As the job market has continued to stall in recent years and the journalism industry undergoes increased instability, hopeful young journalists are looking to experienced professionals to steer them on the right path.
A. Sherrod Blakely, the internship coordinator and associate professor of practice in journalism at Boston University (BU), is well-versed in mentorship to aspiring journalists far and wide. In past roles, he’s served as the Sports Task Force chair for the National Association of Black Journalists and has appeared at numerous college fairs across the country promoting BU programs. (Blakely is a personal mentor and former instructor of the author’s.)
Blakely has built a 30-plus-year career in journalism across multiple domains, including as a Boston Celtics reporter for NBC Sports Boston, where he bore witness to — and covered — some of the biggest trades and player signings in sports history.
The Institute reached out to Blakely to discuss the importance of mentorship in guiding young journalists through their career journeys.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Imagine you are a recent graduate looking to map out your next steps. Who would you look to for support, and what are the questions you’d ask them?
Blakely: I would be looking for someone who has a sincere desire to support me and [who’s] really going to be a sounding board for my thoughts — and someone who’s willing to, frankly, answer my many questions. I think the big thing that I’d say to them would be to be present and make themselves available to impart information and wisdom. One of the issues that often comes from mentorship is just simply being present, being available for students; usually, it’s just kind of lost in the process.
When it comes to those who are looking to pass the torch on to the next generation, would you say that availability is the best thing they can provide early-career journalists?
Blakely: Yeah, absolutely. When you’re young and you want this to be your profession, there’s a certain amount of darkness that you’re going to be walking into … you have no idea what’s around the corner.
That’s where mentorship comes in. Mentors have typically been there before you, and when you’re faced with these different scenarios, they help you make the most informed decision. That’s going to lead to the results that you’re hoping for. So, yeah, it’s important that mentors understand that particular aspect of their role.
Given the context of the job market and information environment that young journalists are walking into today, how can students and early-career professionals best position themselves for success, and how does a good mentor enhance their ability to achieve those goals?
Blakely: I think the first thing is to embrace the reality that there are some things that they just aren’t equipped to handle under a single mentorship. It works best when it functions as a realistic partnership based on discernment. Don’t just simply take whatever the mentor gives you; take what all your mentors give you and use it to aid in your journey ahead.
Could you talk a little bit more about this role of discernment in getting additional feedback from your mentors and deciding the best path to go down?
Blakely: The beauty of mentorship is that when it’s done well, you have people who help you out on various layers from which you exist. You need someone, for example, to help you decide which internships you should take during undergrad that bring something different to the table than a person who helps you decide between final job offers. It’s all about understanding that there’s a certain diversity that your community of mentors needs to bring to the table.
What’s one skill that young people should be looking to develop to distinguish themselves from the pack?
Blakely: I think skills that have stood the test of time in how society has evolved are the ability to communicate, the ability to write, and the ability to speak clearly and concisely. No matter how different things may be, we find that, at the end of the day, the ability to communicate is going to stay the main thing.
Continuing to enhance those things will help you show off what makes you unique. It all comes down to figuring out a way to amplify that. Maybe you’re someone who’s great at uniting people, for example; it’s about finding ways to use that skill to help you branch out into other areas of professional life.
This is the first installment in a series about mentorship in journalism from Institute intern Jaise King. If you’d like to reach out to him about this series, email him here.
Tags: Career, Leadership, Mentorship