Mark Fogarty is the Editorial Director for the National Mortgage News
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[tab:About the Talk]
Mark Fogarty: Getting in Touch with your Inner Genius
Everyone has an “inner genius,” a uniquely personal skill set that enables them to stand out from the crowd and shine. Mark Fogarty, an editor with New York based SourceMedia, recently delivered this message to a group of students at Grady High School in Atlanta.
Fogarty discussed a slate of ideas and issues, ranging from stories of his own past to experiences and insights he has gained as an editor for a nationwide trade magazine. He told the students that finding one’s first job and the process of sending out resumes is in large part a number’s game – he told the students that when he hires new employees, for every 100 resumes he receives he schedules 1 interview, and for every 10 interviews he makes 1 job offer. His message: don’t get discouraged by rejection, because it’s all but inevitable, just keep at it.
Fogarty talked to the students about the increasingly fast rate of change in today’s world. As an example, he quoted the Atlanta based band Outkast and their song, “Hey Ya,” which features the lyrics, “Shake it like a Polaroid picture,” telling the students that someday soon, high school students may have no idea what a Polaroid picture is, now that the Polaroid instant camera has been discontinued. He further gave an example from his own industry, telling the students that in the not-too-distant future, high school students may not even know what a newspaper is – considering how quickly e-media is growing!
Amidst his suggestions to stay enthusiastic and dedicated in spite of rejection and change, Fogarty continued to return to the idea of the inner genius. Fogarty told the students that they all have a special talent to contribute to the world, and he stated that in his experience, so long as one works hard, pursues what they enjoy, surrounds themselves with people who give them positive energy, and continues to hone their talents (all of which amount to bolstering the inner genius), anyone and everyone can change the world.
[tab:About the Speaker]
Mark Fogarty is the Editorial Director of the National Mortgage News, a weekly newspaper that covers the mortgage sector in the US. The newspaper is owned by SourceMedia, a news organization focused on the financial services community.
Mark writes and edits newspaper stories about how the day’s industry events affect the business community. He lives in the New York area and has been with SourceMedia for over 27 years. He is a graduate from Rutgers University.
[tab:Student Comments]
- After listening to you presentation, I have a better understanding of journalism and how important it is to our society.
- Thank you for coming all this way from New York just to speak to us.
- I think that journalism sounds like an interesting career to have and I might want to do that in the future.
- I found your presentation very interesting and beneficial because I plan on majoring in communications for college.
- I thank you with all my heart for the inspiration that you gave to us.
- I loved your presentation, especially the giving away of the Kindle even thought I didn’t win it.
- Thank you for all the advice and for taking the time out to come and speak.
- I want to start a better life so I can become some one just like you.
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[tab:Further Study]
Synopsis: Mark Fogerty, an editor with New York based SourceMedia, gives his advice on beginning a journalism career. Special emphasis is placed on the changing dynamics of the field, particularly on how taking advantage of new technologies can allow young people to enter the field with few barriers.
SUGGESTED POINTS OF INTEREST:
-1:11: This is an important point. One must remain current and aware of changes in fields to remain successful.
-3:10: Is money really what’s important? Here, Fogerty talks about the direct financial compensation versus other benefits of journalism (Also pay attention to the AJC example at about 4:20).
-6:08: Note the importance of numerical data to journalism (and by extension, other fields).
-9:25: Pay close attention to the distinction here: simplistic, near instantaneous relaying of facts versus analytic pieces.
-13:22: Special emphasis on what one can do right away.
-17:37: This is important. Remember that the person who applies for thirty jobs has a much better chance of getting one than the person who applies for five.
-18:57: Important emphasis on networking and application of skills into new settings (in this case, his English background was helpful for his career as a journalist).
OPEN-ENDED DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
-An important topic in Fogerty’s talk concerns the difference between print media and electronic media. With news being more dispersed across multiple sources, is it possible for a news story to have similar impact today as The Color of Money in the late 1980s? Why or why not?
-Mark Fogerty mentions how he works for a trade newspaper targeted to specific audiences, and goes onto show just how many fields SourceMedia targets. Does “journalism” seem larger to you, knowing this? Do you think other fields have similar levels of granularity? (Hint: yes they do).
-Fogerty uses a famous Thoreau quote: “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” What does “success” mean to you here? Is it referring to something material, something personal, or both?
-What are some things that a talented journalist can do that make his or her work to transcend the mere reporting of facts? How does this enable his or her journalism to become a legitimate tool of change in the world?
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