Joshua Rosenblat

On a Sunday evening in early November, my friends and I sat in my family room sprawled on the couch. A largely ignored NFL game lit up the television screen as we joked and laughed. At one point, I opened my mouth to begin to tell a story and one of my friends interrupted me, “Josh, I just have to say, I love when you tell stories. They’re great.” I took the compliment in passing and continued with the mostly inconsequential story. I didn’t realize the significance behind my friend’s remark until the following day.

Throughout time, storytelling has been the core of communication. Humans learn through tales passed from generation to generation until bonds between people and their stories are forged so strong they become a part of us. Some are content to listen to or read these stories, but I have always wanted to write them. Journalists are in the business of storytelling, sharing their own or another person’s narrative.

One of my favorite writers, ESPN’s Wright Thompson, mentions in an interview why he became so taken with journalism. “I want a life that takes me out into the world and allows me to come back with stories that matter to people. I want to do each of those stories as best as I can. I don’t want to ever regret a single one,” he said. Thomson’s idea that means the most to me is the perpetual search for a story, for something worth telling.

I start every story the same way. Each begins with a question. Curiosity drives me to learn more about the world and its people, to search for those stories and showcase them to the best of my ability. This hunger to give a voice to many who may not have one or to shed light on a given topic defines journalism.

While many people love to share stories, some tell them for their own entertainment and attention. Journalists, such as Thompson and myself, differ. We do not tell stories for heightened social status; instead, we write to learn about the world and to teach others about people we do not know. Our words can make a person on one side of the world connect to someone on the other. Stories of humanity resonate with all of us and journalists help create this connection.

In regard to journalism, most of my skills are self-taught. At 12 years old, I realized that I wanted to become a writer. I started to examine Thompson’s writing style, which I admire for its colorful narrative that does not distract from the subject of his pieces and Gary Smith’s in-depth reporting which give readers unique insights into the stories he tells. Self-education is essential for a journalist. Through my own writing, I have learned how to handle certain types of subjects, what questions to ask in interviews and how to find the best story.

Whenever I tell people I want to be a journalist, most look at me with puzzled expressions on their faces. They think journalism is an industry facing its death. The struggles of publications across the country cannot be ignored, but the doubters leave out a key piece of information. Journalism is less about the name printed on a masthead of a newspaper or on the covers of magazines and more about the stories on their pages.

With each story I discover and subsequently write, I feel more connected with the world. But as soon as I finish, the cycle begins again. I am always looking for the next one. It may be anywhere. It may be in the cracked feet of a poverty-stricken mother in sub-Saharan Africa or on the celebratory face of a basketball player who just won his first championship. Regardless of the stories’ origins, I yearn to tell each and every one to the best of my ability.