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Writer's pictureMegan Roche

Inspiring Reads for Aspiring Journalists

When I first started college, I was going to school to become a foreign language teacher. I took German all four years in high school and really enjoyed it. After settling in at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, I decided I hated my major. Having only picked Nazareth since it had a German department, I needed to transfer schools.


Here was the tough part though; I had zero clue what I wanted to do in life.


After visiting a few schools, I settled on attending Mitchell College in New London, CT. I loved the waterfront campus and private beach. My dorm overlooked the Thames River and I woke up every morning to the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore. Deciding to major in early childhood education, I took another stab at the teaching profession. Once again, I hated it.


I ended my sophomore year with no real clear major in sight. I headed home for the summer and felt helpless. I researched all the majors that Mitchell offered and settled on adding a criminal justice class, a psychology class, and a journalism class to my schedule. I guess I thought that if I took classes in all different interest areas, I'd find the career that I was destined for.


Journalism 101 taught by Carol McCarthy changed my life. Professor McCarthy was an adjunct professor who worked full time for the New London Day, New London's daily newspaper. She introduced me to the classic film, All The President's Men, about the incredibly talented Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. She gave my classmates and I a chance to cover events on campus. She taught me to love the written word.


That fall semester in 2011, I declared my major in Communications. I became obsessed with the idea of my byline being everywhere I could think. I joined the on campus radio station, Radio Mitchell, and started my own music show. I helped to start the Radio Mitchell Evening News. I read as many books about journalism as I could.


Not wanting to limit my options to just journalism, I took classes in marketing, public relations, photography, film study, and videography. However, writing and journalism stole my heart. After graduating from Mitchell College in 2013 with a BS in Communications, I went to graduate school at Sacred Heart University and earned an MA in Communications with a concentration in Digital Multimedia Journalism.


All while studying and even still to this day, I read book after book about journalism. Here are my top 5 picks of what to read if you are an aspiring journalist, just like I was.


  1. Talk to Me by Dean Nelson, PhD



Dean Nelson's book was so inspiring. I appreciated his honesty about the field of journalism and what a true reporter does. Much of his key point is that if you fail to prepare for an interview, your interview will likely be a failure. Know your subject when you ask for an interview. Nelson breaks down some of the best and worst questions to ask an interviewee. He uses real life examples on some of the best interviews he's ever heard to some of the downright worst.


2. Writer For Hire: 101 Secrets to Freelance Success by Kelly James-Enger




Once you graduate from college, I promise you that most of you will not walk into the New York Times and get a million dollar job offer. Starting out, I wrote for as many different publications as I could. Like any writer who has come before you, you'll have to pay your dues and sit through town council meetings, board of education meetings, budget hearings, and more. I wish I had gotten to read James-Enger's book before I started freelancing.


James-Enger breaks down every type of situation from learning how to properly market yourself as a freelancer to asking for the money that you deserve as a freelancer. It's a very easy read and it goes fast. My copy has plenty of notes written in the column and I frequently look back at it to answer any questions I may have.


3. Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now by Alan Rusbridger




I picked up my copy of this book when I went to visit the now defunct Newseum in Washington DC and I wasn't disappointed. Rusbridger's words about the state of our democracy and the world of journalism should send off major warning signals and alarm bells in your head. He touches on so many different topics in this 379 page read from the battle of "fake news" to how social media has changed the way that generations will consume the news. His book title is truly accurate, the remaking of journalism truly matters now more than ever.


4. Letters to a Young Journalist by Samuel G. Freedman




Freedman's book was one of those that I just couldn't put down no matter how hard I tried. I spent countless nights awake until all hours of the morning reading page after page. Freedman shares his insights and experiences on temperament, reporting, writing, his career, and more throughout his book. He's straight up honest about what it takes to be a journalist and reminds even the most seasoned of reporters to check their facts. The book is a great read for any newbie to the journalism field. After you finish up his book, you'll know if you truly have what it takes to be a reporter.


5. Truth Worth Telling: A Reporter's Search for Meaning in the Stories of Our Times by Scott Pelley




I'm a big fan of reading memoirs of the journalists who have come before me and Scott Pelley's was an incredible one. Pelley tells the readers about how the stories he covered affected him. You'll read about 9/11 and the War on Terror, the impact of interviewing Bruce Springsteen, the seemingly never ending debate of Trump vs. Clinton, and much more. After reading Pelley's book, I started to examine all the stories I wrote and what they meant to me. Were they inspiring? Sad? Passionate? Driven? Why was I attracted to these stories? To this day, I still look at every story I write with that critical eye.


To my fellow writers and reporters out there, what books do you recommend for the newly graduated journalist? Drop your ideas and suggestions in the comments! If you need me, I'll be in my reading chair with Tom Brokaw's memoir of his experiences covering the Nixon Administration and the Watergate Scandal.


Signing off,




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