Many thanks to long-time member Stephen H Goldstein
Some cheer, I hope, for these times, from the Society of Professional Journalists, on T-shirts and coffee mugs years ago:
You know you’re a journalist when …
- at weddings [and at church], you take notes on the sermon.
- you count heds, not sheep. [remember counting headlines, manually?]
- you shoot B-roll for your vacation video.
- your pets are named "Em," "Bodoni," "Pica" and "Spike." [If you don’t know these terms, you’re too young.]
- you use a car wreck as a photo opportunity.
- you’re not a social drinker. All drinking is work-related. [If you remember these days in the newsroom, you’re OLD.]
- LensCrafters needs more than an hour for your glasses.
- you grab the AP Stylebook on your way to church because you believe it’s more accurate than the Bible.
- you can tell every time someone else makes a mistake.
- you get nothing done unless you’re on deadline.
- your favorite show is anything on C-SPAN.
______________
Top 10 reasons for being a journalist:
- The job security [the joke wasn’t funny then, either]
- Most employers supply pens and paper.
- Respected as much as lawyers and politicians.
- Regular 9-5, Monday-Friday schedule [yeah, right]
- Copy editors get to read the paper all day.
- Save money on wardrobe and toiletries.
- You get to put a Sigma Delta Chi sticker on your car’s rear window. [When I joined, it was still SDX, the original name of the fraternity, started in 1909.]
- Spelling is not required for broadcast jobs.
- Provides insanity defense if you’re a defendant in a criminal trial.
- Police chief will tell you about good items at the stolen-property auction.
NOTE FROM POSTER:
The other Top 10 Reasons…
- You get to meet different interesting people each day
- No heavy lifting
- No math