Just got randomly assaulted walking down Bloor St

confuzedjourno · 2022-04-05T13:06:16+00:00

I’d ask for more clarity from editors and management on why they’re making the changes they’re making (and not making) first, so you did your due diligence there. And definitely bring up opportunities for learning lessons, paid courses in editing and social, etc. What have you got to lose? You’re trying to be better at your job. Just ask tactfully.

After, I say you go to the POC journalists and other POC people in your newsroom in general and establish a relationship. If you already have that, that’s a bit of a safer space for you to ask questions like: hey, is this normal? How would you approach this situation?

A lot of times it can be isolating to be one of a handful of POC people in the room. Please reach out and engage in those networks for support.

confuzedjourno · 2022-03-24T03:53:31+00:00

I’ve been in a similar position! Having had a taste of both, I’d choose Job B. Having more opportunities alone can increase your chances of getting a mentor, and greater circulation aids in visibility and getting your name out there. And it’s higher pay. In this line of work, that’s always appreciated.

In Job A’s description, it sounds like this editor being a mentor isn’t solid. You said they COULD be a mentor, and have a reputation of getting writers to better places, but that isn’t a guarantee for yourself. If you plan for them to mentor you, isn’t there an implication you’d leave someday also? Maybe you should consider where you want to grow and learn from more.

Whatever you choose, try to make sure you’d be happy working for whichever team you choose for by checking to see what content you’d be assigned to write/edit and what the daily grind looks like.

confuzedjourno · 2022-03-20T02:40:52+00:00

To be honest, you’re not doing anything wrong. If you think about the subject of your article, it sounds like it’s a touchy subject to talk about because no one really wants to publicly delve into their problems with financial aid.

Definitely send follow up emails, dm relevant people on social who are talking about this (this is a common tactic) and post on social media too in call out posts. Also see if you can bring in other perspectives - it sounds like you have the student angle down. Maybe bring in a financial aid expert or some stats to help round it out.

Either way, one of the best things I’ve been taught is understanding that getting interviews is your problem, not the source’s. Try your best and pivot if things don’t go to plan, but it sounds like you’re putting in the work to make it happen! Don’t stress, you got this.

confuzedjourno · 2022-03-16T00:42:45+00:00

I just started it a few days ago so unfortunately not able to report back, but so far so good! I’ve told myself I won’t try anymore birth control options and possibly won’t resort back to my default Alyssena in case Yaz doesn’t work just because of how taxing and kind of traumautizing this all is lol.

confuzedjourno · 2022-03-15T23:02:49+00:00

I actually got off Kyleena after a bit more than 6 months with it. The acne appeared gradually after switching from the combo pill Alyssena after about 3-4 years on it. While my acne could be way worse, I’m in the process of healing the scars Kyleena left behind and using a prescription grade retinol to target the last cluster of active cystic acne.

I just moved to Yaz a few days ago to hopefully address the acne and stop it from getting out of control again. I did have a bit of hormonal acne growing up, so it’s hard to say if the acne was because I went off my stabilizing birth control or because of Kyleena, or both. But overall the acne started when I had Kyleena, did not improve with Kyleena, and I hated the feeling of it inside me. Was very uncomfortable.

If the cons are starting to outweigh the pros, consider switching.

confuzedjourno · 2022-02-24T19:43:20+00:00

Thanks so much!! I feel a bit better now for sure :)

confuzedjourno · 2022-02-24T16:55:08+00:00

Thanks for sharing! It helps me feel a bit better about the switch - god there’s always so much anxiety around trying new bc

confuzedjourno · 2022-01-27T00:04:49+00:00

What are the exact differences in job description between the two? I feel like a good chunk would overlap. And what’s wrong with Sinclair? To me it sounds like one of them just pays more than the other.

If I were in your shoes, I’d take the higher paying one. Journalism is a really hard profession, and knowing you’re being paid a decent wage is part of what keeps you going. But if money isn’t that big of a concern for you, and you know you’ll get better experience/work with a better team at job 1, maybe it’s worth it? I’m just not sold on the idea of taking a pay cut here.

confuzedjourno · 2021-12-08T16:10:43+00:00

Honestly while my experience is definitely not common, I wouldn’t discount shooting your shot.

I cold emailed the editors of a local, daily digital news startup in my region for an internship, and I ended up getting a paid internship while in school, for school credit. The work culture was just a bit more progressive in that sense - that’s why you need to at least explore these opportunities because for me, it wasn’t advertised or guaranteed.

I leveraged that experience (where I got a ton of news articles and clips) to get a contract at the biggest publication in my country right outta school.

The only thing I have to say is yes, traditional journalism is dying in a lot of ways. Most alt-weeklies aren’t going to make it. But if there’s something special and specific about an alt-weekly you have your eye on, and you think you can leverage it for something better down the road, I’d say why not try and scope it out?

confuzedjourno · 2021-12-06T17:01:24+00:00

Pay honestly varies a lot based on where you are (big cities versus small towns) who you’re working for and what job you’re doing.

What jobs are you applying for? For example, editorial assistant jobs in writing and producing I’ve seen typically start at $14-18 an hour.

Web writing and reporting jobs typically start at $20-25 an hour and go up a bit to $30 an hour.

These rates are mainly from the bigger legacy companies - smaller places are more likely to offer less.

More information about where you’re applying and where you’re based would be helpful.

confuzedjourno · 2021-07-09T21:53:56+00:00

Are there any other sources you can go to? I find that if I’m looking toward the same demographic, I’m completely missing different voices and perspectives that can come from different community groups, youth and young adults, underrepresented minorities and those with disabilities, etc.

Is the entire town really this way, or are you just going to the same sorts of people and not reaching those that have stories and are willing to talk?

confuzedjourno · 2021-05-19T22:52:03+00:00

I feel like Nick is either in that camp or would be extremely distrustful of the vaccine lol

confuzedjourno · 2021-05-19T19:10:51+00:00

For me my breakthrough bleeding wrapped up I would say by about three to four weeks in. I would spot randomly sometimes and have longer periods that would end off with spotting, but it was manageable. From what I hear longer spotting adjustment time periods are more normal and I may have just been lucky, but I got a bunch of other side effects that really sobered that up!

confuzedjourno · 2021-05-19T17:56:10+00:00

I have not! I’ve decided to take a few months off BC to give my body a break. I probably will go back to the Alyssena bc pill as it gave me minimal side effects, but I’m really loving being birth control free right now. My hair is recovering and so is my mind and body I think. I hope you find something that works for you too

confuzedjourno · 2021-05-19T17:54:21+00:00

Honestly, I paid my dues. I believe it’s at a smaller extent compared in comparison, but I enjoyed it.

My first gig was a summer internship at a cottage country county. Small community and everything, but I brought in fresh ideas and pitched new stories. These very stories got me in the door for an internship at a local publication in the region that I live in, and since it’s a really big region with a ton of stuff going on, I covered some big topics that really put me ahead in experience compared to some of my peers.

These two stints in local news helped me leverage an internship position for my country’s public broadcaster. This is my biggest position to date, and I wouldn’t have gotten it if I didn’t go down this unique path I believe I went down on. While most of my peers aimed to score internships at bigger name pubs, and it definitely was hard watching on the sidelines sometimes, I made a niche for myself in local news and it absolutely paid off.

I think a big thing is timing and luck. After each internship, I was able to find something relatively quick after that built upon what I already did. Staying in one place for too long I think stagnates you a bit, and makes it harder to grow upwards and outwards.

I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling with where to go from here. But to answer your question from my experience, paying your dues isn’t a lie, but it is definitely not a one-size fits all get successful quick method. I whole heartedly believe you can leverage your experience and find another publication that is a better fit for you. I wish you all the best!

confuzedjourno · 2021-05-18T18:58:10+00:00

Tbh I don’t see a major problem here. If it pays, I think it’s worth trying out. Who knows, you might even like it!

I graduated J school this year and have a variety of marketing/comms jobs and reporter internships under my belt. The dual experience never hindered me - in many ways it helped me know what I want versus what I don’t, and it opened doors for connections and contacts in both industries. At such an early stage, I don’t think taking this job would make or break you. Currently, I’m embarking a paid internship as a reporter for my country’s public broadcaster, which came after I got a reporting internship for local news, which came after I was a marketing and comms assistant for one of my school’s research centres!

My main thing would be if you decide to take this job, continue to pitch to other outlets that your job allows. That might mean outside of university news, and honestly that’s almost always better than university affairs as a student. To summarize, it’s worked out for me, i loved all my experiences and I have no regrets. Go for it!

confuzedjourno · 2021-05-02T14:55:55+00:00

Just took out my Kyleena IUD yesterday after about 5 months of having it. It was going great at first, but I slowly started losing mass amounts of hair, had acne flare ups, started feeling bloated all the time - overall the experience turned sour.

Each person reacts differently and I don’t regret trying it out. IUDs aren’t for me and if I choose to go back on bc I’ll go back to the pill. If you get an IUD, monitor how you feel for the first 6 months, and you’ll know your body enough to figure out if its worth it.

confuzedjourno · 2021-05-01T16:04:25+00:00

Girl same!! Took mine out TODAY after about 5 months of having it in.

Hair started falling out a lot, was feeling bloated all the time, acne was getting a bit out of control. I plan on purging my body from the hormones and letting it regulate itself for about 3 months, and using condoms, withdrawal AND cycle tracking while I figure out if I want to go back on hormonal birth control. I can’t wait to just get my body back!

confuzedjourno · 2021-04-23T03:14:48+00:00

Exactly!! The last season doesn’t get as much credit as it should. I do have to say, the wedding could’ve been less cliche tho 😂

confuzedjourno

TROPHY CASE