Millennials get a bad reputation. We unapologetically love ourselves, we obsessively stay connected and share constant updates. Of course, we also kind of have a thing for attention— but who doesn’t? Attention rules.
But not everyone hates millennials. If you ask the Cleveland-based journalist and educator Connie Schultz, millennials don’t deserve the flak: “I really think that the baby boomers who bash millennials just don’t know many of them. I love millennials, particularly millennials in journalism.”
If you know her work, Schultz’s love for millennials comes as no surprise. Like millennials, Schultz uses the internet as a resource to stay socially and globally aware—she’s a nationally syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate, a Professional in Residence at Kent State University, and won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for columns that judges praised for providing “a voice for the underdog and the underprivileged.”
Before Schultz visits Toledo on Thursday, October 27 to be the featured speaker at the Press Club of Toledo’s 2016 Touchstone Awards, we caught up with her to find out why she loves millennials. Hey, we are a lot more than just Snapchat filters and status updates.
TCP: What do you love about millennials?
Connie Schultz: First of all, the research shows that they are the most optimistic, socially aware, involved and committed generation. I love the energy of millennials, their commitment… millennials feel they are concerned with the future of the country and the world. They think more globally than boomers ever did. At Kent State University, my job is to help create the best, most articulate writers, so I encounter this personally.
Your interest with millennials and journalism seems to intersect. Do you use the social media platforms that we express ourselves on?
I have a personal Facebook page that is public, with about 164k followers. I use it everyday. I posted an early voting photo this morning. I also post links to stories every day and moderate my page by engaging in discussions.
I also use Twitter for breaking news. It’s also great for crowdsourcing or looking for sources. I don’t use Tumblr because I have to decide how many platforms I’m going to use.
I write a syndicated column, I’m finishing up my first novel, I’m teaching— I have to be smart about my time.
How can writers or journalists working on a small scale best protect their work? Sometimes bloggers with great thoughts, but not a lot of popularity, will have their ideas picked up and used by bigger writers. This also often happens with small publications and large-scale media outlets. Do you see this often? What do you do?
I do. It’s a responsibility to link [to the original work] and give credit, which I always do. I think that bloggers and alternative publications need to be more aggressive about calling them out when they don’t give credit. You should get in touch and contact the editor. If they don’t respond, take it public.
I’ve seen many instances where this results in change, because readers don’t want to see [stolen work]. You have to be aggressive and advocate for your work. That’s one thing the internet has really changed— someone can link to your column and put their name on it.
Personally, I like drawing drawing attention to newer writers, bloggers. You just have to make sure they are credible and fit the standards of traditional journalism. It’s so much fun to put something on my wall and see how much traffic that writer gets, which I am so happy to send that way. I particularly like to do that for women and people of color, or people who aren’t typically getting noticed.
What kind of advice would you have for a young writer or journalist who is looking to get noticed?
I think one of the ways to get noticed is to not just share your own work, but other work you admire. That’s what I do on my wall. I don’t just make it about me— I share other work, I encourage discussion about it. Also, if you write about someone and quote them, make sure to tweet at them and let them know you’ve shared it.
Be an active member in the community you want to support. It’s important to have your tribe. Us journalists, we’re all freaks. Nobody understands what or why we do what we do— but what we do is so important in this country. Surround yourself with other people who get it.
It’s important to let people make mistakes, but you can’t allow for bigotry. When you discuss sensitive topics, how do you maintain a dialogue that is inclusive and open?
I think there’s a difference between being a racist and having a slip of tongue. One of the reasons I started a Facebook years ago, was because I was tired of the online, anonymous commenters. When you’re a woman getting paid to give her opinion, you’re going to be attacked by a small, but vocal, percentage of men who hate you [just because of who you are].
I don’t put up with misogyny, racism, homophobia. What I’ve learned from work on the web is that most readers don’t want to put up with that either. I say all the time, “We can have very spirited discussions, but we don’t need profanity. English is a rich language; let’s explore it together.”
I think it’s really important, particularly for young women, to have your tribe. Remember, [the people fighting you are] such a small percentage of people— but they’re so loud and have a lot of time on their hands. It can feel like the work is against you, but it isn’t true. Most people are with you.
Do you get hate mail a lot?
All the time. My first death threats came the first month I started writing my column in 2002 when I said we should retire the Confederate Flag. I [still] get hate mail all week long. I also get pretty ugly stuff on Twitter and I love blocking it. You just have to have a sense of humor about it.
The bottom line is— if I’m getting under their skin, I’m doing something right. I won’t let them stop me.
What kind of advice would you give to a young writer who is nervous about receiving hate mail?
The only way you become sure is to do it, and get used to ignoring the hate. It will be there at any age. I’m a 59-year-old-woman getting paid to give my opinion. That alone gets a lot of hate— even from other liberals. I’m stronger now because I started putting up with this at 45.
The tragedy isn’t that hate mail comes. The tragedy is that you might let hate mail stop you from writing.
Connie Schultz will be the featured speaker for the
Press Club of Toledo’s 2016 Touchstone Awards.
5:30pm, cocktails and grazing.
7:15pm, awards.
Thursday, October 27
The Toledo Club
235 14th St., 419-243-2200. toledoclub.org
$45/students, $65/Press Club members,
$75/non-members, $450/table of 6.
To purchase your ticket, email [email protected]
or visit toledopressclub.com
