BEFORE FINISHING:

Katy:

I see you are having doubts about tonight’s assignment. You were not hired for your sense of personal autonomy, or for your principles about ethics in journalism, or for your happy love life, or for the continuing of your sheltered Southlands (was it, again?) existence. You were hired to produce compelling personal content for our readers, or what you may know best as “takes.” So produce takes.

Best,
Karin

AFTER FINISHING:

Suggested reading, in order:

http://www2.asja.org/theword/2013/12/25/mining-your-life-for-content/

http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/09/happened-to-me-happened-to-me.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/magazine/25internet-t.html

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/technology/2015/09/the_first_person_industrial_complex_how_the_harrowing_personal_essay_took.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/newsroom-diversity-a-casualty-of-journalisms-financial-crisis/277622/