Journalism can be sub divided into various categories such as investigative journalism, fashion journalism, advocacy journalism, career journalism, citizen journalism, celebrity journalism, and various other kinds of journalism. The job profile/duties and responsibilities of a journalist are based on the category you are working but some of basic ones are mentioned below.
People like to be informed about the daily happenings and in this way a journalist plays an important role in the development of the nation by educating and enlightening people with important information. As a journalist your most important role is to provide reliable news to the people. In journalism, the first step of a journalist is to define the area or topic he or she needs to cover. It could be anything from a national crisis, individual crisis, movies, sports, events, etc. Mostly one should have the answers to the Who? What? When? How? Where? The journalist should develop sources for information and the information should be precise, verified, and error-free.
In journalism, one should follow certain guidelines such as the following:
- Truth is one of the main obligations
- Information should be dependable for the citizens
- Always verify
- It must not be influenced and must be independent
- It must allow for public feedback and their criticism
- The news should be relevant and interesting
- The news should be complete and proportional
A Bachelor's degree or post graduate degree in mass media communication is required to pursue a career in journalism. One could pursue a bachelor's degree in mass communication after school. Some journalism institutes also provide one year certificate courses in journalism. One could specialize in some fields like investigative, fashion, etc.
The following are other requirements to go on to become an excellent journalist:
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent listening qualities and understanding of situations
- Good analytic skills and attention to minute things
- Good with camera, video, and audio processing abilities should be possessed by camera-man and videographers
- Ability to work in teams, excellent understanding between team members
- Good leadership qualities
- Excellent interviewing skills
- Passion for the job if one wants to stand out from the crowd
In journalism, experience is very important, especially if you are applying for higher posts. Individuals with more experience are employed at higher post so minimum of 2 to 3 years of experience is required for anchoring and even more experience would be required for an editor.
A journalist could find various opportunities as they get more and more experience in various news channels, newspapers, radio, etc. They can work as an editor, columnist, reporter, cartoonist, illustrator, etc. There are plenty of news channels, newspapers, and magazines looking for good journalists. The opportunities in journalism are ever increasing. A career in journalism is highly prestigious and also a high paying one.
The average annual salary which a journalist can earn is around $38,000. For a newcomer a basic salary is around $12,000. The more experience you have, the more salary you earn. The salary of journalist is also dependent on factors such as the size and type of organization, skills, abilities, and the job position.
Qualified journalists are in great demand, provided you have good skills. Journalism can be a very good option for your career if you are thinking of becoming a one.
