I’m still a student, but I do have a great internship over the summer at a news station back home. I love this internship more than I can put into words, they treat me great, trust me with important tasks, and are looking to give me a job when I graduate. But it’s also bringing me to a scary realization.

I don’t think I’m going to have a life.

At my station, everyone works 9 hour days, 5 days a week. My shift is typically 9-6, but if they actually hire me, they can place me wherever they want. 3 a.m. to Noon. Maybe 1 p.m. – 10 p.m. Working those kinds of shifts is almost a right of passage. I’ll have to work weekends and holidays, because, as we say in the industry, “the news never stops.” Additionally, whether I like it or not, I constantly have to stay up to date on the 24-hour news cycle, because if I don’t, I’ll already be behind when I get into the office.

Don’t get me wrong, I knew what I was signing up for. Plenty of people in the industry warned me about this early enough in my education, that I could’ve picked a different path, but I didn’t want to. I really do have a passion for journalism and know that this is what I want to do. But the consequences of these long, hard hours are troubling. 

tealhq.com outlines some interesting things that can happen as a work life balance deteriorates. The most obvious, I think, is mental health issues and burnout. In 2024, 56% of journalists considered quitting their job because of burnout. Another issue I didn’t really think about is how our objectivity and ethics could be impacted. When you don’t have distance from your work, or are constantly rushing to meet a deadline, those standards could slip. Your creativity can also take a hit, and creative story telling is such an important aspect of keeping an audience.

This is the part of the post where I’d love to throw out a suggestion on how we’d make things better for journalists everywhere. But the truth is, I don’t know if there is a solution. You can’t exactly shorten our days. On the days I’m producing newscasts, I genuinely spend all 9 hours working. I think I’d be more overwhelmed if I had a shorter day. Plus, I think the news media is so important, it makes sense that someone has to be there on weekends and holidays, and to work those graveyard shifts. Something like shortening our weeks to 4 days just isn’t really plausible.

“Work-life balance for journalists is no longer just about dividing the day into blocks of work hours and personal time. It’s about creating a seamless blend where professional responsibilities and personal fulfillment can coexist without one consistently undermining the other.” – tealhq.com

I think this is a case where it is up to us as individuals to find that balance. To find things outside work that relieve our stress. Maybe you stop watching the news at night when you get home and wake up a little earlier the next day to catch up. Find a hobby that you can do during time off. Have a support group with other journalists and keep each other in check. 

We do really important work. It’s imperative we can do so without burnout.