The thrill of the job is what motivates me to continue in this line of work.
I thrive off of the competition to be better.
My energy is derived from "cracking" breaking news.
The high-stress situations push me to an adrenaline rush with wanting to get the news out there.
Unfortunately, in the journalism world those thrills come from other's misfortunes. The disaster of another is a story for a reporter.
On The Late Late Show, Ferguson asked Rick Tetzeli, editor of Entertainment Weekly, if he liked The Emmys.
He responded with, "It must have been good because nothing bad happened. But now I have nothing to cover."
That is the outlook of a reporter. If everything goes well, there isn't an exciting story to publish.
If Kanye had come out on stage, then the answer would have been different.
His publicity stunt was a dream for entertainment writers.
But what about the "boring" news? Can the same rush be derived from the annual hum drum coverage?
To seek truth and report it.
This should be the goal of every journalist. I think the thrill hazes this model in the rush of internal and external competition.
I try to keep a separation of emotions and the job. But where does personal humanity fall in the equation?
Getting caught up in the act will slowly strip away that touch of emotion we as humans share.
CNN's David Mattingly, who covered the Hurricane Katrina disaster, said he, as a person and a reporter, was changed after those weeks in New Orleans.
He shared personally how troubling the sites were and how he was humanized after his experience.
It wasn't the article for the thrill; it was the story for others.
He said he couldn't hide his emotions or need to help.
Reporters, no matter the media they serve, need to inform others, not for personal gratification.
The adrenaline shouldn't be the motivating factor to be a good journalist. The want to tell the story should drive reporters to be better.
There are times when I have put the competitor in me first, and I apologize to the individuals that I didn't write with the right intentions.
Maybe it is the increasing need for speed and information with media now.
As young journalists, we have to be better and faster than the rest.
But I think there is a point where a halt is needed and the mission needs to be remembered.
Journalists are the liaison between news and the people.
I serve the people as well as I am a part of the whole.
One's disaster is not my story. It is an opportunity for me to share someone else's experience with the whole.
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