So I have a new assignment for Journalism class which is to interview a professional journalist.

I spent a night scouring online newspapers and plucking out names. I was wondering whether what I was doing would be fruitful at all. Suddenly I had a brilliant idea to look for an LJ community for Journalism. Was thinking that maybe professional people lurk around such communities to have an idea of what people are talking about. It would certainly be easier to post my question there and have people respond, rather than emailing people I don’t know and having my email not being answere.

I found one and posted my request, crossed my fingers that either someone who worked for the newspapers/tv/radio or someone who knew someone else who worked in that line and could sort of introduce that person to respond.

Well, a few people responded. Of which, one was working for a newspaper. She PMed me. The first reply on my post was by someone who sort of chided me for not doing my own research. Ok, I did. It’s not like I didn’t do my research and then just came round for easy answers. And I thought what I did was perfectly fine. I did that for my first story. I wanted to interview a certain group of people, I emailed them and they didn’t respond. However, I knew someone who might know them. So I asked my friend for help. She became sort of like the middle-man.

Just today, I checked back on the community and saw an angry post by someone who said that he was tired of high-school kids/young adults posting their request and then not bothering to thank everyone that replies. He said that some people had to spend time looking up the answers.

The point is I get rather annoyed when people act like they are elitists. You help because you want to, not because you want something in return. What makes you think that just because the kid didn’t say thank you means he is ungrateful? Yes, even if the kid is ungrateful, that is his loss. With that kind of attitude, he may not get too far in life.

I can’t stand it when people who have been in something for so long, think they are elite and go around jumping on newbies. I’ve seen that in other communities too. If you think a newbie is on the wrong track, point it out nicely. Don’t be so mean about it. You were once a newbie too right?

By the way, a word for elitists. If you want people’s respect, you have to be humble yourself.