six months at The Munich Times and then The Munich Eye

This week at enemy grounds in Ingolstadt
  • People hear again and again that print journalism is dead, but when it comes right down to it, some people just want to hold the paper in their hands.
  • You’d think that being a journalist opened doors for you, but often the worst thing you can do is say, ‘I write for a newspaper.‘ (I knew this one already, because I’ve been working for my wife’s journalist office for a decade now…however, I’ve seen it repeatedly while researching my own stories in the last six months – no one wants to talk to a journo. Unless they’re in PR and in that case they have nothing I really want to hear.)
  • Being a professional journalist sounds impressive, but it isn’t. Writing for The Guardian means something in my book. Having been published by some two bit publication? Not so much. Over the last half year, I’ve heard repeatedly, ‘He’s a professional journalist.‘ You know what that means? He says he’s a professional journalist. Nothing more. It’s a real profession, but very few people are making a living at it. Very. Very. Few.
  • Some say the future of news journalism is at the hands of bloggers. I certainly hope not. Don’t get me wrong. I love reading blogs and write a few myself, but do I really want Lucy’s Football giving me analysis on the European Debt Crisis? She can’t handle her debt crisis.
  • The Münchner Merkur isn’t a bad paper. I had no idea how well written it was and have used it as a gold mine to find ideas for stories. I’m still a snob about reading the Süddeutsche, but my horizons have expanded to include news source at which I’d previously scoffed.

The last week has been mostly about the Oktoberfest here in Munich on the old Miscellaneous Blog de Lahikmajoe. I’ll be getting back to that soon enough.

Realised this week that I joined my paper (then The Munich Times, whose name I preferred, and later The Munich Eye) exactly six months ago. What a way to celebrate the half anniversary, right? With an assessment of what I’ve learned.

Here’s to another six months of sometimes quality writing and covering the news and events going on in Bavaria’s capital. Hope you’ll be along for the ride.

6 comments

  1. I have my debt crisis in HAND, thank you very much. I made a LIST and I PRIORITIZED and I wrote down HOW MUCH I OWE and THE DATE I OWE IT and honestly, I think I might be doing a little better than Greece is now, right now. I’m not even behind on any of my bills or anything! What, shut up, that’s fascinating, everyone wants to hear about that.

    That comment, however, made me laugh. A lot. Thanks.I always like when I get a tag, I feel all fancified.

    Six months, huh? Already? Proud of you, bon vivant. You’re kicking all kinds of international ass over there, you know. And look how stylish you are! SO stylish.

    And I don’t care if it’s not truly impressive, when I tell people about you, I tell them, “Oh, he’s one of the editors of The Munich Eye” (well, also other things, I don’t say that and walk AWAY, that’d be weird) and they are MUY impressed. So it may not REALLY mean anything, but to people who don’t know better, you’re a total rockstar. With glittery pants and everything. Promise.

    1. I’d be great at that, right? SO great. “So…there’s this money issue going on in Greece…Dad says it’s because of lazy hippies…SIDE NOTE! I like Greece because they have DELICIOUS salad dressing! Wait, what was I saying again?”

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