The MJ Bear Fellows discussed their experiences and advice for other early career journalists during a panel on Wednesday afternoon. This year’s fellows, Bertin Huynh, Laura Anaya-Morga, Blake Stoner, Alice Wilder, Ugur Dursun and Maria Mendez, come from a variety of backgrounds and each brought a unique perspective to the panel.
The year-long fellowship hosted by the Online News Association provides support to early career journalists ages 23-30 as they work on an innovative digital project. The fellowship was founded in 2011 in honor of ONA founding member and digital journalism pioneer MJ Bear, who died in December 2010.
Here’s a recap of what was shared:
Take risks, no matter the outcome
Each of the fellows emphasized the importance of stepping beyond your comfort zone and taking some career risks. Several mentioned feeling unsure about applying for the fellowship — but all are glad they did.
“Just apply even if you don’t think you have a chance,” Mendez said.
Multiple fellows also discussed how important it is to try for things, even if you get rejected or things don’t pan out how you expected.
“You’re better off applying and not getting it than not applying at all,” Huynh said.
Serving underrepresented communities
A common theme among all the fellows’ projects this year is serving communities that have received inadequate news coverage. Through their projects, the fellows are combating news deserts, lack of cultural and language diversity, connectivity issues, media distrust and more.
Laura Anaya-Morga relaunched the Spanish section of the Long Beach Post, giving more attention to the large Spanish-speaking community in the area.
Maria Mendez runs the text line to connect with the Texas Tribune’s audience. Blake Stoner founded Vngle, which serves communities in Georgia.
This work — and more — is expanding service journalism and paving the way for more inclusivity.
Advice for up-and-coming journalists
Toward the end of the session, the fellows shared some of the most valuable lessons they’ve learned and advice they would share from their careers thus far.
Some of the lessons included establishing boundaries between work and personal life, advocating for yourself, challenging yourself and finding a niche that needs filling.
In the end, the most important advice the fellows agreed on centered on actively taking steps to advance an early journalist’s career.
”These things take courage,” Anaya-Morga said. “You need to believe in yourself.”
