Video for the Day: Hard Truths About Journalism

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Last Monday, as a favor for a friend, I woke up super early and went down to Bound Brook, N.J., to speak to a bunch of high-school children about my job at The Wall Street Journal. Basically, I told them about how I got to where I'm at now, what exactly I do now and what they would probably have to study in order to be prepared to go into the journalism field.

One thing I didn't really delve all that deeply into, though, was the troubles of the journalism industry, especially print journalism. The closest I came to being at all negative about the journalism industry was when I said, partly in response to a question about how much I made as a News Assistant at the Journal: "I wouldn't discourage any of you from going into journalism, but you just need to be prepared to make some sacrifices."

If I had been more brutally honest with those kids, though...this might be what I would have said to them:




Maybe this means I myself am negative and bitter, but I really do hope that no one going into college to study journalism is as cluelessly idealistic as that light-skinned bear.

And of course, the deadpan computerized voices make this bitter pill even funnier to watch. Killer punchline, too.

Whoever you are, BrooklynLee: Hats off to you!