News is: It's just work ...

Term 3 of school seems to have been the term for school students wanting to find out more about journalism.

We've enjoyed hosting a student each Thursday afternoon and, recently, a Hadlow School pupil came in to find out what a newsroom is like.

It is interesting that it's usually girls who aspire to journalism; a preference usually backed up by the gender split at journalism schools throughout New Zealand.

I'm not sure why that should be so. It is possible that, at school, girls who struggle at maths and sciences are pointed towards English and writing more than boys are.

It could also be that your average Year 13 girl has a greater social conscience, sense of justice and an inquisitive mind than your average Year 13 boy, who tend to be a bit more self-involved. And there's nothing wrong with that, of course.

The point I often put to students is the question of involvement. I asked a student recently if anyone ever told her she should mind her own business. Oh, yeah, was the emphatic response. It happens a lot.

What I stress to students is that when you're a journalist you don't have to take the word of an adult as gospel. You don't accept it when someone says to you: mind your own business. As a journalist, it is your business to seek an answer on behalf of the public, and ask why something is happening.

It is a real pleasure to see the students light up at the thought of having the prerogative to ask questions, without being slapped down - although I do point out journalists get doors shut in their faces plenty of times as well. But we don't stop asking.

Some students believe the job is glamorous, in that you get to go to lots of parties, you travel a lot, and you meet famous people - and again, their eyes light up when I tell them, sure, that does happen. But you could be in the crowd for the final of the International Sevens at Westpac Stadium, and if it was your job to get interviews, you'd be doing it. In other words, it's work, not play.

Teachers, if you've got students, or a class, who want to know more about journalism, I'm open to talking to them. It's fantastic to meet students who can see journalism as a career. I hope to meet more.