How to be a Great Journalist
Becoming a journalist requires a lot of dedication, drive, creativity and persistence. Aspiring journalists should do everything they can to become familiar with the many different avenues that a journalism career can lead to. The media, which includes print journalism, Online journalism, broadcast journalism and photography journalism are the main sources of information that the world has to learn about the local and global communities. Journalism is an important career choice that affects many lives, and aspiring journalists who want to be successful in their careers should follow these tips:
Although most journalists tend to trend towards either broadcast or towards print journalism, a good journalist should work hard to master both the broadcast journalism style AND the print style of reporting news. Print journalism style writing has different rules than the rules used to write broadcast journalism stories. Journalists should each own a style book for print journalism and a separate style book for broadcast journalism. A broadcast journalist may assume that they will always have a career working on radio or television but there is no guarantee that their career path will not change. All journalists should be familiar with and practice writing and creating print news stories and broadcast news stories.
Many aspiring journalists are told while they are attending college or university that it will take them years to build a reputation of being a journalist that major print publications and broadcast news stations will hire. Many aspiring journalists feel discouraged by being told that it might be years before they are taken seriously but they should still work towards their goals. It is important for journalists to consider the many different doors that a journalism career can open. Public relations and communication officer jobs are needed at most large and small companies. Individuals with a journalism education and work experience are preferred job candidates by the millions of companies that need public relations and communication officer employees. Journalists can build their work reputations and sharpen their communication skills through working in other jobs that utilize their journalism skills.
Just as a body needs regular physical exercise in order to stay in shape, a journalist needs to exercise his or her mind by reading news stories and watching high quality broadcast news stories to stay informed about current news and trends. In order to become a successful journalist, it is important to look for every opportunity to utilize journalism skills. If you are a journalist looking for a job in print journalism and larger corporations are not hiring you, approach non-media companies and offer your services to create a corporate newsletter or magazine for them. Opportunities exist to write articles on the Internet as well, through Online freelance publishers or through creating your own Internet blogs. If working in broadcast journalism is a goal of yours, buy a video camera and report on stories in your neighborhood and post them on the Internet or try selling them to your local community cable television station. Journalists who are persistent and passionate about their work will reap successful rewards.
