Today, the rapid growth of the media has not only changed the perception of people towards journalism as a concrete career, but it has also increased the demand for skilled people.
Communication and technology have reached the peak of their relationship with people recognising the need to be constantly updated about relevant happenings. Be it magazines, the Internet or the good old newspaper, the media’s main task is to spread information. In a democratic country like India, journalism has become an integral part of society that allows the public to voice their opinions in governmental affairs and daily events.
Believe it or not, journalists have the power to influence the multitudes with first-hand information that they possess. The potential to influence minds, drastically change beliefs and revolutionise thought processes lies in their hands. Worldwide, journalism has been known to transform and invigorate freedom struggles and independence movements too.
This field has been deemed a lucrative but challenging career option. The core activities in the job involve reporting, writing, editing, photography, broadcasting or cable casting news items.
Journalism is broadly divided into two categories: print, which consists of newspapers, magazines, digests and journals; and electronic journalism, which consist of the internet, radio and television. It is a career option for the adventurous that provides excitement on a daily basis. You can be an editor, reporter, cartoonist, writer, columnist and what not!
What It Takes to Be a Journalist
Can you write about how your neighbours fought without being too verbose or boring? If you are looking for a career in journalism, you must have a confident temperament. You should have a flair for writing, and you must be accurate and concise about what you write. Working under deadlines should be a journalist’s mantra. Amongst the many things required to be a journalist, it is important to have a high calibre, awareness, an inquisitive mind and an understanding of the differences between reality, fiction and tact. It’s like an unwritten law to be unbiased towards any situation. If you are persistent, talented and hard working, a career in journalism is for you. To get a feel of what kind of writing it takes to become a journalist, read as much as you can, from newspapers to popular blogs. You can also decide what kind of journalism you want to dabble in since journalism has expanded to countless avenues. For instance, you can now choose to enter the fields of political journalism, photo journalism and tabloid reporting amongst many more.
Why Should I Take Up Journalism?
Well, assuming you can cope with the pressures of the job and have the confidence to take on various challenges of such a demanding industry, the obvious financial rewards may entice you. There is also the knowledge of having contributed in some way to an industry with your ideology and thoughts, which brings about satisfaction and love for what you do.
Work Experience
Most of the jobs in the media are filled by word of mouth and are often not advertised at all. Get to know people in the media world because networking is important in this industry. In the end, a good job with a decent salary all boils down to certain qualities and traits that you need to possess.
If you want to be a reporter, get in touch with your local magazine, newspaper, radio station or news channel. If you want to work for a particular magazine or newspaper, find out where they are based. Yes, it’s important to contact and badger them. Badger them until they give you a response since persistence really pays in this field. Explain that you are a trainee and need a lot of work experience. But don’t continue to annoy them once they tell you that they cannot help you. Call them after a month or so for any available offer. Having a conversation over the phone is always better than electronic mail. People are busy and they rarely have the time to go through a bunch of mails stacked up in their mailbox. When you call them, be concise about what you have to say and don’t ramble on. Talk about what you can contribute and why you can help them. Convince them to read your resume and published articles (if any). If they don’t respond for weeks, make sure to call them back until they say something. This shows a lot of dedication to your work. Remember that dedication is always the secret ingredient to achieve anything you want in life.
Scoring an internship always helps. Many magazines offer internships to young students where a lot about the writing process can be learnt.
Stand Out!
You need to be remembered. Don’t be shy in a large office. It’s important to talk and engage in conversation. Make an impression and don’t wait for work to be given to you. Work experience is not too hard to find. Most places are understaffed and extra hands are always welcome. But that’s of no use if those hands have no ability to construct a new story, interview people or do research. It’s crucial to be on your toes, doing everything that needs to be done.
So, if you enjoy stringing words together and reporting about current affairs, it’s time you make your experience with words a richer one by entering the field of journalism.
India’s top journalism institutes
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Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Ahmedabad
www.mica.ac.in/mode/home -
Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC), Mumbai- Postgraduate diploma in journalism & mass communication
www.xaviercomm.org -
Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore
www.iijnm.org -
Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai
www.asianmedia.org -
Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi
www.iimc.nic.in
International J-Schools
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Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York
http://journalism.columbia. edu/home -
Stanford University, California
http://comm.stanford.edu/ journalism/ -
The London School of Journalism, United Kingdom
www.lsj.orgUniversity of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, California
http://journalism.berkeley. edu/ -
Northwestern University, Meddil School of Journalism
http://medill.northwestern. edu/
Volume 2 Issue 1
