The short version of this is, "Don't be a journalist." There are so many people who want to be journalists, or to try to be, that The Atlantic thinks they'll work for free. Evidently many of them will. Anyone reading this should know that they need to seek another profession.
Interestingly enough, in 2001 I was the co-editor-and-chief of my high school newspaper and thought about going into journalism. But it was obvious to me then that the Internet was going to destroy a lot of careers in journalism.
It has. The only thing I still find puzzling is that some people want to major in journalism in college, or attempt to be "freelance writers."
I disagree. Better advice would be, if you want to be a journalist, "have a solid back-up plan" or "pursue it on the side". Even before the internet, it was a tough profession to be successful in. Now it is even tougher, but there are still individuals who manage to eek out lucrative and rewarding careers.
This advice applies to any profession that has significant excess supply vs demand. Athletes, photographers, artists, actors, musicians etc... Even if an individual never makes it big (and most don't) these activities can be rewarding hobbies as long as expectations are managed properly.
Interestingly enough, in 2001 I was the co-editor-and-chief of my high school newspaper and thought about going into journalism. But it was obvious to me then that the Internet was going to destroy a lot of careers in journalism.
It has. The only thing I still find puzzling is that some people want to major in journalism in college, or attempt to be "freelance writers."