Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

journalist

“Oh, but you’re not a journalist.”

Someone said that offhandedly to me today, and while I’m sure no offense was meant, the comment still managed to get under my skin. I bit my tongue and ignored the remark at the time, but I’m a bit surprised at how raw a nerve it struck.

I wanted to argue my case. But I am a journalist, I wanted to say. News design is a form of journalism.

I understand that, and I believe the people I work with on a regular basis understand that. I’m not entirely sure why it bothers me so much, then, when someone dismisses what I do as not journalism.

Or is it just that — the dismissal? The work I do isn’t necessarily showy and I rarely get a byline for it, but design is important to the telling of a story, from establishing the setting in which a story is able to be read (layout, type choice, etc.) to illustrating an idea in a way that has more immediate impact than words alone to conceptualizing immersive multimedia storytelling to designing interfaces that allow users to find information they need. And yet, with no small element of insecurity, I worry that I’m seen more as a hanger-on — an onlooker and a member of the “support staff” — rather than an active participant in the process.