Jim Trotter

The opportunity came for many aspiring journalist to come and meet a well accomplished sports writer at Southwestern College Wednesday September 16. Jim Trotter a Sports Illustrated write came on campus to give an interview about his career and his life. Giving plenty of advice for students looking to became a reporter in the news industry.

With a casual outfit in a Wednesday morning, Jim talked about some of the major components that lead to having a successful career in the news business. One of the most concerning questions that students had was how to be known in the field, in which Jim's response was, "It’s all about credibility, the more you write stories the more recognize you become". Jim also advised students on how to give interviews, one important point he made about interviews was "Always record by saying let me turn this on, and it’s ok. I have had the tape recorder break down and miss the entire conversation a couple of times. So always take notes". The advice was very helpful and Jim made every piece of information clear so the student could have a better understanding.

Many questions students had were about his job. What exactly are his responsibilities and what does he do to get them done? Jim stated that "When I cover a team (Football) I stay at that city to write a story about the team". He often travels a lot going wherever his job takes him usually staying many nights at a hotel to get the story done. He mentioned that his favorite part of his job was finding a good story; he commented that "It’s just finding a good story. You can get bored after 30 years but its reinvigorating when you find a good story". Also when it comes to his schedule Jim shared that "We talk every Monday and decide on a story and then do it. The schedule is from 7am to 9am, but I mostly have my own time". Jim did stress the amount of work that is required; he repeated plenty of times that "It requires a lot of commitment. You need to be versatile, consistent, and have the will for it". In the business there are many obstacles he said, there are people who either help you or just cause problems, Jim mentioned that "The first editor I worked with told me that I was going to be a journey man (a reporter that goes from one newspaper to another). People are sometimes mentors and supportive, or they can try and tear you down". In all its important not to give up and do what you have to do. It’s an industry based on the commitment of the individual that in the end makes them successful.

Based on the line of duty Jim depends on all sorts of resources, especially now that the internet has become a major community of interaction. One of his tools he said was twitter in which he uses to build a relationship with the reader. "The way I use twitter, still evolving, is to engage with the readers. Online chat, readers like to have relationships with the writers". Jim was also asked his opinion on the path the business is going, unfortunately he disagrees. He stated that "It’s more like TMZ because of the proliferation (to grow rapidly) of shot junk due to iPhones and smartphones". Jim explained that the media coverage now focuses more on scandals rather than the sport itself. He commented that "I’ll retire if i don’t agree to the movement of the business". Although things are changing rapidly in the industry it is still an amazing career path to follow, especially for those aspired students who want to become reporters.