I recently sat down with NBC-Telemundo reporter Danny Morales to talk about his first reporting job, as well as some advice for journalism students looking to get into the field in this difficult media environment. 
The following is a brief Q&A with Danny Morales.
What was your first news job and how long have you been in media?
If by the word job, you mean ’paid employment,’ it was a paid internship at the Galveston County Daily News. Previously, I had worked on a volunteer basis, manning the audio board for a lawyer who had a show on KJDL 1420 AM. I have been in media for more than 10 years.
Who was your role model when you first started reporting?
I can't say I had one. I believe everything has been done at least twice in the media, so I've picked up things I like as I go along. A lot of folks use terms like ’talent,’ and ’style,’ I think the way I work is the result of seeing what NOT to do and staying away from it. I think everything can be learned.
What has been one of your most challenging assignments?
All assignments are challenging. For me, it has nothing to do with a story being difficult and more to do with doing justice to the people telling the story. I see it as a personal duty to be fair and treat others the way I'd like to be treated. They give you their time and trust and, in return, you have to give them the promise of integrity and fairness. However, I see with increasing concern how doing this will become harder in the future as we maximize resources, reduce staff and limit the time we can spend developing relationships with newsmakers and, to a greater extent, news victims.
I'm sorry I'm a bit anticlimactic about this question, but to me a rewarding story brings benefit to someone. I'm not talking about the company sending the press release, but rather about the old lady who got her money back or the viewer who walked away learning something new after giving me a minute-and-a-half of their time.
What are some of the publications you read? What about blogs?
For work, from the local newspaper to Time to Consumer Reports; online, the poynter.org website, mediamatters.org and even the Drudge report, among many others. For pleasure, magazines like American Photo, Shutterbug, and Photo Techniques. Online I enjoy digitaljournalist.org and photographychannel.tv.
What advice would you give Hispanic journalism students, especially during these challenging economic times?
Stay the course and become a sponge. Be afraid of reaching a comfort zone and don't pigeonhole yourself into a particular field or medium. Learn software and teach yourself to shoot stills and video, to edit and do podcasts, write a blog and build your own website. Media professionals who only know one trade are a species in clear and present danger of extinction.
Begin guarding your online persona. In the future, the racy Spring Break images you post on Facebook or MySpace today will be like the tattoo you'll wish you had never gotten during that night of drinking. Remember that your prospective bosses are also online socialites and, chances are, will google you.
Don't assume you'll have someone handing you assignments or an editorial support structure; develop your own contacts and build relationships. Adopt a ’healthy’ distrust of people with an agenda, be it commercial or otherwise. Most importantly, learn now to live well within your means and develop a taste for Ramen soup.
-We’d like to thank Danny for taking the time to speak to us. Danny Morales is a volunteer member of Houston’s HAHMP, an organization encouraging young, aspiring journalists to follow in the footsteps of people like John Quiñones, ABC´s Prime Time Live; Giselle Fernandez, Access Hollywood; and Elizabeth Vargas, ABC’s Good Morning America. For more information, visit HAHMP.
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