How to Meet and Date a Journalist

Journalists are some of the most interesting people in society – the fact that they chase news and write about people and events for a living gives them a vigorous and highly nuanced outlook on life. If you are eager to have a smart feisty individual for a partner, here is a bit more on how to meet and date a journalist.

TIP:

TIP: Visit MillionaireMatch to meet women looking for men to date.

to browse photo profiles of single men and women.

Where to meet them

Like lawyers and doctors, journalists can be found hanging out at cafes, bars and pubs around their place of work. So check out the media centers in your city and then drop in for a coffee or a drink when you see the regulars trooping in. An even better way to structure your search would be to look for specific categories of journalists. For instance, media events and celebrity product launches are again other occasions where you can bump into lifestyle or page three reporters while high-profile games are sure to be covered by a posse of sports journalists. Apart from these options, keep a lookout in bookstores and literary cafes where freelancers and columnists may be exploring story ideas. These days many well-known journalists enjoy celebrity status and are routinely invited at college fests, literary meets or current affairs workshops to give a talk or judge at debates.

Yet another effective way to get to know journalists is through social media. Social networking channels and the internet have changed the way people get their news and smart journalists have not lagged behind in adapting their reporting skills to take advantage of the benefits of social media. So if you already know a few names in the news industry, follow them on Twitter or Friend Them on Facebook. However it is important to limit your approaches to appropriate content initially. Ideally create an excellent Facebook page, tweet quality content, set up a YouTube channel and blog like a pro. Make sure you use appropriate keywords and share your content across all your channels. All this will ensure that you get noticed by the people you are trying to impress, including single journalists.

Make interesting conversation

The best part about dating a journalist is that they make highly interesting partners. They have strong, working knowledge of how the world works which in turn makes for great conversation. So you will find your partner can delve into the intricacies of zoning laws, local and national politics with the same ease as letting on where to find the good restaurants, what’s happening with pop culture, where the good bands are playing and more. At the same time it is not exchange of idle chatter or superficial information with journalists. They are likely to have a deep opinion regarding every topic you bring up and there will probably be lots of layers or examples to back up their views. Since they are taught to provide proof in our work, they will always have factual information to buttress their opinions.

Intense socializing

Journalists today are largely social creatures. Instead of typing away in a solitary attic, they will prefer chat up any individual that comes their way because every person is important-no matter how bizarre. Any person could be a possible interview or a networking connection somewhere in the future…or it could just be an interesting chat with a unique individual. No wonder then they are social media experts and will inform their avid followers often on what’s happening around us.  They love feedback because they enjoy conversation and hence your date may get busy posting photos, tweet, and”check in” even when you are together. If you are the kind that gets irritated by people fiddling with have i-pads, i-phones, Droids, Macs and tablets, dating a journalist may sometimes get on your nerves. However even though they are technology nerds, most of the times they are attractive, stylish and what’s more can multi-task effortlessly.

Take their curiosity in stride

One of the things that you have to be prepared for while dating a journalist is their natural curiosity. You cannot tell a story to your journo date and expect that it won’t inspire something else. Either through a feature story or an opinion column, something you do or say will be a subject. If you’re a part of his/her life, a reporter is most probably going to write about you, your thoughts or a subject springing from one of the two. Even a casual dinner at a restaurant is never just a meal — it’s a process of observation, reflection and, at times, eavesdropping. The sooner you get over this aspect of your date, the better. In fact you can even consider it a compliment that your views and past are worthy of turning up on the printed page. And consider that though it makes your uncomfortable, ultimately the fact that they are inquisitive means they will listen to you. Even if it does seem like an interview, you can be sure that your date is paying attention to what you have to say.

A different aspect of a journalist’s nose for news is that they are difficult to dupe. Since they are paid to dig deep and find the secrets, it is a bad idea to lie to them about your past and more importantly, present. A reporter practically spends all day separating fact from fiction, listening to PR cronies and dealing with slimy politicians. If you make your date do the same with you, he/she may just respond with the vengeance of an Op-Ed page railing against society’s injustices — and pretty much enjoy doing it too.

Finally accept the fact that for a journalist, there are never any off-work hours. One doesn’t become a journalist to sit in an office from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. Your reporter partner will inevitably take our work home. If news is happening, he or she will not think twice before dropping whatever you both are doing — even if it’s an afternoon nookie — to cover it. That particular interview that your date has finally cornered could be a once in a lifetime opportunity and at such times you will take a back seat. When dating a journo thus, it is best to keep in mind that it’s not that they don’t think you are important - it’s that what they do is more important to them.

In the end, at work or play, journalists are intense, driven, passionate folk. They carry those same attributes into their relationships, making it an extremely fun ride well worth the occasional pains. So even if you may have to be on your own a few nights, you can be sure that your life will never be boring again and each day is going to be different.