J.A. Adande (ESPN & Northwestern University) on Career & Journalism Mistakes

<p>Episode page: <a href="https://www.markgraban.com/mistake138">https://www.markgraban.com/mistake138</a></p> <p>My guest for Episode #138 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is <a href="https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/directory/faculty/j-a-adande.html">J.A. Adande</a>. He is the director of sports journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. He is also the graduate journalism&nbsp;Sports Media Specialization&nbsp;leader.</p> <p>J.A. earned his undergraduate degree in journalism from Medill in 1992. During his time in school at Northwestern, he was sports editor of The Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper.</p> <p>J.A. has worked in sports media for over two and a half decades, including multiple roles at ESPN. He continues to <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=around+the+horn+J.A.+adande&amp;oq=around+the+horn+J.A.+adande&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j69i61.5718j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">appear on ESPN’s “Around The Horn</a>,” where he has been a panelist since the show’s beginning in 2002.</p> <p>He also previously worked for 10 years as a sports columnist at the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-31-sp-adande31-story.html">Los Angeles Times</a>, in addition to jobs at The Washington Post and Chicago Sun-Times.</p> <p>In today's episode, J.A. shares his “favorite mistake” story about applying for a job, to be a sports columnist in Philadelphia, which probably would have been a failure. Why was it a mistake to want that job, then? How would the newspaper have determined if he was a success or a failure? How would that be determined today in the internet age?</p> <p>We also talk about questions and topics including:</p> <ul> <li>Angry letters to the editor might not be a bad thing if that means people are reading?</li> <li>Coaching students about handling or bracing for hate mail or flat out hate?</li> <li>Tell us about getting into TV – did that ever feel like a mistake? When that was new to you?</li>