Why I Quit News Reporting

It seemed the perfect job. I would be getting paid to write. It was exactly what I wanted to do with my life...until it wasn't. Often I'll blame mental illness for it but I have to wonder exactly why I left. I do miss being the person who knew what was going on in my town. I knew that many writers started out reporting, so I figured I was "on my way" to greatness.

Getting the Reporting Job

I had been working with a moving company after a previous job fired from another job because "I wasn't the right fit." There was no other explanation given. I wanted out of the moving job even though I was getting decent pay and good tips from time to time. There were other opportunities out there and I wanted to get at it.

Through a job search, I found a news reporter for NBC Montana. I applied and I received a call from the News Director in Missoula. We had a good talk and before I knew it, I met them in Polson for a lunch meeting. At a later time, they offered the job and I took it, thinking I had accomplished my dream. Two weeks later, I had driven to Missoula for a week of training.

Reporting On the Job

For the first week actually on the job, the news director came up with one of the newscasters that had a home in the area. I got to meet the key people I would be working with. My job was to shoot footage and interviews, edit the video for the five o'clock news and write the news story online. As well as the teleprompter back at the studio.

It was a lot. The beginning pay for a news reporter didn't help, either. Starting out, a news reporter received $10.10 an hour (back in 2016). Now, my wife and I had two kids, a doctor diagnosed me with anxiety and depression, and change had been constant. My medications were changing to fit me, and I had no idea how to deal with it all.

While I loved being a news reporter and getting the news down right, there was a lot that I didn't enjoy. I felt like I had a ton of pressure on me. I was the only reporter in the station at the time, and I had a constant fear for my bank account. My wife thought we could do it, and looking back I should have trusted her. I was looking for an escape. According to those over me, I was doing a good job and they had faith that I would be a successful asset here. I didn't believe it.

Why I Left Reporting

I felt that I had to leave. Not that I wanted to, but I had to. When NBC aired Trump's speech at the time, I got a ton of calls about why we were doing this. I wanted to tell them choice phrases but I knew I couldn't.

There were no political leanings in the newsroom in Missoula that I could tell. The news director was more interested in how much something affected the taxpayers. How much would it cost or how would it affect them? But, what I discovered as the most irritating aspect was the redundancy of some of the news. I had to report on some flooding in the valley one day, and the next day I had an idea for a story. They wanted me back to the flooding.

Flooding in the Flathead Valley is not a new thing. It happens every year. Another reporter came up and we did it another day. I drove into the areas affected and he interviewed some residents. He would come back to tell me they weren't worried about the flooding because it was an annual occurrence. Due to stress, some frustration, and mental illness, I decided to submit my resignation. This was June of 2016, after three months on the job.

The Here and Now

I am by no means healed of mental illness. It became easier to manage with medication and therapy. that now I could do the job with greater confidence, but I now have another child. Not to mention added living expenses. I discovered that I love telling stories. I found a passion for my town and its history and had always respected the first responders and military. That's where I discovered my heart was and that's what I decided to do with my life.

Do I regret leaving my position as a news reporter? Yes. Do I regret being where I am now? No. Now I have clarity on my purpose. I hold no grudges against the station and I respect everyone there.

Originally published on www.lastbestpress.com.