Why Does Journalism Attract The Worst People?

I’m sure I’m going to offend a lot of people with this as there are a lot of journalists on Medium as well as aspiring journalists (yikes). I’ve worked in journalism myself and I’ve worked alongside a lot of them in different capacities, and they seem to be consistently assholes.

Not all of them, but the vast majority. It’s rare to find a humble journalist, even if they operate in the right way. It’s similar to actors, except journalists don’t molest kids.

Does it benefit to be a narcissist?

Looking at what it takes to be a good journalist, it suits being a narcissist. The constant search for attention, lying, the lack of empathy for the people in the situations you’re reporting on, the feeling of self-importance. All of this helps get you to the top.

A person who thinks about others, one who isn’t fond of being in the limelight, and who has empathy would be held back by these things. You can’t publish a story ruining someone’s life if you’re concerned about them.

The lack of self-awareness

If you had self-awareness you wouldn’t make a good journalist. Think about it. Imagine sneaking around and writing sleazy stories about celebrities. People want to read them, but not many of these same people…