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What a Journalist Learned by Interning for the “Dark Side”

What a Journalist Learned by Interning for the “Dark Side”

This summer I made the move from the newsroom to the conference room.

My entire career (because I am recent college graduate/child) revolved around finding stories then fighting tooth-and-nail with more experienced people over a punctuation mark I demanded. Individualism is valued in the industry and instilled at my journalism school—as well as pity for writers “forced” into the “Dark Side,” trapped in the Public Relations and Marketing sphere.

As it turns out, Nowsourcing is the polar opposite.

Journalist Myth #1: The Dark Side doesn’t value individuals

The infographics we develop here are rooted in collaboration from idea to implementation. My colleagues are talented in different areas, but a successful product is judged on the whole. Even as an intern, I’m free to argue my opinion or change an concept because of that environment. I feared before starting here that working a corporate job meant toiling in a drab office wearing a sad tie.

As it turns out, Nowsourcing is the polar opposite.

Journalist Myth #2: The Dark Side looks like Office Space

It’s hard to call our office drab as I write this staring at a giant mural of a puppy holding a kitten wearing a checkered jumper. The pool table in the lobby sees daily use and the fridge is lined with illustrations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on one side and a DIY bottle opener and a lava lamp on the other. Ties are allowed, but it’s best to avoid them as they block the goal of the air hockey table. The coffee is a lot better than any newsroom I’ve been in.

A fun workplace is fine, but explaining away the “Dark Side” fear to my friends in journalism has been harder. I think the “pity” journalists feel for those in corporate communications is rooted in the idea that corporate writing is meaningless copy.

As it turns out, Nowsourcing is the polar opposite.

Journalist Myth #3: The Dark Side means writing BS

My work here involves digging up insane statistics and verifying the information is true and trustworthy. My writing helps to explain complicated issues and allows people wrap their heads around something they have never thought about.

While I’m still fighting over exclamation marks, working at Nowsourcing has convinced me to embrace the Dark Side. I bet Luke Skywalker doesn’t have a Keurig.

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(Michael McKay, above, watches re-education tapes under the watch of the office Kinectanimals)