Too often, she said, young journalists try too hard to "fit in" and lose the uniqueness that got them hired in the first place.

So, develop your personal style and hold on to it. "Otherwise, it’ll crush you," she said dramatically.

I can't picture myself turning down a job offer from the New York Times, but I'm not looking forward to hauling a 60-story building around on my back while I try to write.

A speech given by 20/20 correspondent Jay Schadler at the convention has convinced me that I'm not the only one with a tall-building phobia.

He followed three families through the organ transplant process, reported and questioned experts about how families manage their time, and talked with 90-year-old adventurer Norman Vaughn in Alaska.

He has interviewed Derek Humphrey, founder of the controversial Hemlock Society and author of The Final Exit, a suicide manual.

And he conducted the first broadcast interview with John F. Kennedy Jr., who discussed his father's legacy along with his sister Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.

In 1997, Schadler received an Emmy nomination for his series "Looking for America," in which he hitchhiked across the country and chronicled the conversations he had on the way.

It was that series he chose to discuss with us at the convention. He has recently started a new show on Bravo Network that will focus solely on his hitchhiking experiences.

"We forget about the real people out there," he said of reporters. His mission in the show is to portray American life as it really is–not as networks and magazines decide to "spin" it.

The real issues that people face every day, he said, are just as newsworthy as the issues faced by a few CEOs or by Hollywood celebrities.

No wonder, Schadler said, nobody likes reporters anymore. No wonder people don't watch the news. Reporters aren't talking about anything that matters to the vast majority of their audiences.

Of course this theory only works if you completely ignore the fact that CNN and The Wall Street Journal are doing just fine. And those are difficult facts to ignore.

It has to be polished, it has to be pre-approved, and it has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. CNN and The Wall Street Journal are respected, credible and valuable.

They investigate, dig up dirt, and report with accuracy and integrity. But they have become corporations themselves, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

What Schadler is doing is striking out on his own. There’s no wall of professionalism, no intimidating 60-story building between him and the people he meets.

Journalists strive for the image of perfection, and often work by throwing their interviewees off guard, exaggerating their knowledge of the situation, and various other sneaky tactics. Schadler is just asking questions. He wants to know what’s up.

He is not limiting himself to simple chit-chat. He listens, and those conversations lead to larger issues–welfare, racism and health care reform, to name a few.

The difference is that Schadler’s reporting has its base in a real person with a real issue to discuss; the focus is on the person, not the journalist.

Many attempts to make news more relevant to mainstream America are becoming apparent. My local newspaper hosts high school students interested in journalism, both to teach the students and to learn about what issues are important to them. Local news stations profile people who are making a difference in my community.

But real news coverage–investigative, authoritative reporting–about local decisions and issues is difficult to come by.

News reporters, in their hurry to cover big business and the latest Julia Roberts movie, often forget to wonder what is on the minds of their readers.