Knowing how not to get in trouble

Latoya West of The Journal News in Westchester County, N.Y., interviewed Fox Business Network reporter Charles Gasparino about his career.

Here is an excerpt:

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in journalism?

A: It certainly wasn’t the money. My parents hated the fact that I wanted to go into journalism for both the low pay and particularly because my father hated reporters for bringing down Nixon (he was one of those “silent majority” types who wasn’t so silent). I just liked the fact that I could write something and get a reaction from lots of people. I did this first by sports-writing at the old North County News, then covering local government for various papers in northern Westchester.

Q: Do you remember the first big story you broke in Westchester?

A: I was at the Peekskill Herald and it was a story about how the city basically was in violation of county law by the way the police department was run. It was on the radio and everyone in government read it. It was also a little scary because it was being debated as I was in the meeting, but that what makes this job worthwhile.

Q: Did your experience working for small papers help shape the journalist you are now?

A: Definitely, because I paid my dues. Kids come out of college wanting to go right into big-time journalism and opine about national events. That’s fine except they really haven’t worked their way up through the ranks, and made their mistakes at smaller places where you can learn from your mistakes. I got to the WSJ in 1995 and I was a fairly experienced reporter. I knew how not to get in trouble and how to handle the pressures of working in big-time journalism because I spent so many years at smaller papers. The kids I saw who made the jump from college to the WSJ didn’t have that same background and they often ended up washing out or getting tired of the pressures and grind of the job.