The Life of a Reporter, From a Former Reporter

I've never been more thankful to have left the on-air world of television than I am right now. Yeah, this year so far has been beyond awful for people across the world; Kobe died, the wildfires, a possible world war in January and now the COVID-19 pandemic. Hatred of the media has always existed and has been amplified moreso in the last 5-10 years. However, it's now reached levels of horrendous and atrocious behavior by people to members of the media.

As someone who spent eight years being a television anchor/reporter, I think I've seen and heard about every insult that can be thrown my way. I've had my life threatened. Someone's wished for me to be raped. I've had people try and start a physical altercation with me while I'm doing my job. I've had my voicemail and inbox flooded with criticism from the public. Now, I'm seeing fellow colleagues have their safety be put in physical danger. And can I please just say something? Shut your ignorant and hateful mouth up.

Let me break down what the job of a television reporter is, because I can guarantee you that your idea is beyond outdated. It starts with simply finding a story idea. Sometimes, there are great days where there are countless things happening. Other times, there are days where the most exciting thing happening is a church planting flowers (yeah, I was at a television station that ran a story about a church planting flowers...talk about news judgment).

Speaking of, news judgment is what decides what is worthy of getting coverage and going on the air. 95 percent of the time, that reporter's own news judgment is not what determines if they can follow through with a story idea they pitched. It comes from the news director. Now, the news director is the boss of the newsroom. They hire the personnel in a newsroom, they determine what runs in a show, they are the top tier of daily news production. What they say goes. So, even though a reporter may believe that, for sake of example, someone refusing someone business is a great story, there is a chance the news director may not agree. That's all dependent on that news director's news judgment.

Let's say the news director agrees. Now, the reporter has to play phone tag and shoot emails back and forth with people to finally get at least 2 interviews set up. These sources could respond back immediately, or they're busy and don't respond right away (which I'm not bashing. You all have your own lives and jobs, too). It can take hours sometimes for sources to get back to a reporter. Let's say they get back to them at 1:30 p.m. and say yes. The first show that this story needs to be in is for the 5 p.m. show. The reporter then needs to drive (by themself in a majority of markets) to meet the sources, conduct the interviews, shoot b-roll and drive back. If this interview is in town, all of that should take about an hour if that. If it's out of town, well then, add on travel time. I was at a station where unless I was in the county of the station, it was an average of an hour and 15 minute drive, one way. So, factor that in there.

It's now 2:45. The reporter is back at the station. They have to ingest all their footage, listen to their sources, cut the sound that they think tells the best story and then write a script. That normally takes about 45 minutes, barring any technological problems like their software crashing. So now, it's 3:30. This script now needs to get approved by one of the managers in charge. This could take as quick as 5-10 minutes or it could take 2 hours. Off of my experience, it takes about 45 minutes. Now it's 4:15. They have to very quickly voice their script and edit their story along with insert graphics and get the video to master control. That takes about 35-45 minutes. So it is now 4:50...this reporter has been going 100 miles an hour to turn a story for one show. Also, this person needs to "front" their story, also known as being either in studio tossing to their story or being on location, live. If they're live, they have to get on location and have their shot set up 10-15 minutes before they're supposed to go on air. Also, just add in the fact that this reporter needs to have makeup and hair done and looking perfect before going on air (yes, men wear makeup, too. Lights are bright, and you don't want to look shiny).

But wait, they need to churn a different version of their story for the 6 p.m. and the 10 p.m. show. When that reporter gets back to the newsroom, they then have to shorten it for the late shows, get a web article written, have that get proofread by the digital supervisor, upload their aired story onto the web, and then post that on social media and hope and pray they have enough of a following to get clicks.

That back in 2000? That did not exist. What that reporter did in one day and does EVERY SINGLE DAY THEY WORK was about five people's jobs. Maybe even six. There are no camera operators anymore in a majority of the country. There are no editors to help edit reporters' stories anymore. Social media wasn't even a thing. News websites weren't prevalent or even existed to the degree they're at now. It is now a full one-man job to be a reporter; you have to wear five different hats and be willing to deal with any changes.

During this time, there was no time to take a lunch break, probably only snuck in either fast food if they had that extra 5 minutes or a granola bar that sits in the bottom of their drawer or bag. They're having their producers asking for updates. These reporters also need to update their social media everywhere they go. The news director may also have the reporter go cover another "short, quick story" (like a grand opening for a local business) while they're out.

So, people who think they can do a reporter's job, please tell me if that's what you thought their job was. They don't just read. The only people that just read are the TOP SHOT ANCHORS at the massive markets. Even those anchors were a reporter at some point, but a lot of them were not reporters during the late 2000s and on because they busted their ass to become an anchor.

I'm so sick and tired of hearing from people who are not in the media world hate and bash on something they have no actual concept of. It's like if I went into a courtroom and just started bashing the judge or attorneys, because I don't like what they're saying. That is what you do on Facebook or Twitter when you bash a reporter. Unless you, as a viewer, see an error and want to offer a correction, have a question or even just want to give a compliment, you can keep your "Fake News" or "the media is a joke" comments to yourself. Guess what? That rude comment means you're listening and watching regardless.

"Well, I'm watching to point out Fake News." I call bull. If you really thought there was "fake news," YOU WOULDN'T WATCH OR READ THE NEWS. But because you don't want to be uninformed about your world and society and things that are happening, you turn to the media. If anything, we in media are the voice of the people. We are the voice of the community. You want to know how we find story ideas? The community wants to have their voice heard, and they reach out to a news outlet. If you don't want news, then don't reach out and don't watch. It's that simple.

"Karli, only some outlets are fake news. The rest are credible." That is up to your personal judgment of what you enjoy to watch or read or follow. I'm not knocking you on what you enjoy. But let me remind you that the facts they're reporting are facts. If you don't like those facts, that's fine, but that doesn't mean it's fake news. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and those cable shows are now just opinion networks that take news and have it fit into their opinions. THAT is not news reporting. That is watching talking heads. There's a damn difference.

Now, this is coming from someone who spent 4 years in sports only and then 8 years in total doing news and sports. I have done every job, minus a general manager, in a newsroom that you can think of. I've been every cog in that wheel of a newsroom. I have a grasp of what's needed to get done in a timely and factual manner.

In February of 2020, I left being a reporter/anchor because of the toll the job took on me. I was stuck between trying to please my managers and doing what's right for the community. There were a lot of times, in my experience 95% of the time, that those two never worked together. If I did what my managers wanted, I would get berated by the community. If I did what the community wanted, I would get berated by my bosses. There was no win-win situation. Imagine what that can do to a person who's barely making ends meet and has other factors contributing to the stress of life. That can take a massive hit on someone's mental and physical health.

So, the next time you want to bash the media, I want you to have a full understanding of what goes down in a newsroom. I want you to know what that reporter's day was like. I want you to know that we are not doing this for money, seeing that the average starting salary in a mid-major market for reporters is a whopping $30,000 and they MAY break into $40,000 after doing 4-5 years of work. We don't do this to just have our face on television or our name in the paper/online (most of us, anyway. There are some "journalists" out there who are self-centered). We don't do this job for clout (you can get clout and make way more money doing something less stressful. That's just a fact).

We do this to tell the stories of the community. We do this to be the voice of the public. We do this to be the representative of the public. We do this to make someone's day. We do this to shed light on an issue or event that's happening. We do this to let you, the same person that is bashing the media, know what's going on in the world.

So the next time you want to bash the media or a reporter in any way, whether it be on social media, through an email, over the phone or in person, just ask yourself one question: how would you feel if someone came into your place of work and said the following:

"You're just a blonde bitch who doesn't know jack shit. You're fake news. I hope someone comes and rapes you, because you deserve it because of the shit job you're doing."

Yeah, that's an actual message I received from a viewer who did not like that I did not show their child in a highlight. That wasn't even a news piece. Try going into work the same way ever again after hearing that.

America, Let's Talk

America, hey there. You all have got to know me at a pretty personal level. You know my opinions on a variety of topics, ranging from Hollywood to the judicial system. You also know intricate details about my friends and family. You know that I spend my free time, trying to improve at my job and further my career in every way possible.

However, there are MILLIONS of people in this world that would rather spend their free time on four of the most pointless things that (1) do not contribute anything positive to this country, (2) receive more attention that children being shot in the back while sitting on their porch on a Sunday afternoon and (3) are the most meaningless things in this country.

These four things are what I'm speaking about:
1) Beauty Pageants (on all levels)
2) The Royal Family
3) The Bachelor/Bachelorette
4) The Kardashians

Let's address each one in its own context, shall we?

Beauty pageants (specifically the ones for older, mature women). If this isn't the biggest barrier in the way of women wanting to be seen as more than a face, then I don't know what is. These women are being judged SOLELY on how they look. BUT WAIT. It's judgment based on how they look in different outfits. "But Karli, they have a question round. That shows personality." Yes, because a stunningly gorgeous woman that's trying to win a competition to be the prettiest girl in the country is going to have the answer to solve the crisis in the American education system. You all know that all those answers are SO rehearsed to include things that tug at the heart strings of these MALE judges so they don't seem too superficial. What a joke.

The Royal Family. America, WHY ARE WE SO OBSESSED WITH THIS USELESS FAMILY? Isn't the reason we started this country was for freedom of expression and to have a choice in government which Great Britain DIDN'T have? The Royal Family is the most useless body of people in world politics. What do they do? They do nothing that can be impactful on world relations or in their own country. The Prime Minister and Parliament do more than that queen has ever done. I will never forget in high school when classmates of mine woke up earlier than they would ever wake up for class to watch the Royal wedding. ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME. Why do you look up to and idolize these people when they do nothing at all that matters in this world?

The Bachelor/Bachelorette. Let me break down these shows. These people are so desperate for attention and love that they want their ENTIRE dating process broadcast to the whole nation. Men and women quit their jobs to have their dating life broadcast to the whole country. If this past season of the Bachelorette doesn't prove how much of a low life can win, then what will? A washed up quarterback who's the brother of a SUCCESSFUL NFL quarterback won this show. If you wanted to marry a washed up athlete, go to any small town, and you'll find them. They're a dime a dozen. They're not hard to find, seeing that they will tell you every stat/record/game they've ever had the moment you meet them ***gag.***

The Kardashians. I already wrote an entire blog on this family's ridiculousness so I'll spare you that schpiel.

You want to know what isn't getting any attention from media outlets because the American public would rather here about what Kylie wore to Fashion Week, what new milestones JoJo's relationship has hit, and what Prince Harry did on a private jet? A rising Chicago high school athlete was shot six times while he was sitting on his porch. An entire mining industry is crumbling, leaving hundreds of thousands of people out of work and destroying small towns. Another woman was raped, and there wasn't a just verdict. Another black person was racially profiled while they're on their way home, minding their own business. Another person lost their job. Another child was bullied to the point where they took their own life. Another person overdosed on heroine, which is a rising drug epidemic.

But you, the American public who I cater to because I'm in the news industry, don't want to hear those stories. You don't want to hear the story of an athlete who has gone through hell and back and finally caught his first touchdown as a senior. You don't want to hear about how the world is affecting you and what the future could be. You don't want to hear about how an entire portion of the American population is about to disappear.

You'd rather know what new white woman is Miss America.You want to know what designer Kim is wearing. You want to know what Prince George did on his second birthday.

America, let's get our priorities straight.