Welcome to Our Community

Posted on | January 7, 2010 | 5 Comments

Susan Older

Welcome to Displaced Journalists.

Is there life – or work – after newspapers? A lot of us are in the process of finding out. Because it’s generally a somewhat lonely endeavor, it struck me, in January 2010, that it might be comforting – and possibly very productive – to go through it together.

Displaced Journalists is intended to be a community – our community – where we find common ground, where we can begin to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get on with our lives and livelihoods.

I hope our site will be a place where we can build on our tech skills so we can get back in the game or completely reinvent ourselves, hatch new ideas and strategies, and explore whole new fields of study. We can do it. We still have the brains and the talent that took us so far in our careers.

This will be a forum in which we can learn from defeat and share in our victories. On our Facebook Page, we have plenty of non-journalists and employed journalists. They are with us because they care about the state of journalism in our society and what we stand to lose as newspapers cut staff or close doors and online journalism takes off into uncharted territory. It’s extremely generous of them to join the community. I think they have a great deal to contribute and I hope they will join in our discourse.

In time, we will be proactive in identifying employers who might not realize that we are the people they seek to hire. Seasoned journalists have a unique skill set: We have a strong work ethic; we can become instant experts on almost any topic; we cherish perfection; we are curious about everything; we honor deadlines with ease; we love to interact with people, and we never, never, never give up.

Remember: We know the difference between their, there and they’re. Lots of writers these days don’t. We come from newsrooms that gave us the mandate and the confidence to interview anybody, anywhere, anytime. We can call government officials and Supreme Court justices at any hour and expect them to pick up. We know how to get inside people’s heads, to ask the tough questions and to write about complex matters clearly and concisely. We understand community. And, yes, we do understand the nature of the Internet.

Our skills are still relevant. It’s just the infrastructure that has changed. We can and will find new ways to exercise our talent. Once again we will feel valued and appreciated, and we’ll earn a living in the process. And we’ll do it together, primarily here, but also in the communities we’ve already created on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Susan Older

Founder, Displaced Journalists

Comments

5 Responses to “Welcome to Our Community”

Susan Older
May 31st, 2010 @ 5:47 PM

Hi. Please leave your comments here. Thanks.
Greg Gross
May 31st, 2010 @ 7:33 PM

We’re only defeated when we quit.
Cran Herlihy
July 12th, 2010 @ 8:48 PM

I’m not given to calling people names, but Susan, you are a champion!

(I know, I’ve called you that before, but not here)

More strength to you and your supporters.
Rosemarie Feliciano
May 1st, 2011 @ 10:54 PM

=)
I just joined this today — This made me so happy and hopeful for my future in journalism.
Susan Older
May 23rd, 2011 @ 12:59 AM

Thank you, Rosemarie. I’m happy that you’ve joined Displaced Journalists. Did you join by registering on this website or hitting “Like” on the Facebook fan page? If you registered on the site, please paste your resume and any contact info you want me to see in the box. I occasionally get specific requests for employers and HR people. I’m working on a new site with a more positive name and mission — and that will involve building your own portfolio pages and selling your content at fair prices. NO content mills for us. I’m seeking funding now.

If you want to share your views about the future and how it looks for young journalists, I know the community would love to read what you have to say. It goes against everything I stand for to ask anyone to write for nothing, but I do this site with no funding, just out of love for the profession and for all of you colleagues out there, so I can’t afford to pay anything, but a fair number of Displaced Journalists do share their thoughts, views, advice, commentary, etc. I would love to hear from you, but please don’t feel pressured. We have the Facebook fan page with 1,335 members, a LinkedIn group and a Twitter Feed (DPJournalists). I hope you enjoy what you see. The more participation the better. I’ll keep in touch regarding the new venture.

Oh, and, believe it or not, Jules Older, who commented on your comment, is not even a relative. We feel like cousins, but we’re not. I saw his name on Media Bistro a few years ago and contacted him, sure that we had to be related, but it turns out it’s only in spirit. It’s not a common name and he lives in San Francisco, where much of my family lives. Amazing. He’s a great guy. You’ll see his column, Writer’s Lifeguard, here on Displaced Journalists at random times.

Take care,

Susan

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Susan Older
susanolder@mac.com
susanolder@displacedjournalists.com