Journalist

Job overview
Journalists assemble information on particular subjects, events, occurrences or people and then write this up in report form for the press, radio, television, or any company or institution that may have asked for a report on a particular item or topic.

What do people do in this job?
Junior reporters are usually assigned to write on local events like court and crime reporting, school and municipal news.

As they become more experienced they move on to sport, financial news, art, culture and politics and so on.

Regional and country newspaper journalists often have to report on a wide variety of subjects and have to be very versatile, often combining writing and photographic skills to report on a variety of events.

Journalists also get the opportunity to report on international news from abroad and may become foreign correspondents for media institutions.

Foreign correspondents employed by news media corporations are usually based in important cities like London, Washington, Tokyo etc.

Journalists usually specialise in either print journalism or broadcast journalism.

Print journalists can work for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, journals and technical publications, while broadcast journalists are usually assigned to report for radio and/or television.

Magazines tend to make use of experienced writers or freelance reporters rather than employing full-time journalists.

Specialised reporting for trade and technical publications is a fast growing and important facet of print journalism, covering? "?hobby?" ?magazines and this can provide careers for journalists with knowledge and interest in specific fields - music, theatre, agriculture, business, engineering, sports, etc.

Freelance journalists work on their own, often without a regular income.

They write on a wide variety of topics for various publications and radio and television stations and often find markets for their material by researching topics and visiting places of conflict, which are not regularly covered by the conventional news media.

Another facet of journalism is the work of the press photographers who fulfil a very important task in “capturing?”? news events.

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
Journalists should posses writing ability, general knowledge, curiosity, imagination, persistence, accuracy, intelligence and the ability to analyse.

They should also be able to produce work with limited supervision, work together as a group and be able to handle criticism.

They must have the ability to work under pressure.

Journalists should be prepared to work hard and long hours since news does not adhere to any hour or programme.

What qualifications are needed?
There are no specific qualifications but a good all-round education is called for, plus a good command of one?'?s own and preferably other languages.

A diploma/degree in Journalism, Media Studies or Mass Communications is very valuable within the industry.