What is Journalism?
Imagine journalism as a bridge connecting the public with the world around them. Journalists act as the builders and maintainers of this bridge, ensuring it provides a safe and reliable passage for accurate information to reach the public.
Your Role
- Gather information (interviewing, researching, brainstorming, etc.)
- Verify the information (fact-checking process, inventory/organizing quotes, data, etc.)
- Disseminate the information (writing the story, editing, publishing)
That is the baseline for you to remember. You don’t offer your opinion on something, you don’t assume what a source meant by their quote. You maintain objectivity and be sure of 100% accuracy in all parts of your work.
There’s a lot involved for each of those three steps to go effectively, and as time progresses you’ll learn more about how to perform each of those steps.
Now, let’s go over some of the important things to understand as a young journalist:
Core Responsibilities of a Journalist
- Journalists meticulously gather information from credible sources, verify its accuracy, and ensure their reporting is objective and unbiased.
- Presenting compelling and engaging information. Journalists craft narratives to capture the reader’s attention and inform them.
- The ability to effectively interview individuals from various backgrounds is essential. Journalists ask insightful questions, actively listen, and strive to acquire relevant information from the best and highest sources.
Different Areas of Journalism
- Print Journalism – Despite the decline in popularity among the general public, traditional newspapers and magazines remain a cornerstone of the industry and act as a base for learning the other areas of journalism.
- Broadcast Journalism – This would be news reporting through television and radio, often combining on-site reporting and studio presentations. The most common example here would be your area’s local news anchor.
- Digital Journalism – The rise of online platforms, and social media in particular, has led to a surge in digital journalism and multimedia content creation — multimedia journalism if you will.
- Investigative Journalism – This would be the In-depth exploration of critical issues, often involving uncovering wrongdoing and holding powerful individuals or institutions accountable. This type of journalism is typically long-winded, meaning that it usually involves a hierarchy of sources and information, and can end up being a very long story; sometimes even split into parts.
Essential Skills for to Know Journalists
- Clear, concise, and grammatically accurate writing is paramount for effectively conveying information. A big part of this is learning the latest edition of the AP Style Guide which contains the rules for things naming and abbreviation conventions, spelling out months and dates, and a lot of other small things. Our glossary tool will cover some of those aspects in-depth with examples and personal commentary, insights, and more.
- Journalists need to effectively communicate with individuals and groups of people from various backgrounds, build rapport during interviews, and actively listen to gather accurate information. Pay attention to how you address people, say and spell their names, how you introduce yourself and the publication you represent, etc. You’ll be doing lots of meetings and 1-on-1 talking as a journalist, so if you want to have available, reliable sources, being able to critically communicate is key.
- As a young, inexperienced journalist you need to overexpose yourself to the industry and what’s going on inside of it. You should be reading several stories each day from multiple news outlets from different areas, different perspectives, etc. This can help you identify what stories might become breaking news, spot possible connections and trends, and ultimately learn from other writers and their abilities.
Getting Started in Journalism
- Develop a strong foundation and refine your writing skills, research abilities, and critical thinking through practice. The great thing about journalism right now for you, is that anyone can participate. If you think you want to be a sports writer someday, you can watch tonight’s Lakers game, listen to their postgame press conference, and practice writing your own game recaps. The hard truth is that practicing writing stories, over and over and over again, is the way you improve as a writer.
- Read diverse publications, watch news broadcasts, and engage with multimedia content to discover the areas of journalism that spark your interest. Like we said before, expand the content that you consume. This will only serve to benefit you, and as a journalist, you should want to read more stories to try and learn more that you can take away for use in your writing.
- Gain practical experience through volunteer opportunities at local news organizations, contributing to student publications, or freelance writing to build your portfolio. You’re probably at or near the beginning of your writing career so you need to find different ways to build credibility and establish yourself within your community. If you’re in college, you need to be writing for your school paper at a minimum. Our founder Ryne started by writing for a Green Bay Packers fan blog and then getting to write about sports for Texas A&M’s school newspaper and yearbook. Those gave him leverage to land internships and build a sizeable writing portfolio as a student journalist for 5-6 years.
Things to Remember
- Curiosity and being active are important traits to have when starting as a writer. Having a genuine interest in your story, and a desire to seek information are important right now. If it doesn’t get you excited, don’t write about it for now. Worry about taking on unwanted assignments from an editor down the line. For now, focus on what interests you. Having a genuine interest in your focus on journalism is what will propel you to want to keep writing stories and get better.
- Upholding journalistic ethics goes beyond following a rulebook. It’s about building trust with your audience by ensuring the information you present is accurate, unbiased, transparent, and respectable. It also means to avoid conflicts of interest and to hold yourself accountable for mistakes you make.
- Stay adaptable. Journalists especially are placed in the middle of a constantly evolving ecosystem where new technologies and platforms emerge at a rapid pace, so embrace learning, stay informed, be flexible, and connect with your fellow writers.
Remember, right now you should have a thirst for knowledge with the things you hope to write about, and a dedication to the transparency and truth of those topics. Whether you’re drawn to crafting captivating narratives with the local sports team, doing special interest stories, or delivering breaking news, journalism offers a rewarding path for those passionate about storytelling.
Want to learn more? Our free glossary tool defines key journalism terms and provides original insights for aspiring journalists. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn, and stay tuned to our blog for free content every week!