The primary goal of every writer who proclaims him or herself a journalist is to be read. In considering myself one, although very amateurish and informal, the worst feeling is for your article to not be read by anyone's eyes except your own and the editor. You work hours incessantly on an article, give your best effort to spread the word about an incredibly interesting accomplishment, failure or controversy, or write a persuasive argument from your own perspective, and then no one may read it. The whole point of journalism is to be read, and if no one reads an article, then what was the point of it?
In my work in the Odyssey Online, I've been blessed to have largely been sheltered from this problem. Even if I write about something that frankly isn't that interesting, my large network of some of my incredibly supportive friends will take a few minutes of their time to read my articles because they're aware of how hard I work on them. But unfortunately, not everyone has that privilege.
This is not to say that this is not the fault of the journalist or the editors or the publication as a whole. The point of an article or publication is to attract. If a headline isn't appealing, many people won't read the article at all, or if the article is poorly written or just not interesting, they won't read the next one.
Unfortunately, I hate to say that my high school newspaper was like this: barely read and barely known. Since we had a mainly online publication, I had many friends who when questioned why they didn't read the paper, they replied, "we have a newspaper?" I had the most supportive staff and advisors who devoted the utmost time and effort into our paper. We were told to go "outside our comfort zones", but since I went to a large public high school, it was inevitable that people had their own distinct interests. Cliques formed and were rigid. Sports and music performances weren't too popular. I graduated not knowing the names of half my class. There was only so much we could have done with a task that insurmountable.
But due to its lack of popularity and recognition, many articles I wrote for it became a chore. I felt like a drone, monotonously following a bland template for an article assignment rather than putting my best effort into it, because at the end of the day, there would be no purpose; no one would read it. And being recognized is important to a journalist, as materialistic as it is, because it's the fuel to feed the passion, it's the motivation to write again the next week.
So if you're not busy, the next time you come across an article from a peer that's aspiring to be a journalist, try to take the time to read it. Binge watching Netflix isn't so important that you can't wait 5-10 minutes. If you thought the article was poorly written or could have been improved, tell them why, so they know what to work on for next time. A writer would rather receive harsh criticism in most cases than no feedback at all. Like it (if you did). Comment (if you care). Share it (if you agree). Refute (if you disagree). Do anything, because that's what brings us back and keeps us writing.
