The Path to Becoming a Journalist
Working as a journalist is a great career choice if you’re always the one who needs to be in the know about the daily goings-on. Today’s always-turned-on lifestyle means that even though the face of journalism has changed, the need for news is always there – maybe now more than ever.
Being a journalist means you will be charged with information gathering and writing articles that keep readers informed about what is going on in their community and the world. Duties involve interviewing individuals on breaking stories, writing profiles, offering readers the historical perspectives on breaking events and covering special interest groups. Whether you work in print or on line, you could be assigned a specific beat area – geographic, political, entertainment or even personality profile avenues.
Everyday it’s being reported that layoffs and closures are occurring in print media venues and even with this economic downturn, there is still a need for news. Landing a job as a staff reporter may not be as easy as it once was but there are still opportunities available for journalists whether in a traditional print newspaper or as being part of its online newspaper presence. Because many readers are looking to the Internet for their news information, online “newspapers” offer opportunities.
Journalism courses include developing writing skills, understanding AP (Associated Press) style guidelines, honing in on myriad ways to express news pieces journalistically – from critical reviewing, editorial writing, science and environmental writing, reporting on various cultures, business analyzing and reporting and international issues. In a career as a reporter, it’s rare that one day is similar to the next when it comes to tracking down and writing an article. Reporters need to remember, though, to keep themselves and their personal biases out of the articles they pen.
Landing a position in a small community newspaper or a larger publication will determine you daily duties. Being employed in a smaller newspaper gives a journalist the opportunity to develop skills in addition to writing – including taking photos to illustrate your article and helping with editing of pages before the paper goes to press.
While it’s true that the economy has made newspaper owners tighten their belts when it comes to staffing, there are still opportunities to land a job as a journalist. Consider internships, freelance writing for the paper of your choice or offering to write for the papers’ website. Beginning salaries for journalism majors is about $35,000.
Michael Silver counsels adult students on online degrees, scholarships, online colleges, and financial aid.
