Copy Boy?

[unfocused]

None of those shows were so specifically about the how and why as "Smallville" is. "Smallville" has always told us it's about the journey. And while his journey into the DP isn't as important as his journey to becoming Superman, it's still a big part of who he is as a person, and this was supposed to be the show that gave us a deeper exploration of how and why Clark became that person. Now, of course with all the wasted potential over the past seven years, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how this issue was glossed over. But it's still counter-intuitive to the purpose of the show.

I shouldn't have to stop and consider an explanation myself. That is doing the writers' job for them. They need to give a specific reason, not just why he is there, but how he got in. I would also argue that Clark has never shown a large interest in journalism.

The Daily Planet has been a very important setting in "Smallville" for years now, and Clark has been interested in journalism since the beginning. His interest in it has NEVER been about writing the big story, it's only ever been about being "in the middle of the action." This is common knowledge in the mythos, It's hard to understand how you could just miss this.

Frankly, I find it hard to believe you're ignoring seven years of exploration just because you don't know Clark's job title. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm just wasting my time on you.

[Hopefulsuicide]

His interest in it has NEVER been about writing the big story, it's only ever been about being "in the middle of the action." This is common knowledge in the mythos, It's hard to understand how you could just miss this.

Frankly, I find it hard to believe you're ignoring seven years of exploration just because you don't know Clark's job title. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm just wasting my time on you.

you have no idea what you are talking about. i am not an expert on the comics, but i know that in LnC his journalistic career was NOT just about being in the middle of the action. in fact, it was never even suggested that that was the reason, because he became a journalist for the DP before he even decided to put on the tights. before the tights his parents were telling him off for helping out with accidents cause they were afraid for him. hardly the scenario in which he would want to be in the middle of the action.

Clark won awards for his journalism. he and lois acheived fame for their writing. they made friends with important people in the world, and most importantly they both enjoy being journalists.

to say that Clark's interest in journalism has never been about writing a big story is IMO ridiculous, as that's what EVERY reporter dreams of, superman or no superman

[unfocused]

Yeah you're right, that was ridiculous of me to say. So I take it back

And I'll rephrase. In Smallville, Clark has had an interest in Journalism for a long time. Much of his recent interest has been about being "in the middle of the action."

But I won't get into a discussion about Lois & Clark, that show is just so boring to me.

[Hopefulsuicide]

fair enough, i know it's not everyone's taste

and yeah, he has had a bit of interest in journalism. it's not like they had him training to be a doctor all through college and all of a sudden he lightswitched too a journalist

he's always been interested in subjects that fit well with the career, so it's not a jump that he would want to be a journalist

it's just a jump that he would get too

[sailordom]

Re: the is he an intern or a copy boy? thing --

As a working journalist, I can assure everyone that "copy boys" no longer exist at newspapers or TV stations. Especially not in the climate newspapers are in.

Heck, the two major dailies I've worked at don't even have free coffee for errand boys to fetch! (I wish!)

So I think Tess' comment was more of an insult.

I find it completely believable, however, that Clark was hired as an intern. Internships in journalism are "real jobs" in that interns are expected to do the same work as professionals. Copy editing interns copy edit. Reporting interns write stories. Page design interns design pages. Online interns post stories and slideshows, etc. But they definitely don't fetch coffee, make copies, etc., as the point of the positions is for beginning journalists to get clips.

Journalism is the only profession I've ever heard of where scoring an internship after graduation is the accepted "next step."

And if he's interested in reporting, a reporting internship is the (only) way to go. If the paper likes his work, it's conceivable it could turn into more. Maybe not at, oh, say the Chicago Tribune or any other Top 20 paper, but I knew a guy in college who worked as a reporter at our local daily (and it wasn't a small paper or a small town). Experience counts for a lot in journalism, definitely more than formal education. You can't get a job without experience, but you can certainly get one without J-school.

(To whoever mentioned "starting out" in copy editing, my experience has been that once you get on a track, it's very difficult to switch. Reporting jobs take clips, and you just can't get those copy editing. The worst mistake a beginning print reporter can make is to take a copy editing job/internship.)

You don't even have to be in school to do an internship. Most newspaper internships aren't for academic credit, but are paid. The big ones are in the summer -- those are highly competitive, with applications generally being due in November of the previous year. But many papers have internships available in the fall and spring, and some even have longer, one- or two-year residencies (although many of those have been cut as part of cost-saving measures).

But then, I try to not think to closely about the Daily Planet as shown on Smallville. As a journalist, the idea that Luthorcorp owns a newspaper and apparently has a hand in editorial coverage/newsroom operations is horrifying. (And to think, the people working for Tribune Company and Sam Zell think they have it bad! Ha!) I mean, wow, that's got to be a dreadful paper with zero credibility....

[unfocused]

Thanks, sailordom. It's ALWAYS great to get input from someone experienced in the fields that are often in these discussions.

You've shed a lot of light on the "internship" discussion, hopefully everyone takes your post into account from now on.

[Hopefulsuicide]

i can't believe we just had an episode where clark was called both a cub reporter and an errand boy, and no one is commenting!

seriously, i think we can all agree that they just don't seem to care about sticking to a real job title... he works at the DP, and can apparently say no to front page stories if he wants... it's soooooo realistic

[cksidekick]

yeah, because realism is exactly what i want in a Super Hero show...

i know what you mean though...

[Fat Elvis 007]

yeah, because realism is exactly what i want in a Super Hero show...

i know what you mean though...

For me it's not about realism, it's about the hero's journey. If the writers can't be bothered to remember what the main character's job is, then it's clear they don't care about his journey. So why should any of us?

[Ella]

i can't believe we just had an episode where clark was called both a cub reporter and an errand boy, and no one is commenting!

Humor. Look it up.

The whole errand boy / copy boy is obviously just a joke and not Clark's real position. So when he's called either of these is just for 1) teasing or 2) insulting.

I really thought that was incredibly clear. Each time these are mentioned, I laugh. That's the expected result when you hear a joke.

It's clear that Clark is a newbie reporter. Otherwise he wouldn't be writing stories!

[Infamous]

I took it as meaning that he's new, start starting out and doesn't have the experience to write a big story yet.

So did I

[TOMophilus]

Take a look at Clark´s press badge which he got at the beginning of Plastique:

[Fat Elvis 007]

Humor. Look it up.

The whole errand boy / copy boy is obviously just a joke and not Clark's real position. So when he's called either of these is just for 1) teasing or 2) insulting.

I really thought that was incredibly clear. Each time these are mentioned, I laugh. That's the expected result when you hear a joke.

It's clear that Clark is a newbie reporter. Otherwise he wouldn't be writing stories!

Considering that we never even saw how Clark got hired--which is a HUGE step in the journey of Clark Kent, and was completely glossed over in a show about the journey of Clark Kent--I don't think anything about his time at the DP has been clear, and I think it's giving a little too much credit to the writers to assume that those were just jokes.