Superiority complex?

This blog is about competitiveness in journalism. No between person to person, but between different media outlets and different organisations.

I'm documenting this, because I wonder if in 10 years time when I look back to the beginning of my career, I still feel the same.

Whenever a journalist gets called out to a press conference/outside broadcast/big event, there's usually other media-types there (yes, even in Perth). And as the reporter of a new station, I've found this experience very humbling.

Other organisations just can't help but act a bit smug when I turn up. I'm not sure if its because they're older than me and have worked in the patch longer, or if they think they're better than me, or if they just think the paper/station is better, or they all just seem to think they have a better job than me.

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but the following things have sprung to my attention over the last 9 months:
a) A journalist who work for a TV company looking down her nose at me and IGNORING me when I tried to make polite conversation.
b) A journalist calling me a 'glory hunter' when I reported on one of the last St Johnstone Games of the season as they won the first division.
c) A journalist from a local paper saying the station should 'walk before they can run' with regards to sports stories.
d) Journalists at a music festival approaching musicians press officers AFTER I've spoken to them, and then stealing my interview slot.
e) One journalist who actually interrupted my conversation with an MP (who approached me) and FLIRTING with him whilst ignoring me.
f) reporters at the races calling us 'tragic FM' after refusing to help me plug in our equipment. (Really professional).

It seems like staff at networked radio stations think they're better than independents, staff at papers think they're better than radio stations, staff at TV companies think they're better than everyone and everyone thinks they're better than everyone else.

But everyone has to start somewhere. And I think I'm better than them anway.