Skip to main content

Back on the Beat


 

And now for some good news.

My favorite beat as a journalist was hands down Howard County. I am so excited to announce that next week I'm joining the @BaltimoreBanner as a regional reporter. I'm back HoCo! - - Jess Nocera

You may recall that Jess Nocera wrote for the Baltimore Sun. She’s now back with the Baltimore Banner. 

Thank goodness the Banner is investing in some local coverage, even better that it’s with someone who has some prior knowledge and experience. So many newspaper positions these are geared for young folks right out of college. The jobs pay very little and the workload is unsustainable. The system relies on the inexperience of the workers to take the low salary and work the crazy hours. The young people beginning their careers in journalism have few “old hands” to learn from and rely on. 

If you have seen movies or television shows where the small town newsroom is collegial and multigenerational, it’s important to know that isn’t the reality today.

The kind of long term, institutional knowledge that is invaluable in local journalism barely exists anymore. Entry level journalists burn out as often as not. Those who don’t burn out are scrambling to get out of small markets and work their way up through the food chain. Many of our local journalists have done a fine job making the transition to bigger and better positions.

We were lucky to have them while we did. 

Welcome back, Jess Nocera. Here’s a taste of what she’s written in Howard County. I’m delighted that we have more in store.

No strangers to adversity, many historic Ellicott City restaurants offer carryout during coronavirus outbreak, Jess Nocera, March, 2020 for the Baltimore Sun 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...
Post a Comment
Read more