‘You’re only going to get as far as how hard you work': Cleveland.com’s Laura Johnston describes what it takes to be successful in journalism

CLEVELAND, OH – Starting the month of February on a journalistic beat, students at the Cleveland Media Academy met with cleveland.com Content Director Laura Johnston and learned about her life as a journalist and some useful tips on how to get a good start in the field.

From her start in eighth grade in her elementary school’s newspaper, Johnston said she has always wanted to be a journalist. Throughout her career she’s worked for many newspapers, such as the Associated Press in New York, the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette in Indiana, the New Jersey Star-Ledger, and now as the Content Director for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

Much of what Johnston spoke about revolved around the effort you put into your work and the consequences of such. One thing she said that stuck out was “Whatever you put into it, you’re going to get out of it.”

Johnston emphasized this throughout her talk, describing the importance of thinking creatively when pursuing a story.

She gave an example of a few years ago when she was sent to an airshow, and tasked with going around and finding something to write about on her own. There were no real parameters, and absent a huge interest in airplanes, she said it was a struggle to find something to write about.

Since everything a journalist makes is for the people, it makes complete sense when Johnston went around to the attendees of the airshow and asked them to describe what it sounded like. Had she not gone around to different people, asking them about their experiences here, most likely she would have left with little to nothing to write about.

Along with sharing her own experiences and how they shaped her as a journalist, Johnston used them to teach the students how to improve their own skills.

Johnston emphasized how “You’re only going to get as far as how hard you work.”

Throughout her talk, she focused on what makes a good journalist, highlighting that much of it comes down to a journalist’s mindset and dedication. What you produce is only going to be as good as you want it to be.

Being a journalist has its challenges, with deadlines and chasing leads, but if you do not put in the effort to meet that deadline or chase that lead, your work will show that. Johnston’s advice served as a reminder that success in journalism is not just about whether or not you can write well, rather it’s about the persistence and effort put into creating meaningful stories.

Along with all the advice Johnston gave on how to be an exceptional journalist, she also took the time to tell students what she looks for in a candidate when hiring. One thing she stressed was to have experience. Johnston said that right away she would not choose to hire anyone who had never worked as a journalist before; and that getting experience is one of the key things to do before looking for jobs.

With that experience, she recommended creating a website where everything that we had written or been a part of was easily accessible.

With that, Johnston emphasized another key aspect when preparing for an interview: doing your research: From knowing who is going to be interviewing you to what the company is like overall, the more you know, the better you can gauge what they may be looking for in a candidate and what they are like as a company.

Johnston left many students with valuable information on how to proceed in their journalism careers, equipping students with the knowledge needed to navigate the industry, confidently pursue their professional goals, and eventually, stand out as strong candidates in the industry.

Nora Baker is a high school student and reporter in the Cleveland Media Academy, which is an eight-week high school journalism program sponsored by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer in partnership with News 5, Signal Cleveland, WKYC Studios and the Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists.