Originally published here at Her Campus on October 6, 2018.
We know that journalism is not an easy field to get into, but there are some more specific issues that writers face: what “kind” of journalist are you? Are you the “serious” kind, or do you just write “fluff”? Not too long ago, I was asked the same question as I responded to someone with my major, and honestly, I had been asking myself that same question for weeks. It really feels like you have to go in one direction or the other, and there is certainly a stigma against women as beauty or fashion bloggers for not being “real journalists.” Of course, I am currently both ends of this, and I respect both – they are different, but neither should be taken more or less seriously because of content matter.
Hard news and blogging are different in a lot of ways. Both get information out to people, and both are arguably important. To say that one is less important or less valid than the other would only be ignorant.
Where do you get your information about healthier ways to exercise, products that work best, recaps of shows you weren’t able to watch, celebrity and music news, reviews, etc.? All of the articles you read for pleasure, for your mental and physical health, or to give you a laugh are done by bloggers. They are no less important or relevant than the news, and to shame bloggers for not having a “real” job or writing “fluff” pieces is irritating, because there’s a very high chance that you read them, maybe even with more interest than the news.
I write for both news and lifestyle outlets, and I have to say that I have seen the impacts of both. People read both, and people need both, and I don’t think I should have to choose between them.
If you’re really passionate about something, you will be able to figure out a way to combine them, or at least do both. You can be a hard-news writer and talk about the best pants to wear this spring. You can be a beauty blogger and still have opinions and statements on hard news.
The issue is that writing, especially about traditionally feminine things, seems to somehow discredit the seriousness of someone’s writing. It’s 2018, and it’s ridiculous that that is still the case. Whether you’re a male or female journalist, having interests and openly writing about them does not make you any less serious of a writer. As long as you do your job and do it well, you should be considered an ethical and reliable journalist – there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to follow both passions.
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