New York Times columnist David Carr visited Ohio State Friday to talk with students about his experiences with journalism and offer advice to those pursuing careers in the field.
The Q&A-formatted lecture, which drew in roughly 100 people, emphasized topics such as current events and the industry’s future.
Carr touched on social media and its role in journalism several times throughout the hour-long talk. He noted the importance of “building your brand,” saying users of social media have to fit in before attempting to stick out.
“The temptation over and over is to make your life look fabulous,” Carr said.
He said being well-rounded and paying attention to others is more valuable in the professional realm.
“It really isn’t that important to tweet, but it’s important to listen,” he said.
Aubrey Sinclair, a first-year in pre-journalism, said Carr’s opinions about social media resonated with her as an aspiring journalist.
“I thought that was really interesting because usually it seems like (people say) ‘be an individual,’ but really, he’s right – you have to fit in before you actually can be your own person and be interesting and different,” Sinclair said.
Carr started the morning with breakfast at Sloopy’s Diner at the Ohio Union with nine journalism students before speaking to two journalism classes before giving his official talk.
The talk was brought to OSU through the school’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and served as part of the School of Communication’s William D. Stewart Lecture Series. The event was rescheduled from Feb. 15 due to airline delays.
OSU journalism professor Nicole Kraft helped arrange Carr’s university visit.
“His commitment to us was very strong,” Kraft said. “I think his commitment really is to this idea of the young voice and the young generation, the generation that is coming up behind him that still has a passion for journalism.”
The School of Communication spent $2,500 of the Stewart Memorial Fund to bring David Carr to OSU, not including flight and hotel accommodations.