How to become a successful journalist?
Author: DR.N.V. Srinivasa Rao Post Date: 15 Jun 2023
In my opinion, a journalist is a person who acts as a connector between an individual and the world. We all get news from various sources like newspapers or/ and TV news channels or/and the internet. But how do these instruments get the details? They will get from the journalists. A journalist is a person who collects information from various sources, put them in a proper form so that the readers will understand properly and then disseminates the same to the public via the sources mentioned above.
To become a successful journalist, one should the minimum educational qualifications required for that post and also the skills that are required. The minimum qualification required for a journalist is not defined anywhere. Some people may appoint 12th class person also and some may ask for a qualification in Journalism. That depends on the standard of the organisation and the popularity of the organisation. Anyhow a bachelor's degree in arts or commerce or science may be good enough for a journalist. However, doing an internship during study or after completing the degree in any organisation related to news publishers or media houses may give some understanding of the duties of a journalist.
1. Language skills: A journalist should be able to communicate in writing properly what he wants to convey to the public. This will happen only when a journalist is good at writing in the language in which he is reporting the matter. So, a journalist should improve his language skills. He should have a strong vocabulary and at the same time, he should be able to write the same correctly so that the reader should understand the writing properly. So understanding the language, writing and speaking in that language is very important for a journalist. A good journalist should know how best he can communicate the information to the public. He should be able to make the reader read the article till the end. So very good language skills are essential for a journalist to be successful. What you know is not important. But how best you can communicate is important so that people will get interested in your writings
2. Good friend circle: As a human being it is not possible to know the things that are happening elsewhere. A journalist who reports the information first will have an advantage. So to get quick information reliably one should have good friends in the area where he works so that he will get information at the earliest so that he can rush to the place to get correct information before making it public.
3. Zeal to Know: A journalist should have interest and curiosity to know what is happening and should be able to get maximum information which is important for a reader to know about the incident. Simply reporting without anticipating the details of what a reader wants and trying to get them. That zeal to know the facts is very important.
For example, if you get some information about a meeting that is going to be held in your area, you should have interest to collect, when and at what time the meeting is going to be held, where is the venue, who is participating and what is the agenda of the meeting. Collecting such details is very important.
4. Practice reporting facts: These days we see many journalists reporting false news or anticipated news to create interest in the public. This is not ethical. Reporting wrong news, character assassination of people whom we do not like etc may cause problems afterwards. So be ethical and report facts only. But you should report the facts in such a way that the public will get interested in reading your write-ups.
5. Talking skills: Talking to people and interviewing people is one of the most important jobs of a journalist. A journalist should have these skills. He should be able to talk attractively so that people will hear him with interest. At the same time, one should have the ability to frame suitable, fact-finding, suitably worded questions so that the responding person in an interview will speak his mind properly.
6. Interest and commitment: A person should have an interest in the work he is doing and should be loyal to the organisation if he works there. Never work half-heartedly. At the same time, one should show interest in doing research to find out facts and should not think that they are not getting benefitted sufficiently.
In my opinion, a journalist will be definitely successful if he gets the above skills and a little computer literacy may also help to some extent in the present scenario.
Introduction:
To be successful in any profession, any person should have the required knowledge for performing well in that field, an interest in that profession etc. Dedication and respect towards that profession are also required. People should be ready to work hard and develop the required skills for that profession. These points are required even for a journalist.In my opinion, a journalist is a person who acts as a connector between an individual and the world. We all get news from various sources like newspapers or/ and TV news channels or/and the internet. But how do these instruments get the details? They will get from the journalists. A journalist is a person who collects information from various sources, put them in a proper form so that the readers will understand properly and then disseminates the same to the public via the sources mentioned above.
To become a successful journalist, one should the minimum educational qualifications required for that post and also the skills that are required. The minimum qualification required for a journalist is not defined anywhere. Some people may appoint 12th class person also and some may ask for a qualification in Journalism. That depends on the standard of the organisation and the popularity of the organisation. Anyhow a bachelor's degree in arts or commerce or science may be good enough for a journalist. However, doing an internship during study or after completing the degree in any organisation related to news publishers or media houses may give some understanding of the duties of a journalist.
Skills required:
Then coming to the skills that are required for a journalist to be successful, I feel the following are some of the essential skills.1. Language skills: A journalist should be able to communicate in writing properly what he wants to convey to the public. This will happen only when a journalist is good at writing in the language in which he is reporting the matter. So, a journalist should improve his language skills. He should have a strong vocabulary and at the same time, he should be able to write the same correctly so that the reader should understand the writing properly. So understanding the language, writing and speaking in that language is very important for a journalist. A good journalist should know how best he can communicate the information to the public. He should be able to make the reader read the article till the end. So very good language skills are essential for a journalist to be successful. What you know is not important. But how best you can communicate is important so that people will get interested in your writings
2. Good friend circle: As a human being it is not possible to know the things that are happening elsewhere. A journalist who reports the information first will have an advantage. So to get quick information reliably one should have good friends in the area where he works so that he will get information at the earliest so that he can rush to the place to get correct information before making it public.
3. Zeal to Know: A journalist should have interest and curiosity to know what is happening and should be able to get maximum information which is important for a reader to know about the incident. Simply reporting without anticipating the details of what a reader wants and trying to get them. That zeal to know the facts is very important.
For example, if you get some information about a meeting that is going to be held in your area, you should have interest to collect, when and at what time the meeting is going to be held, where is the venue, who is participating and what is the agenda of the meeting. Collecting such details is very important.
4. Practice reporting facts: These days we see many journalists reporting false news or anticipated news to create interest in the public. This is not ethical. Reporting wrong news, character assassination of people whom we do not like etc may cause problems afterwards. So be ethical and report facts only. But you should report the facts in such a way that the public will get interested in reading your write-ups.
5. Talking skills: Talking to people and interviewing people is one of the most important jobs of a journalist. A journalist should have these skills. He should be able to talk attractively so that people will hear him with interest. At the same time, one should have the ability to frame suitable, fact-finding, suitably worded questions so that the responding person in an interview will speak his mind properly.
6. Interest and commitment: A person should have an interest in the work he is doing and should be loyal to the organisation if he works there. Never work half-heartedly. At the same time, one should show interest in doing research to find out facts and should not think that they are not getting benefitted sufficiently.
In my opinion, a journalist will be definitely successful if he gets the above skills and a little computer literacy may also help to some extent in the present scenario.
Author: Dev Arora Post Date: 15 Jun 2023
Becoming a journalist requires more of your skills and interest rather than just educational qualifications. Journalists are creative, courageous and have good oratory as well as writing skills. So to become a good journalist we can discuss first based on required qualifications and then the bare minimum skills that one should possess to ace this field:
Educational Qualification:
For becoming a journalist one can do diploma courses, bachelor courses or master's. Although various courses are pursued and offered by different educational institutions, however, bachelor's or master's in mass communication is generally opted for by the students and widely spread. A candidate should focus on the theoretical aspects of the respective course as well as practical aspects. Different practical pieces of training, internships as well as mock reporting are conducted which should be attended with zeal so that you can become a successful journalist.
As already mentioned to become a successful journalist more skills are required. Here, I am quoting some skills which you should work on and practise on a timely basis:
Becoming a journalist requires more of your skills and interest rather than just educational qualifications. Journalists are creative, courageous and have good oratory as well as writing skills. So to become a good journalist we can discuss first based on required qualifications and then the bare minimum skills that one should possess to ace this field:
Educational Qualification:
For becoming a journalist one can do diploma courses, bachelor courses or master's. Although various courses are pursued and offered by different educational institutions, however, bachelor's or master's in mass communication is generally opted for by the students and widely spread. A candidate should focus on the theoretical aspects of the respective course as well as practical aspects. Different practical pieces of training, internships as well as mock reporting are conducted which should be attended with zeal so that you can become a successful journalist.
Skills Required
As already mentioned to become a successful journalist more skills are required. Here, I am quoting some skills which you should work on and practise on a timely basis:
- Oratory or communication skills:A successful journalist is not only writing stories or developing coverages, but they often have to communicate it to the public understandably and creatively. They are like actors whose voice modulation as well as writing should be creatively presented.
- Analytical and research mindset:A journalist has to develop the story coverage from scratch linking the chains and developing conclusions so that they can be effectively presented. The facts covered should be correct as well as presented in such a manner so that users do not find it monotonous. It requires a lot of courage and research at the back end for presenting it to the front end. Also, the accuracy of statements matters a lot.
Author: Ramya Post Date: 09 Jul 2023
Here are some tips and steps you can follow to become a successful journalist:
Remember that you will become successful as a journalist with dedication, passion, and experience.
Here are some tips and steps you can follow to become a successful journalist:
- Obtain a bachelor's degree or master's degree in mass communication, journalism, or related field. This will give you a strong foundation in journalism principles, research, writing, ethics, and storytelling techniques.
- Journalism heavily relies on effective communication and writing. So, develop strong communication and writing skills. Practice different writing styles like feature stories, news articles, and investigative reports.
- Gain practical experience by doing internships, freelance, and part-time jobs in journalism. You can also work for local publications, student newspapers, or online platforms to develop your skills.
- Networking is very important in the journalism industry. So, build a strong network by attending events and by joining professional associations. Build relationships with editors, journalists, and media professionals and seek their advice and guidance.
- It is essential to stay informed about local and international news. So, stay updated on current affairs by reading newspapers and following reputed news outlets.
- Familiarize yourself with multimedia tools, social media platforms, and video editing software to enhance your skills, as journalism has evolved to include various multimedia elements.
- You can consider specializing in a specific area of interest such as business, politics, technology, environment, etc. to establish yourself as a subject matter expert, which opens up more opportunities.
- You have to uphold journalistic ethics and integrity and have to maintain high ethical standards. Stand to accuracy, impartiality, and fairness while reporting by fact-checking information and verifying sources.
Remember that you will become successful as a journalist with dedication, passion, and experience.
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