Below is a screenshot of a tweet I received over the summer. It’s something that has been stuck in the back of my head ever since.

Is this the modern journalist's rallying cry?

Have fun and stay in trouble.

It highlights two things that have become fundamental tenants of journalism. One, have fun. It’s no secret that the current state of professional journalism is….less than ideal. Okay, that’s an understatement. It is probably one of the worst industries to be getting into.

Never mind the recession, that’s child’s play compared to our industry as a whole. it seems that every month, a new corporation is filing for bankruptcy. It’s easy to get depressed and carry a chip on your shoulder…at this point it’s part of the standard uniform.

Journalism is very much a labor of love. Those that are in the field and are not passionate will not be around long. So lighten up, journalists. It sucks, but we need to have a sense of humor about us before we become hollowed husks of a human.

Two, stay in trouble. Isn’t that just great? It really defines what journalism is all about. One of the biggest failures of modem journalism is the lack of real hard-hitting investigations. Sure, it happens. Big stories like Blago corruption, the Burr Oak Cemetery and other squeamish things like that will always be gleefully busted open. But on the day to day level of basic journalism, I don’t think we are pushing and digging as hard as we maybe should be.

We should constantly be asking questions that others would hesitate to ask. We must constantly be taking it to the next level, pushing just a little bit harder, to tell the whole story. A wise man once told me, “If your articles are pissing people off, you are probably doing your job.“ Not a universal truth, but probably a good indicator of your job performance, depending on what you cover.

I’m going to take these two phrases to heart. I’ve found that it’s sometimes too easy to slip into the monotony of journalism: get your assignment. Do your assignment. Revise your assignment. Submit your assignment. Repeat ad nauseum.

I’ve gone ahead and made two little placards for both phrases, and they now are pinned to the walls of my cubicle.