Strive 'to be the talent'

 

“People set newspapers on fire; theyuse them for wrapping fish. The Internet does not have that property. What Idon't think we've gotten is that you can make things last longer than inprint.” – Ezra Klein

 

 Born on this date in 1984,Klein is a reporter, blogger, political commentator and columnist for TheNew York Times, host of The Ezra Klein Show podcast, and co-founderthe explanatory news site Vox Media.  

 

A native of California who studiedjournalism at UC-Santa Cruz, Klein is the son of a college professor and aprofessional artist and “grew up writing.”  The Washington Post’s first“pure” blogger, he was hired at age 25 and was one of the first bloggers toreport from a national political convention.

 

Klein has won numerous awards forhis political commentary and also for histhought-provoking book Why We’re Polarized.  

 

From his own experience, he offers this advice for beginning writers and podcasters: “Try to get thejob that's most like the job you want, rather than the one that's moreprestigious. Always try to be the talent.”