Interview a Journalist

Interview with Paul Scrubas, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Paul Scrubas is a journalist with 38 years experience, and counting. He graduated in 1978 from the University Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a degree in Journalism. His first journalism job was with a local Oshkosh paper. He now works as breaking news and public service reporter at Green Bay Press-Gazette, where he has worked for 28 years.

I decided that a Q&A format would be the best way to present the information I received during my interview with Mr. Scrubas. This way I could represent his answers in the closest possible form. I thought it best to use his own words as he had answered the questions because he is the expert, and the one with the experience. It turned out to be a very insightful interview with so much information, and many anecdotes.

Q: How would you define journalism?

           

A: Classically, I would say that journalism and reporting is just a recording of the events of the day. Fundamentally, I would define journalism as the practice of informing the public (the readers) of what needs to be known. As well as acting as an outside check of the government and all its branches. It also holds up a mirror of society to itself, and reflects on what is currently happening in the same way that art does.

Q: When did you know you wanted to work as a journalist?

A: I still haven’t decided I want to be a journalist. I suppose it was around my last few years of high school when I started gravitating towards it.

Q: At the Press-Gazette you are assigned to “Breaking News” so what is day in the life of a “breaking news reporter?”

A: Well, the easy answer to that question is that it depends on the day, or whenever there is breaking news. Everyday is a little different. I’ve recently been working a lot from home so some days are spent waiting around, following up, checking sources, busy work basically. Other times when I get a call, or am tipped off by the police scanner it becomes more hectic. I supposed the only real consistent part is that I have to be ready to act proactively to get the story. So that could be being ready to drive out to a location, or make phone calls etc. 

Q: Do you have any particularly memorable stories you’ve covered?

A: Yes, I certainly do. I’ve covered a lot of very memorable stories over my 30 plus years. One that comes to mind is when a regular day at the office turned into a 56 hour workday. It was the end of my day, I was at home and I got a call from my boss about a group of farmers who had died in a manure pit due to methane gas inhalation, very tragic. This was up in Marinette, so I drove all the way there and decided to pull an all-nighter so I could meet the deadline for the next days’ paper. I ended up interviewing a few people in a tavern by the light of a fish tank after they had closed so they wouldn’t be fined for staying open past bar close. It turned out to be a really big story for the area so by the time I had collected all the information, and written the story for my deadline, it had been about 56 hours before I finally got to go home. That was very memorable.

Q: What would you say are the biggest challenges you face as a journalist?

A: There have always been challenges, like in any job, but I would say that recently the biggest challenges have been keeping up with the ever-changing platforms. When I started working, the entire job was focused on writing for print. I didn’t know I’d have to become a videographer and a photojournalist. So I’d say that the changing landscape is the biggest challenge. The hours can be strenuous, but that has always been part of the job.

Q: What are some pros and cons about working as a journalist?

A: The pros can also be cons, and the cons can also be pros. I don’t mean to complicate or simplify my answer but that’s how I’ve experienced it. As a journalist, you’re expected to remain impartial, which can be frustrating at times but also can take away some of the burden you feel when reporting on a story. I’ve been working from home recently so that has been both a blessing and a curse because I can make my own hours, yet the hours never really stop when you report on breaking news. It’s a balancing act.

Q: How has journalism changed over the years, in your eyes?

A: Journalism has changed in a lot of ways, I think. I suppose it has sort of been reshaped from a basic day-to-day reporting of events, to what it is now which is a many branched reporting, and analysis of trends. It’s much more complicated than it used to be, which is both good and bad. There’s more niche marketing and reporting so there is something for everybody, yet more and more entertainment seems to blur with reporting.

Q: Where do you see the future of journalism headed?

A: I’m certainly not any type of analyst or scholar of trends so I’m probably not anymore qualified to answer that question than you are. What I would say, from the perspective of a journalist, is that there will always be a need for the journalist profession. What forms will that journalism take? I don ‘t really know. More and more we see print being swapped for digital mediums, and written word swapped for video reporting. I would say there is a future for journalism, but I don’t know what it is.

Q: Do you have any advice to give prospective journalists?

 A: Go into accounting? Based on my previous answer, I would have to be a little glib and say that becoming journalist is not the most promising profession because as the job is changing, what a student is learning may soon be obsolete. Yet, there are a few things I would say to a future journalist. Try to be efficient at all aspects of reporting and journalism. Don’t neglect one aspect for the other. Video and digital reporting may be the future but don’t neglect the fundamental aspects of the written word and format of reporting. For example, the best photographers I know are also very good writers. They understand how to format and tell a story. So being well rounded in all aspects of the job is probably my biggest advice.