Advice to Young Journalists

The following remarks are adapted from a talk given at the National Review Institute communicators conference in Washington, D.C.

Several years ago, I went on retreat to a Catholic convent. It’s a popular spot with the religious and non-religious, those looking to get away from the world and meet with someone removed from it. The elderly nun I met said something interesting in passing. Twenty years ago, she said, people came to her with relationship problems: Trouble with their spouses, children, in-laws, etc., But nowadays, people — especially young people — want to talk about their identity. This is representative of a profound cultural shift. Rather than looking outward, asking, How I do make sense of the world?, people are increasingly looking inward, asking, How does the world make sense of me?

About the Author

Madeleine Kearns

Madeleine Kearns is a former staff writer at National Review.

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The following remarks are adapted from a talk given at the National Review Institute communicators conference in Washington, D.C.

Several years ago, I went on retreat to a Catholic convent. It’s a popular spot with the religious and non-religious, those looking to get away from the world and meet with someone removed from it. The elderly nun I met said something interesting in passing. Twenty years ago, she said, people came to her with relationship problems: Trouble with their spouses, children, in-laws, etc., But nowadays, people — especially young people — want to talk about their identity. This is representative of a profound cultural shift. Rather than looking outward, asking, How I do make sense of the world?, people are increasingly looking inward, asking, How does the world make sense of me?