Whenever I speak to kids about their career choices I always tell me that the best approach which they can have is to be inspired by people who are already successful in the career that they would like to have. In light of this today I want to talk about the brilliant Eric Wetlaufer, a highly respected journalist who writes for a local paper here in Wesson ad has also contributed to global publications. After a quick email exchange I caught up with Eric recently for a frank conversation about his career and how he got to where he is.
The Truth
Eric believes that much of the reason as to why he has found the success that he has is because he is dedicated to finding the truth, and won’t release a story until he has it all. He has declined many cases which he couldn’t write about because he didn’t have enough information and he didn’t want to be sensational or inflammatory. Many unscrupulous journalists would have released the half story just to stir up some drama.
Sticking With His Team
Eric believes that fidelity is a very important characteristic and in light of that he has always been loyal to the people who helped him to get to where he is. Eric once worked for a global news company yet they treated him very badly, much like they did with the rest of the writers. The local news publication here in Wesson offered him a way out, something which he is eternally grateful for. In fact Eric says that he is loyal to all of his friends and colleagues and this is much of the reason as to why he is so widely respected.
Quality
Eric stops short of blowing his own trumpet but he does speak about the necessity to provide high quality articles when working as a journalist. Eric has won awards in many categories for his work and he tells me that above all, when he is putting together a piece, the quality of the content will come first, every time. There are men and women in this industry who believe that the story is the most important thing but as Eric describes, you could have the greatest story in the world but if it is written poorly it will make next to no impact.
Topical
Another reason for Eric’s success in his view has been his ability to constantly move with the times and write information and stories that are always topical. As the says we can see that many news publications are stuck in the past and as such they lose a huge amount of readership. Thanks to Eric’s forward thinking and on-the-pulse attitude, he has been able to keep the readership that he has worked hard to get together.
If you want to be a journalist, this is a great person to model yourself on .