+1, former and trained journalist here. I would say all the best journalists I know in person (many of them among the very best ones in my country) have almost

+1, former and trained journalist here. I would say all the best journalists I know in person (many of them among the very best ones in my country) have almost exclusively had journalism as their primary choice of career. What separates top level and (as a cynical metaphor or stereotype) "screwed up former musician, now a critic and journo, lost in life" level journalists is that the former ones really-really understand the ethics of journalism. They make well-grounded, extremely careful ethical decisions, and they are able to make them fast. As a side note, in my country, I'd say ethical reasoning in journalism has reached a higher level during the post-pandemic years (and, now, the war in Ukraine). I think journalists' grasp of science (scientific reasoning) has improved quite a bit as well during this same period. Obviously, everything can always be better (also, 90% of everything is not-so-good), but todays' best journalism is actually pretty decent, isn't it.