Q & A With Me
I was just interviewed by a college student. It was fun writing out the responses, so I thought I'd share them here.
1) Please spell out your name.
JASON MOLINET
2) What was your job at Newsday?
Sports Reporter
3) When did you work there?
1996-2007
4) What degree do you have and from where?
University of Miami (Fla.), BA history with minor in news editorial journalism
5) How does the process of becoming a professional sports writer work?
There are many routes, but the one I advocate starts with getting practical experience any chance you get. For example, I started with my high school paper my junior year. My senior year I landed a part-time job at The St. Petersburg Times. And I just kept building on those experiences.
6) Tell me about your first day at Newsday.
I interned at Newsday between my junior and senior year. June 1995 I started a 12-week internship. It began with publisher Howie Schneider giving the interns a welcome speech in our auditorium. He said: "You are about to take part in the last great newspaper war of the 20th century.'' Powerful words. One week later Newsday abuptly pulled the plug on its New York City edition. We surrendered.
7) What was your best day on the job?
Any day my name appeared in print. I've had over 3,000 bylines.
8) Tell me about your worst day on the job.
You make mistakes. It happens. I made plenty. But my worst day on the job was Sept. 11, 2001. It was just such an emotional day. Didn't do much in reality. But over the long haul, I wrote plenty about the impact that day had on lives. It's a heavy thing to do, asking families to open up about a tragedy.
9) What was the approximate income for a Sportswiter at Newsday when you worked there?
Reporters salaries in the U.S. vary according to region and experience. If you work at a New York metro paper, you do well. Newsday is unionized. Which means a set pay scale, the second-best in the business I've been told. Starting $50's up to high $70's. But you add in the extas, such as OT and I was making $100K a year.
10) what do you think the future holds in the sportswriting business?
So long as there are sports, there will be sports reporters. But like any journalist, you will need to master more skills than ever. It's no longer about just writing what you see. Knowledge of photography, video, HTML, graphic design, an assortment of other programs and computing skills are the tip of the iceberg.
1) Please spell out your name.
JASON MOLINET
2) What was your job at Newsday?
Sports Reporter
3) When did you work there?
1996-2007
4) What degree do you have and from where?
University of Miami (Fla.), BA history with minor in news editorial journalism
5) How does the process of becoming a professional sports writer work?
There are many routes, but the one I advocate starts with getting practical experience any chance you get. For example, I started with my high school paper my junior year. My senior year I landed a part-time job at The St. Petersburg Times. And I just kept building on those experiences.
6) Tell me about your first day at Newsday.
I interned at Newsday between my junior and senior year. June 1995 I started a 12-week internship. It began with publisher Howie Schneider giving the interns a welcome speech in our auditorium. He said: "You are about to take part in the last great newspaper war of the 20th century.'' Powerful words. One week later Newsday abuptly pulled the plug on its New York City edition. We surrendered.
7) What was your best day on the job?
Any day my name appeared in print. I've had over 3,000 bylines.
8) Tell me about your worst day on the job.
You make mistakes. It happens. I made plenty. But my worst day on the job was Sept. 11, 2001. It was just such an emotional day. Didn't do much in reality. But over the long haul, I wrote plenty about the impact that day had on lives. It's a heavy thing to do, asking families to open up about a tragedy.
9) What was the approximate income for a Sportswiter at Newsday when you worked there?
Reporters salaries in the U.S. vary according to region and experience. If you work at a New York metro paper, you do well. Newsday is unionized. Which means a set pay scale, the second-best in the business I've been told. Starting $50's up to high $70's. But you add in the extas, such as OT and I was making $100K a year.
10) what do you think the future holds in the sportswriting business?
So long as there are sports, there will be sports reporters. But like any journalist, you will need to master more skills than ever. It's no longer about just writing what you see. Knowledge of photography, video, HTML, graphic design, an assortment of other programs and computing skills are the tip of the iceberg.
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