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How much would it take to be a journalist?

I am interested in journalism. What skills does it take to be a good journalist?

  • What skills does it take to be a good journalist? what course do you need to take in college? does it require public speaking? is it easy to get a job? thank you

  • Answer:

    I was a journalism major in college. I myself do not possess all of these skills, which probably explains why I am not working in journalism now (I'm still not sure why I never changed majors, but I digress)... I did interned at several newspapers while in college though. -an interest in current events/politics/movies/etc -the curiosity to want to know more about the field you are devoting yourself to -the ability to interview people involves more than just asking questions. You need to know WHICH questions to ask, and HOW to ask them, or your editor WILL have you calling sources back multiple times in order to fill in the blanks. You cannot be shy -- especially as a beginner, when you are covering fires/car accidents, questions will be difficult and you will have to interview people who do not want to be bothered (I was never able to call someone who had just lost someone in a car accident to ask the questions). You need the ability to approach people for "man on the street" type stories. -an eye for detail and accuracy. Whether it's the spelling of someone's name, a description of an event, you stories should be fact-checked and accurate. -PATIENCE. it takes time to move up the ladder. in the newsroom you will probably be handed the worst beat to start with (courts, town hall meetings).

BrbE at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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You have to be comfortable approaching and talking to strangers, being able to draw them out in order to get details and facts. You need a conscientious mind to follow up and check sources, verfiy events, make sure what you write is factual. You need good writing skills, and really good editing skills. You need to be able to get the article or story, and all its details written in aboout 1000 words or less. You dont need to take journalism, I never have and my first attempt made the front page of a well known, large newspaper. Subsequently everything I submitted also made the front page, which put a lot of pressure on me to continue to write front page news. I would have prefered to start on about page four and work towards front page news. Take your camera everywhere with you, keep your eyes and ears open for local interest stories, dont go for the hard news because a staff reporter will be assigned to cover it, UNLESS you happen to be in the right place at the right time for photographs no one else will be getting - Go home, write your story immediately and email immediately to the publisher of your choice. Do NOT sign away copyright on your photos. Do NOT submit the same story to more than one newspaper, they tend to want an "exclusive" so advise them you are sending EXCLUSIVE coverage and photos - Keep in mind that most newspapers etc go to print at about 4 AM so dont worry if its 2 AM - get the story in to them immediately, they can stop the press and make room for your story if its a good one. While waiting for the big exclusive front page story prowl your area looking for people doing unusual things - say someone who is building a rocket in his barn, someone who has converted a harley so he can wheel his wheelchair on to it, and still ride (my first published article). Do NOT write for free just to see your name in print. Print up cards "Mary Jane Brock. Free Lance Journalist and Photographer writing for Bug Tussle Daily". You need a digital camera, a photo editor, a good one on your PC, a tape recorder, and a notebook and dont leave home without the camera, note book and recorder. Do not tell yourself you will remember what was said - you wont, write it down, record it ! Make yourself known to the community, attend community events, and talk to people, introduce yourself, become known. Eventually people will phone you and say "you gotta write about this" DONT be afraid to walk up to someone and say Hi I'm Mary Jane, I free lance for Bug Tussle Daily, can you tell me what happened here? Do NOT ever promise anyone their story will make the news. Find out what your paper prefers to print. If you have an idea for a story that isnt happening now, research archives to see if its been done. If its turned down by your local paper send it to another newspaper, one that is distributed all over your state or province Events such as festivals, movie production in your home town etc will be assigned to staff reporters. Thats not to say a story about a movie star playing basketball with his crew in the evenings wont make for some good photos. But dont waste your time pursuing a story assigned to someone else. Remember you are not as a free lance writing a column or opinion piece for the paper, that is not your job. As you are published and become known to the newspaper you can then submit column samples and lobby for your own column. Good luck!

isotope2007

Hi! First of all: you must be aware of whats happening not only in your immediate surroundings but even in far flung places. 2.you must understand the impact of events and developments on people and nations 3. You must have a good command over the language ( english) 4.communication skills are very important, so you can opt for journalism and Public relations 5. Yes, if you have all these attributes and you are an unbiased writer, you can have ajob easily. cheers n chin up:)

angelzzz

actully do some work... glad you want be a journalist

zanad m

In addition to all of the other very good advice, I'll add that you need to constantly be able to find and report the Who, What, When, Where and Why that every properly reported story has. Those are the basics I learned decades ago.

Harold C

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