Essential Skills You Need To Become A Journalist
By: Kamna Rishiraj
Tags: Journalism, Tips, Skills, Digital, Education

Journalism is one of the most sought-after professions amongst modern media and entertainment careers and that too for good reason. The explosion of television news channels and digital media platforms has given rise to countless opportunities to broadcast professionals.

Almost all of us rely on various media outlets and platforms to get information, learn about events around the world, gather news and educate ourselves about various subjects. Still, we do know the difference between good and mediocre journalist when we see one. So what is it that makes a journalist good or bad?

Is it his or her ability to catch and hold your attention? Is it their control over language? Is it their ability to speak about a subject objectively while keeping their personal bias aside? Or is it because they come across as fantastic storytellers?

Well, it’s all of the above — and more.

Communication

The ability of a journalist to communicate well with the audience helps them connect and enables them to make their point well. The spoken word is extremely important when it comes to journalism. Written communication and the ability to articulate well on paper is a key skill that broadcast journalists need to have or develop, since the job involves a lot of writing, research, development of scripts, content generation and editing.

Digital Literacy

It is no secret that the world is driven by digital technology today, and it’s imperative for today’s journalists to possess a powerful grasp over things like social media, websites, apps, smartphones, laptops, tablets and any other broadcast mediums. Digital literacy is necessary today and will become even more important in the future, because of the large shift of the audience from print journalism to broadcast journalism. Using multimedia for storytelling purposes is the future and visual-driven content (slideshows, graphics, graphs, diagrams and videos) is set to rule.

Knowledge of Journalism

Being well-versed with the basics of the topic is the key to success in any field, and therefore the same applies to the world of journalism. Having a solid education in journalism can go a long way in ensuring that you understand the realms of journalism and broadcast media well before stepping into the field as a professional. This includes both — theory as well as the practical aspects of broadcast journalism.

Open Mindedness

This seems quite straightforward but it’s easier said than done. Having an open mind allows anyone to completely grasp the reality of a situation. As a journalist, having predisposed opinions may kill your piece as a narrow-minded approach ends up in a biased and judgmental perspective. Everyone has opinions, everyone has their side of the story, but your job as a journalist is, for instance, to complete the picture.

Research Skills

Readers look for a journalist that can do in-depth research and create knowledgeable articles. When it involves news, people believe facts, and whether you’re writing about an upcoming musician or homemade sweets or street food, people want to listen to everything. So be curious while researching and remember to possess healthy skepticism — an honest journalist has questions, but great journalists get answers.

Technical Skills

A journalist must have the basic skills like writing, social media and friendliness. But there are a few hard skills that you could pick up that would set you apart from the rest of the writers. If you are efficient in graphic design, photography and/or videography, you have skills that would benefit you in many ways. Your editors will want to send you to gigs because you can write the story, take great pictures and record a short 30-second clip for Instagram.

Yes, the journalism market is daunting. But a single taste of the journo lifestyle is enough to keep faith in its viability. For a job that rewards your intelligence, foresight and quick-thinking, you’d be hard pressed to seek out anything more satisfying.