a podcast and a substack account and constantly tweeting (all things that add zero to your bank account), and also keep your eye out for an in to write a book that will make you a lot of money. (That last point ALONE is the thread that unravels the sweater, but let's just move on.)
How is this person going to save money for their future, let alone pay their bills? How are they going to start a family? They're working toward a goal that no longer exists. There are literally hundreds (thousands?) of top-notch writers who have nowhere to go because the journalism landscape is a desert. There are a few outlets — Pro Publica and Chicago's Block Club come to mind — that are privately or self-funded. Otherwise, the opportunities in this field are almost literally nonexistent, and it's getting smaller by the week.
Will Leitch's response to you and Tom Ley's post was very well-written, kind, and thoughtful (and about 1/3 too long — I like his stuff, but dude needs an editor). But his point was spot-on — the model you are espousing no longer exists. I'll let Leitch's quote speak for itself:
"Most of the work Pearlman is encouraging young reporters to do is not valued by their bosses, that it often leads to doing six jobs at once, that it will guarantee absolutely nothing, that no matter how good you are at something, if some middle-tier dipshit thinks cutting your job and eliminating all you worked so hard to make will impress his boss and his spreadsheet for about 15 minutes, he will do so and never think twice about it again."
These are the comments that I find valuable, as well as many responses to the Defector article. (I also think you take several unnecessary cheap shots at Defector — they've done a lot of important work. Just look at the output of Diana Moskovitz and Dave McKenna.)
Here's just one such comment on Defector:
"The problem above is the blanket nature of Pearlman's suggestion and a failure to recognize the enormity of the changes in journalism over the last 20+ years."
Your advice was very well intentioned and obviously came from a good place. I have no doubt you're a good person and you want to help people, and that's very noble. I totally respect that. I also think you're leading people astray here and it wouldn't hurt to take a look around and realize the world is very different from when you came up.
Here's the Atlantic article I mentioned, by the way:
Honestly, I don't know what the solutions is. Between the current landscape, the impending effects of AI & deepfakes (not sure what they will do, but I know it ain't good), and such, it's a gloomy future.
Gun to my head: if you want to write professionally, I would recommend that you get a job in another field that pays decently and doesn't take up too much of your bandwidth. Do your writing in your spare time and try to connect with others in the same area. If you can get some good clips demonstrating authoritative knowledge in a particular field, you will be well-positioned if something opens up but — because you have a career in another field — you won't be tied to the mast of a sinking ship.
I am also someone who used to make a full-time living in journalism (freelance). Now journalism is only a small side-gig. Jeff's post did not offend me in the slightest. Personally I wouldn't advise someone to enter journalism but if someone's hell-bent on doing it regardless of what their elders say, Jeff's comments may still prove useful to someone so it's worth him saying it. People are free to criticize the advice but he's also free to respond and defend the validity of his advice instead of offering a groveling apology.
I think the advice you offer in your comment is also valid. But the internet outrage machine could just as easily throw a tantrum at your advice, too "Oh, like it's SO EASY to get a job that pays decently in an inflationary economy but not take up so much of your bandwith that you can still pursue writing gigs on the side. Thanks, dinosaur!" No advice is perfect.
Excellent thoughts — thanks for posting them. I might've come off like a hater — I don't mean to be. I hope I made it clear that I think Jeff's advice comes from a good place. And you're right — if someone is hell-bent on going into journalism, there are definitely parts of Jeff's post that would be helpful.
But my thought is that this model is just dead, and trying to piecemeal together some sort of career with paper clips and chewing gum is destined to fail. What will replace it? I really don't know. My thought is that subscriber-based enterprises like Chicago's Block Club could work, but Chicago is a major city with a strong progressive base. Would that fly in Topeka? I tend to think not.
Anyway, it's very sad to see what's become of journalism. I don't know how you fix it — I think largely you can't. But hopefully the next generation of energetic whippersnappers will figure that out!
To me, it does no good to tell kids not to take on a challenge they are passionate about.
How are union or community organizers supposed to acquire all the stuff they need to build an instagrammable life, and why are writers different?
The best chance of a better way will come from passionate 20-somethings who lean in and band together to innovate. We have ample evidence the prior generation has no answers.
I appreciate your thoughts, for sure. I definitely think the future of journalism, such as it is, will have to be written by the youngsters who envision something that we're not even thinking of, at this point. I mean, look at Bill Simmons — dude started writing on his own website while he was a bartender, and it just blew up from there.
And let me pre-empt the criticism "Oh, so the idea is just to become Bill Simmons? Thanks for that easy-to-follow advice!" The point is, young would-be journalists will probably have to go outside the current model to move things forward. Again, I don't know what that will look like — I imagine some sort of self-funded enterprise.
I initially enjoyed his contrarian takes, then he went completely off the deep end — I think he has some deep issues that he clearly hasn’t addressed. I know several people who worked with him — not one of them has a good word to say about him.
I mean, they're largely a sports website, so I couldn't say the majority of their work is important. But how "important" is sports writing, in general?
But I don't want to dodge the question, so: Diana Moskovitz has written a lot about the NFL/concussions/CTE, how sexual assaults are covered up at major programs, how Robert Kraft skated after getting busted for getting a handjob at a massage parlor and the women who worked there bore the brunt of the punishment, etc. You can find much of it here: https://www.dianamoskovitz.com/my-work. Dave McKenna did scads of great work going after Daniel Snyder, and his piece about Sinead O'Connor was beautiful (https://defector.com/sinead-oconnor-was-a-rebel-with-a-cause). I really enjoy Albert Burneko's stuff — this was hilarious, I thought: https://defector.com/i-have-been-defeated-and-humbled-by-my-hated-foe-the-wind
So is that stuff going to win a Pulitzer? I dunno, but I think it's a great website and shouldn't be dismissed as just snark for its own sake.
“Make yourself indispensable.” I knew what you meant: You can only control what you can control, so deepening and broadening your skill set makes you more valuable to your employer -- and if you do get laid off, you'll have a better chance of landing a good job elsewhere.
I guess your sentiment comes across as victim blame-y to staunch pro-worker media folks. But like, what's the alternative? To not work hard to develop your skills?
I think a lot of people also conflate Pearlman's advice with an endorsement of the system. Trying to give people tips on how so better navigate a shitty situation isn't a celebration or endorsement of the shitty situation and is still more helpful than shrugging and saying "Everything's fucked."
If anyone needs a live example, look at this kud who just ascended from U Evansville to Arkansas by working his a** off for two years and never whining about the industry:
What Ley does isn’t writing nor is it journalism. It’s graffiti and the best that can be said of it, well, it doesn’t deface landmarks and it doesn’t affect the ozone layer.
Ley is a very good writer and he works for a self-funded site that produces some very good work. To say it's not "journalism" is wrong and patronizing. The writers at Defector worked for a site that got pillaged by a private equity fund, so they started their own site. That's exactly the mindset we should be applauding, not insulting because they criticized someone we like.
“Reporting” on original reporting is more secretarial service than journalism. That’s what I’ve seen on Detractor more than anything else. I do look for Ray Ratto, mind you. Your taste and standards on writing are different than mine. I’ll run the risk of being accused of patronizing.
Fair point. I would argue there is original reporting being done at Defector ("Detractor" is pretty clever, I'll give you that) — as I mentioned, Moskovitz and McKenna do their fair share of it. At the same time, not everything has to be Woodward & Bernstein to be worthwhile, right?
If the ratio of opinion and reporting were flipped, certainly a different proposition, something that I’d look to more often. Hot takes and takedowns and the like though, ugh, I’m tired of it. And at the risk of sounding ancient, the granular in-game data driven stuff might appeal to gamblers but it’s just white noise to me. Something smart and principled or likeable and funny, I’m in. Not a heckuva lot out there.
I liked Deadspin and Gawker a lot when I was younger, but snark for snark's sake does get tiresome. That said, I didn't look at Ley's piece as overly vicious, although maybe it came across that way. But it resonated because, as a former ink-stained wretch myself, I found Jeff's take naive and not particularly reality-based.
I don't have a solution — as the parent of a 16yo who says she wants to pursue writing and go into journalism, I'm trying to let her forge her own path but I would 100% not recommend it to her (or anyone, honestly). The route I took no longer exists — the first paper I worked for no longer exists, the second and third barely do. It just seems an impossible way to make a living.
My older daughter had her first newspaper byline at age 11 on a kid's page in the National Post. Probably the last kid ever to ask for a Time subscription for her birthday. She became a CPA. My younger loves sports, reads everything. She became a physicist (who has taken writing courses and is working on a YA novel). I was a pretty relaxed but I had warned them off a media life.
Ley is too busy staying employed to produce the sort of real work you do. Entitled losers like him will be actual BK managers at the rate they're going. A job is not an entitlement.
Couple things on Defector: 1) was a subscriber since inception (abt three years ago); 2) the site is very one-dimensional with viewpoints (in solidarity so to say); 3) Ley appears to censor comments and prevent people from commenting; and 4) Drew Magary still is amusing (best part of site) - Samer on the other hand...
Doesn’t surprise me that Ley didn’t respond to Jeff, although he should have. I’ve pitched a couple stories to them in recent months and have heard no reply. Sure, they probably get tons of emails but how hard is it to say “thanks” or “no thanks?” I do like the site but sometimes their stuff is a little out there. There was nothing wrong with Jeff’s advice but perhaps instead of writing “make yourself indispensable” he could have written “make yourself flexible” or versatile. That’s the advice I’ve given when presenting to college journalism students. But yeah, the industry isn’t offering much optimism right now, which is sad and shitty.
This comment thread might be the most interesting one on of Jeff's sub stacks. Joe Shmoe (who I wished used a real name) as well as his counter-pointers was almost as interesting as Jeff's piece. My wife was in magazine journalism and I suppose a little like Jeff's advice had to pivot when magazines largely went tits up. She pivoted to freelance work and then when we need the health insurance, corporate communications. Journalism does give you transferrable skills even if they wind up getting used in less sexy ways. The decline in newspaper journalism is truly the saddest cut. There is still so much out there whether its on substack or Beehiiv but it's even harder to find and harder to pay for individually. Finally Jeff your post reminds me a bit of TR's Man in the Arena speech and I don't mean that negatively. Thanks all of you for the interesting piece and discussion.
Just realizing how little I'm enjoying the free version of your Substack. Maybe you save the best stuff for your paid readers, I don't know. All I do know is that your whiny ass weekly crap isn't worth the nothing I pay. See ya.
Your post reminded me of a tweet a few years ago. Jane Slater from NFL network tweeted about an unpaid internship and the twitter verse lost its mind. Along with a bunch of blogs etc
Deadspin & Gawker were always mean-spirited journalism equivalents of the most cliquish, vicious table at a middle-school cafeteria. And they only got worse once they really started moralizing.
You didn't do anything wrong or say anything off-base. Even if you had, I'd still rather a person offer heartfelt advice even if it was muddled or misguided than respond with a shrug and shallow snark.
People at those sites act like one clever piece earns lifetime employment, when in reality it just earns them the resources to pursue the next piece. And they knew that up front, they are just too immature to cope with reality.
I kind of can't believe you are doubling down on this.
I'm a former journalist and there is no way to "make yourself indespensible." I live in Chicago and the Chicago Tribune is an absolute husk of its former self. As the Atlantic wrote in its now-famous article, the Tribune's newsroom is "the size of a Chipotle." Will the paper be around in two years? Not clear. The Chicago Sun-Times never crosses my radar. Chicago is the third-largest city in the country — imagine what it's like in Peoria.
These mythical "small-town" newspapers you cite don't exist anymore — if they do, they have three reporters, use 80% wire copy, and are being eyed by a hedge fund that will cripple it. But let's say you do get hired there. Do you know how much they pay as a starting salary? Do you know how much student loans today's college graduates have? Your advice amounts to: Move to the middle of Kansas, take this entry-level job in a backwater town, work there while also putting out a podcast and a substack account and constantly tweeting (all things that add zero to your bank account), and also keep your eye out for an in to write a book that will make you a lot of money. (That last point ALONE is the thread that unravels the sweater, but let's just move on.)
How is this person going to save money for their future, let alone pay their bills? How are they going to start a family? They're working toward a goal that no longer exists. There are literally hundreds (thousands?) of top-notch writers who have nowhere to go because the journalism landscape is a desert. There are a few outlets — Pro Publica and Chicago's Block Club come to mind — that are privately or self-funded. Otherwise, the opportunities in this field are almost literally nonexistent, and it's getting smaller by the week.
Will Leitch's response to you and Tom Ley's post was very well-written, kind, and thoughtful (and about 1/3 too long — I like his stuff, but dude needs an editor). But his point was spot-on — the model you are espousing no longer exists. I'll let Leitch's quote speak for itself:
"Most of the work Pearlman is encouraging young reporters to do is not valued by their bosses, that it often leads to doing six jobs at once, that it will guarantee absolutely nothing, that no matter how good you are at something, if some middle-tier dipshit thinks cutting your job and eliminating all you worked so hard to make will impress his boss and his spreadsheet for about 15 minutes, he will do so and never think twice about it again."
These are the comments that I find valuable, as well as many responses to the Defector article. (I also think you take several unnecessary cheap shots at Defector — they've done a lot of important work. Just look at the output of Diana Moskovitz and Dave McKenna.)
Here's just one such comment on Defector:
"The problem above is the blanket nature of Pearlman's suggestion and a failure to recognize the enormity of the changes in journalism over the last 20+ years."
Your advice was very well intentioned and obviously came from a good place. I have no doubt you're a good person and you want to help people, and that's very noble. I totally respect that. I also think you're leading people astray here and it wouldn't hurt to take a look around and realize the world is very different from when you came up.
Here's the Atlantic article I mentioned, by the way:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/alden-global-capital-killing-americas-newspapers/620171/
So what do you recommend?
Jeff af least provides a plan, which is more realistic than I have heard elsewhere.
There are no white knights on the way that I can identity.
Honestly, I don't know what the solutions is. Between the current landscape, the impending effects of AI & deepfakes (not sure what they will do, but I know it ain't good), and such, it's a gloomy future.
Gun to my head: if you want to write professionally, I would recommend that you get a job in another field that pays decently and doesn't take up too much of your bandwidth. Do your writing in your spare time and try to connect with others in the same area. If you can get some good clips demonstrating authoritative knowledge in a particular field, you will be well-positioned if something opens up but — because you have a career in another field — you won't be tied to the mast of a sinking ship.
I am also someone who used to make a full-time living in journalism (freelance). Now journalism is only a small side-gig. Jeff's post did not offend me in the slightest. Personally I wouldn't advise someone to enter journalism but if someone's hell-bent on doing it regardless of what their elders say, Jeff's comments may still prove useful to someone so it's worth him saying it. People are free to criticize the advice but he's also free to respond and defend the validity of his advice instead of offering a groveling apology.
I think the advice you offer in your comment is also valid. But the internet outrage machine could just as easily throw a tantrum at your advice, too "Oh, like it's SO EASY to get a job that pays decently in an inflationary economy but not take up so much of your bandwith that you can still pursue writing gigs on the side. Thanks, dinosaur!" No advice is perfect.
Excellent thoughts — thanks for posting them. I might've come off like a hater — I don't mean to be. I hope I made it clear that I think Jeff's advice comes from a good place. And you're right — if someone is hell-bent on going into journalism, there are definitely parts of Jeff's post that would be helpful.
But my thought is that this model is just dead, and trying to piecemeal together some sort of career with paper clips and chewing gum is destined to fail. What will replace it? I really don't know. My thought is that subscriber-based enterprises like Chicago's Block Club could work, but Chicago is a major city with a strong progressive base. Would that fly in Topeka? I tend to think not.
Anyway, it's very sad to see what's become of journalism. I don't know how you fix it — I think largely you can't. But hopefully the next generation of energetic whippersnappers will figure that out!
To me, it does no good to tell kids not to take on a challenge they are passionate about.
How are union or community organizers supposed to acquire all the stuff they need to build an instagrammable life, and why are writers different?
The best chance of a better way will come from passionate 20-somethings who lean in and band together to innovate. We have ample evidence the prior generation has no answers.
I appreciate your thoughts, for sure. I definitely think the future of journalism, such as it is, will have to be written by the youngsters who envision something that we're not even thinking of, at this point. I mean, look at Bill Simmons — dude started writing on his own website while he was a bartender, and it just blew up from there.
And let me pre-empt the criticism "Oh, so the idea is just to become Bill Simmons? Thanks for that easy-to-follow advice!" The point is, young would-be journalists will probably have to go outside the current model to move things forward. Again, I don't know what that will look like — I imagine some sort of self-funded enterprise.
Chicago specific question - thoughts on Jay Mariotti? Ty!
I initially enjoyed his contrarian takes, then he went completely off the deep end — I think he has some deep issues that he clearly hasn’t addressed. I know several people who worked with him — not one of them has a good word to say about him.
logical - I still see various items on his page (not sure if substack offhand). Ty for replying and enjoy your weekend!
"I defy you to name something from Defector that has had consequence."
Spicy! But true!! I'm on sports social media all day, and the next Defector story/video/podcast that goes viral will be the first.
Defector is behind a paywall, and they do a lot of great, important work. "Going viral" isn't the litmus test for importance.
Sincere question, from a non-sub: what important work are they doing?
I mean, they're largely a sports website, so I couldn't say the majority of their work is important. But how "important" is sports writing, in general?
But I don't want to dodge the question, so: Diana Moskovitz has written a lot about the NFL/concussions/CTE, how sexual assaults are covered up at major programs, how Robert Kraft skated after getting busted for getting a handjob at a massage parlor and the women who worked there bore the brunt of the punishment, etc. You can find much of it here: https://www.dianamoskovitz.com/my-work. Dave McKenna did scads of great work going after Daniel Snyder, and his piece about Sinead O'Connor was beautiful (https://defector.com/sinead-oconnor-was-a-rebel-with-a-cause). I really enjoy Albert Burneko's stuff — this was hilarious, I thought: https://defector.com/i-have-been-defeated-and-humbled-by-my-hated-foe-the-wind
So is that stuff going to win a Pulitzer? I dunno, but I think it's a great website and shouldn't be dismissed as just snark for its own sake.
“Make yourself indispensable.” I knew what you meant: You can only control what you can control, so deepening and broadening your skill set makes you more valuable to your employer -- and if you do get laid off, you'll have a better chance of landing a good job elsewhere.
I guess your sentiment comes across as victim blame-y to staunch pro-worker media folks. But like, what's the alternative? To not work hard to develop your skills?
I think a lot of people also conflate Pearlman's advice with an endorsement of the system. Trying to give people tips on how so better navigate a shitty situation isn't a celebration or endorsement of the shitty situation and is still more helpful than shrugging and saying "Everything's fucked."
If anyone needs a live example, look at this kud who just ascended from U Evansville to Arkansas by working his a** off for two years and never whining about the industry:
https://x.com/amfkristensen?s=21
What Ley does isn’t writing nor is it journalism. It’s graffiti and the best that can be said of it, well, it doesn’t deface landmarks and it doesn’t affect the ozone layer.
Ley is a very good writer and he works for a self-funded site that produces some very good work. To say it's not "journalism" is wrong and patronizing. The writers at Defector worked for a site that got pillaged by a private equity fund, so they started their own site. That's exactly the mindset we should be applauding, not insulting because they criticized someone we like.
“Reporting” on original reporting is more secretarial service than journalism. That’s what I’ve seen on Detractor more than anything else. I do look for Ray Ratto, mind you. Your taste and standards on writing are different than mine. I’ll run the risk of being accused of patronizing.
Fair point. I would argue there is original reporting being done at Defector ("Detractor" is pretty clever, I'll give you that) — as I mentioned, Moskovitz and McKenna do their fair share of it. At the same time, not everything has to be Woodward & Bernstein to be worthwhile, right?
If the ratio of opinion and reporting were flipped, certainly a different proposition, something that I’d look to more often. Hot takes and takedowns and the like though, ugh, I’m tired of it. And at the risk of sounding ancient, the granular in-game data driven stuff might appeal to gamblers but it’s just white noise to me. Something smart and principled or likeable and funny, I’m in. Not a heckuva lot out there.
I liked Deadspin and Gawker a lot when I was younger, but snark for snark's sake does get tiresome. That said, I didn't look at Ley's piece as overly vicious, although maybe it came across that way. But it resonated because, as a former ink-stained wretch myself, I found Jeff's take naive and not particularly reality-based.
I don't have a solution — as the parent of a 16yo who says she wants to pursue writing and go into journalism, I'm trying to let her forge her own path but I would 100% not recommend it to her (or anyone, honestly). The route I took no longer exists — the first paper I worked for no longer exists, the second and third barely do. It just seems an impossible way to make a living.
My older daughter had her first newspaper byline at age 11 on a kid's page in the National Post. Probably the last kid ever to ask for a Time subscription for her birthday. She became a CPA. My younger loves sports, reads everything. She became a physicist (who has taken writing courses and is working on a YA novel). I was a pretty relaxed but I had warned them off a media life.
Ley is too busy staying employed to produce the sort of real work you do. Entitled losers like him will be actual BK managers at the rate they're going. A job is not an entitlement.
Couple things on Defector: 1) was a subscriber since inception (abt three years ago); 2) the site is very one-dimensional with viewpoints (in solidarity so to say); 3) Ley appears to censor comments and prevent people from commenting; and 4) Drew Magary still is amusing (best part of site) - Samer on the other hand...
Doesn’t surprise me that Ley didn’t respond to Jeff, although he should have. I’ve pitched a couple stories to them in recent months and have heard no reply. Sure, they probably get tons of emails but how hard is it to say “thanks” or “no thanks?” I do like the site but sometimes their stuff is a little out there. There was nothing wrong with Jeff’s advice but perhaps instead of writing “make yourself indispensable” he could have written “make yourself flexible” or versatile. That’s the advice I’ve given when presenting to college journalism students. But yeah, the industry isn’t offering much optimism right now, which is sad and shitty.
What makes you say Ley censors comments?
sure - on some of the Gaza posts he had put a comment about monitoring what could be said. As for the censorship that I know personally . Ty
Great stuff as always, Jeff.
The Burger King comparison is an epic putdown.
This comment thread might be the most interesting one on of Jeff's sub stacks. Joe Shmoe (who I wished used a real name) as well as his counter-pointers was almost as interesting as Jeff's piece. My wife was in magazine journalism and I suppose a little like Jeff's advice had to pivot when magazines largely went tits up. She pivoted to freelance work and then when we need the health insurance, corporate communications. Journalism does give you transferrable skills even if they wind up getting used in less sexy ways. The decline in newspaper journalism is truly the saddest cut. There is still so much out there whether its on substack or Beehiiv but it's even harder to find and harder to pay for individually. Finally Jeff your post reminds me a bit of TR's Man in the Arena speech and I don't mean that negatively. Thanks all of you for the interesting piece and discussion.
Just realizing how little I'm enjoying the free version of your Substack. Maybe you save the best stuff for your paid readers, I don't know. All I do know is that your whiny ass weekly crap isn't worth the nothing I pay. See ya.
Ciao, bella