Want to be a journalist?
Friday 18 July 2008
What makes a good journalist?
Firstly it is important to have an enquiring mind. You should be interested in people and their stories and also be able to listen attentively.
Journalists also have to learn to report on all sides of a story, even when it seems obvious that one side is ‘right’. This is called being impartial or balanced and is one of the keys to good journalism.
The 2007 winner of the Sky Young Journalist awards Reuben, who was then 14, also thinks a journalist must enjoy their work.
“A journalist should be prepared to work flexible hours, and must be prepared for complications,” he adds.
Gaining experience
Gaining as much experience as possible is key! As you produce more stories, you learn more about how to sniff out a good idea, how to get information quickly and efficiently and of course how to present the story in the most interesting and relevant way for your audience.
“It can also be useful to have a specialist area that you could write about: being authoritative means your writing will be respected, “adds Reuben.
Perhaps you are an expert on music? If so, music papers and magazines might be your target. If current affairs is more your thing, then you might be considering going to into news journalism.
There are also many different types of journalists including newspaper reporters, TV presenters, radio news journalists and on line journalists. It may be worth trying your hand at each to see if you have a preference.
Starting young
The younger you start the better for your CV!
If you have a school or college radio station or newspaper, perhaps you can suggest a story. If it interests you and your friends, chances are it will interests others too!
There are a number of magazines, websites and radio stations run by young people where you could offer your services. Check out the n2k article on Headliners – a newspaper run by young people for young people.
There are also journalism options at GCSE. Reuben has just completed his GCSE and it was through his Journalism teacher that he entered the Young Journalist award.
“My teacher had the attitude that we had as good a chance as anyone else, but I really never thought I would win!” he comments.
“I would recommend (the GCSE) to anyone,” adds Reuben. “We visited newsrooms, and got lots of practise writing for the school magazine and even local papers. I have also started to write short stories.”
Reuben’s story
Reuben’s entry tackled the issue of rising house prices - a very topical issue at the time. Check out his entry.
“I had to think of all the people most likely to be concerned by this issue, and make a list of interviews I would conduct,” he explains. “To finish off my entry, I had to plan suitable camera shots for the television programme that were both relevant and emotive.”
Rob Kirk, the Editorial Development Manager at Sky News explains why Rubens story was selected as the winning entry, "He displayed a good understanding of the need to grasp the ‘overview' of the story, and then build a report carefully and logically. Reuben also clearly appreciates the ..need to tell stories through the experience of real people."
