4/22 - Matt Monks Summary, Eli Pearlstein (Kimberly Romanello)

Speaker: Matt Monks
Notes by Eli Pearlstein
Discussion Leader: Kim Romanello

Matt Monks, a former University of Connecticut journalism student, focused his discussion on providing advice to the class about how to survive and thrive in the world of journalism.

Monks, who is currently employed as a writer for the trade newspaper ‘American Banker,’ presented tips and advice to the class by offering anecdotes about his own successes and follies in order to paint a realistic picture about the life of a journalist.

Monks made a point to emphasize the importance of acquiring as many skills as possible in order to make oneself a versatile candidate for a job. Monks himself became a business writer despite his lack of general business knowledge and this specific field has now become his passion.

Kim began her portion of the discussion by asking the class if they believed that journalism was, as Monks had asserted, a “privileged” profession and if additional financial backers (like a parent or significant other) are necessary when an aspiring journalist is first starting out.

One student strongly disagreed, as he believed that young journalists could pick up side jobs and still make ends meet. Professor Dufresne took the opportunity to inform the class about Monks’ own modest upbringing (coming from a single-parent household with multiple siblings). Dufresne added that “privilege” was essentially relative and if you come from a modest suburban home, that can seem privileged to someone coming from poverty.

Aaron agreed with Monks’ initial declaration, adding that he’d be far more inclined to pursue a job in journalism if it was more financially feasible. Aaron further believed that journalism might not be a viable option at this time because of a lack of financial support.

Erin discussed how one of her roommates is interested in going into journalism, but simply doesn’t have the finances to live off a measly paycheck. She further added that an aspiring journalist needs financial backing in case they “get stuck in a rut.”

Kim moved on to gauge the class’ opinion about how Monks’ self-proclaimed “harassment” tactics would work with the current state of journalism and the uncertainty in the economy.
Emily asserted that she didn’t believe it was realistic or likely that her or her peers would be knocking on the New York Times’ door. However, she did believe that consistently calling a prospective employer, as Monks had done with the New York Post, could be acceptable.

Shane added that anything a job seeker can do to make his/herself stick out in their chosen profession is good. He further identified this method as valuable because even if you didn’t get the job you were pining for, the prospective employer would be much more likely to remember you over other less “engaged” candidates in the future.

Another student concurred with Emily and Shane, adding that “persistence is key” and that to follow-up on jobs and to nag can be effective ways to make headway in a job search. He cited the fact that Monks’ concerted effort to land work with the New York Post eventually paid off as Monks was finally given freelance work.

Kim then probed the class about their opinions about whether they would go into a field of journalism that they weren’t previously familiar with, as Monks had done with business journalism.

Daniella, who prefaced her comment by claiming that she “wasn’t really a business person,” believed that it would be difficult without a previous understanding of the field.

Prof. Dufresne then interjected and talked about how one of the hardest things for reporters and young journalists to do is to admit that they don’t know something during an interview. Dufresne lamented the high volume of people who don’t subscribe to the philosophy that “it’s easier to ask a dumb question than to look like a fool in print.” He also cited comments made by a previous speaker, Eric Danton, that suggested that Monks, because of his lack of knowledge about business, was like a foreign correspondent.

Kim proceeded to shift her focus to the future of journalism. She asked the class if they believed that trade publications and niche journalism are the future of print journalism.

Erin theorized that the future of print is too uncertain to assume that it has a concrete future as of now. She relayed to the class that she believes it does have a future, but perhaps in a different form (like online).

Beren added that he believes demand will always exist for print journalism. He stated that trade publications were likely to stay how they wanted to stay, but newspapers are in the midst of a much more significant period of change.


Kim then shifted topics, asking the class if they would make as many sacrifices as Matt made in order to stay in a certain field (Monks had moved away from his girlfriend and family to take a low-paying job in a remote town in Virginia).

Emily asserted that if you’re doing what you love, the sacrifices don’t seem as great as they actually are. She stated that Monks was seeing the bigger picture of a better job in a better location in the future when he took the job in Martinsville.

Kim concluded her portion of the discussion by asking the class if Monks’ perceived lack of ethical concern worried anyone.
Jesse believes that the way in which Monks spoke of ethics made his practices seem worse than they were. He added that he thinks Monks really does concentrate on being an accurate reporter.
Scott pointed out the fact that Monks didn’t really mention many ethical decisions that he does actually run into. However, he added that Monks’ sometimes-used practice of ‘bluffing,’ or ‘ratcheting,’ as Prof. Dufresne referred to it, could be an ethical decision of some substance.

Prof. Dufresne then asked the class about their opinions about ratcheting (the practice of acting like you know something in order to gain additional info) and if they were troubled by it.

Aaron responded that he was in favor of ratcheting if it’s needed to gain more knowledge and break potentially important stories.

Another student added that in dealing with “tight lipped” people, Monks is simply playing a game in order to get the info he needs (the student had no problem with the practice).Another student asserted that you couldn’t use this practice all the time, but that if you use it for the right reasons, he would see no ethical dilemma in the matter.

The take-away cards were overwhelmingly complimentary of Monks’ advice for securing a job. They focused on Monks’ valuable advice about the need to be flexible when attempting to get a job in the world of journalism.
Many of the cards also voiced appreciation for Monks’ realistic and optimism-laden information about the likelihood of being able to secure a job in journalism despite the instability of both the economy and the field of journalism.


Take Away Cards
Chase Carnot: There’s an inherent contradiction in business reporting. Outlets like CNBC “report” news that invariably affects the market. Even the most objective stories can have an undue influence on markets. At CNBC, they cheerlead the bubble and the sell off.

Mike Northup: When going into an interview, anticipate questions and bring in extra resumes. Send a thank you note after each one.

Stephen Ortiz: His take on networking was eye opening.

Daniella Henry: I enjoyed his realistic advice on the mechanics of getting a job.

Kim Romanello: Matt had some great advice, but his lack of ethics bothered me.

Alex Sanders: The best advice he gave is to be flexible while you’re young and take what you can get.

Rowan McInnes: Matt Monks had a lot of good pointers and advice for us in terms of what to do after college. Even though a lot of it we had heard before, it was good reinforcement.

Beren Jones: There are still many opportunities for anyone who is willing to move and work in areas you weren’t expecting to.

Shane Goodrich: You can get a journalism job if you remain flexible and are okay with moving and have some sort of support system early on.

Alyssa Carroll: He was really helpful and insightful about the realities of job searching and starting a career.

(Card just says Matt Monk): I like how Matt treats the journalism industry like a business and art form. He’s competitive and knows how to adapt within his environment and adjust to stay afloat as a writer.

(No name): I thought that his advice on finding a job was very valuable.