Shannon Philpott-Sanders

Journalists Serve Up Passion

Passion: It sounds like a dirty word or something straight out of a Harlequin novel, but for journalists, passion has nothing to do with romantic embraces or terms of endearment. Passion is a clean and clear sign that a journalist will succeed.

There’s no doubt that good journalists are passionate about what they do and that passion is contagious. It’s our secret, dirty little word that gets us through the day.

We’re passionate about digging for the truth. We’re passionate about pushing ourselves. And, we’re passionate about serving our community.

Yes, journalists have a passion for service. Maybe we don’t protect and serve in a uniform or even with a weapon, but we do serve.

• We serve those misrepresented by uncovering facts that give them representation.
• We serve those going without much-needed resources and opportunities by providing information about alternatives.
• We serve the citizens who pay tax dollars to a government who may not be running it well by exposing the truth about how our money is spent.
• We serve the little league players, elementary music classes and aging veterans by sharing their triumphs and tribulations.
• We serve the volunteers, the sick, and the single parents by sharing their stories of success and failure.
• We serve by passing on the passion we have for our jobs and hopefully, in the end, pass on that passion to our readers.

Journalists may not wear badges or earn medals, but when we get it right, we earn respect – the fuel for even more passion.

– Shannon Philpott
Blog Entry: Nov. 5, 2010

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November 5, 2010 - Posted by sphilpott | Blog, Journalism | citizen journalism, college journalists, journalism, journalism resources, journalists, love for the job, passion for journalism, protect and serve