The interview was conducted with 44-year-old Carol, who has been working in mass media for the past fifteen years. After finishing college, she started in the field and began working as a secretary for a company with multiple distribution channels. The company hired her as an assistant to help organize information and articles for their reporters and editors. After four years of working there, she was promoted to her current position. She organizes paper works, print materials, interviews, and field trips and oversees all logistics for their public relations department.
Carol has over 15 years of experience in the mass media field. She has educated me on what it takes to be an expert in this business. During the interview, she explained how she got started in this field without any experience or training. After obtaining her degree, she entered the job market looking for an opportunity to align with her strengths and interests. Carol worked for many companies before finally finding her dream job as a head social media manager. During an interview, I focused on what she learned from her experience and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.
First, I asked her to reflect on how she was able to use new technologies to develop a more effective news team (Johnson, Turnbull, & Reisslein, 2022). She said that it is important not to rely too heavily on technology because it can sometimes be unreliable. That led me to ask about her experience building trust with the audience despite having limited access to them in person. She shared that finding an authentic way of engaging people through digital content is vital; otherwise, they will tune out of the conversation entirely. We also talked about how journalists must think differently when collaborating with other media organizations or start-ups because there is no longer an absolute authority or leader in this industry due to decentralization and competition among organizations.
I asked her to talk about personal and professional challenges and interesting moments. She pointed out some common problems she faced and expressed her opinions about various aspects of mass media: editors, publishing houses, and audience reactions. Many of the questions were geared towards her experiences being an employee, but she was also asked what she thought about the lifestyle of young adults and how they deal with stress. The woman’s response to these questions was emotional, but she did have some good tips on how people should work towards their goals every day and see them through to the end.
During the interview, Carol was very open about everything and was excited that I wanted to talk to her about her experience and expertise in the field of mass media. She is now very content with what she does and thinks her job is enjoyable and helps her to develop personally and professionally. She had to learn Russian and Armenian languages before being hired, so even after she graduated from college, she still had to study for two years to become a journalist finally.
Reference
Johnson, N., Turnbull, B., & Reisslein, M. (2022). Social media influence, trust, and conflict: An interview-based study of leadership perceptions. Technology in Society, 68