I write this post from my soon-to-be new home in Doha, Qatar. I recently left my job with the Chicago Tribune to join Northwestern University’s Doha campus. I will be teaching the inaugural class of the Medill School of Journalism in Doha multimedia and backpack journalism.
I am telling the world this because I am struck by how reinvigorated I feel about journalism. As many of you know, the newspaper industry in the United States is in serious trouble. I joined the Tribune in the spring of 2004 and while the industry was already in decline, this past year was by far the worst. Many people in as many different industries are experiencing similar problems. But journalism isn’t like other professions. This is a profession that most pursue for reasons other than money. I am no different.
In the last year I thought seriously about packing it in and looking elsewhere as I saw hordes of reporters and editors shown the door. More importantly, as the media barons continually devalued my work and that of my colleagues I lost much of my motivation.
If the ship was going down, why bother?
Then I found myself in the Middle East. A place I had never been and more importantly, a place I don’t understand. And with considerable confidence I can tell you the journalism bug is back. It seems strange that all it took was a change of scenery, but being challenged by this new space has reignited the creative and editorial sensibilities I thought I had lost.
Professional video journalist Christopher Booker teaches the 4-week course “The Way to Backpack Journalism” at The Compelling Image.
