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The definition of “beat writing” has changed over the years. When I started at a local NPR affiliate covering city council, in ‘07, writing 3 times a week was a lot. Now, young writers are pushing out 3-4 write-arounds/buzzes a day. It’s not real journalism; it’s content milling.
If I were a young writer, I’d prefer to start my job at a legit local newspaper because at least they’d be forced to leave their desks and find stories in their communities instead of searching the web for other people’s work to write around, never developing any real skills.
When I started writing professionally, a beat meant city council, knowing each person, and having to look them in the eye and ask questions. Neither a phone nor a computer screen could protect me against the interview subject looking back at me and pushing back. #realjournalism
