For many staffers at The Daily Northwestern, the April release of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” felt like a holiday.
The Daily’s shoutout in the first movie solidified it as newsroom canon — so much so, that one of my favorite Daily memories was when a former managing editor surprised us by dressing up as Anna Wintour for Halloween. A recurring newsroom joke of mine was that the devil doesn’t wear Prada — she wears UGG boots..
Who wants to wear uncomfortable shoes while writing and editing stories all night?
My artistic opinions on the second installment aside (that’s a Reel Thoughts for another day), certain elements of the film stick with me as I prepare to graduate. As much fun as it was to see a glossy, larger-than-life depiction of the “modern” journalism world on screen, what lingers is how “The Devil Wears Prada 2” depicts a line of work that is far from perfect or, oftentimes, stable.
At the start of the sequel, our beloved fictional former Daily Editor in Chief Andy Sachs has the career many of us graduating seniors aspire to achieve. She’s an established journalist. She’s travelled the world. She’s received awards for her groundbreaking investigative journalism. Yet, she still finds herself spit out by a broken industry, unmoored and unsure of where to go next.
If this is where all of the love and hard work we pour into journalism might lead us, then why do we bother sticking with it?
This question is one each of us graduating seniors have likely asked, and been asked, throughout our time at The Daily.
To be honest, I don’t know the answer. Not only is it different for each of us, but, often, it changes by the day. We all share a common mission to be a voice for the public and we remain dedicated to transparency and accountability. But, it isn’t always easy. I’m not going to pretend that all of us, including myself, will be able to stick with it forever.
Personally, for the past four years, my response to this question has been to focus on the positives. Luckily, working at The Daily has made this easy to do. I am so grateful that I had the chance to be surrounded by a community of such smart and hard working student journalists, even if the time we’ve spent together feels fleeting.
To see the newsroom grow and evolve during my time here has been beyond inspiring. It is an experience I know I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I, like Andy and countless real-life Daily alums, will continue to proudly share my involvement with this paper long into my career.
But, now, as I prepare to enter the “real world,” I know it likely won’t be anything like the comfort movie that I turn to when I am feeling down. I also know it won’t always look like the endlessly supportive and creative environment we’ve built in The Daily newsroom — even if it is for the simple reason that I can’t wear my UGG slippers in most professional settings.
Instead, all I can do is be grateful for the many wonderful experiences and difficult lessons I have gained so far, respecting that it’s the balance of highs and lows that makes the work worth doing.
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