In today’s digital economy where information can be published at the drop of a hat and fake news sometimes runs rife; it’s easy to believe that anyone and everyone can be a journalist. While this isn’t necessarily untrue, considering the amount of citizen journalism we consume (shout out to social media), journalists still require a plethora of skills to provide quality and trustworthy journalism.
While many skills in question are easily acquired, others come with particular personality traits.
While a degree isn’t always required, it’s the perfect way to hone the specific skills needed to be a successful journalist. While the days of the traditional pen-and-paper journalist who writes for newspapers are mostly long gone, having a related degree is still extremely favorable to news organizations. An online Masters of Journalism is a convenient and suitable option if you’ve already frequented a campus throughout your undergraduate studies.
So, what are the skills involved? Let’s start with natural and progress to learned abilities, or those you need to finesse in order to stand out from the crowd.
Natural Curiosity
Perhaps the most crucial trait comes down to a burning desire or motivation to discover the many truths of our world. If you find yourself asking questions at every opportunity including who, what, when, where, and particularly the whys and hows; then this is probably you.
A good way to assess your stance is by using the example of travel. For instance, one person might prefer a more independent and spontaneous exploration trail that involves endlessly wandering the streets of a new city, stumbling upon activities and foods and items that showcase a difference in customs and cultures. In contrast, another person might prefer to have everything pre-planned in an inclusive, multi-day guided tour that includes a chauffeur and tour guide and fancy resort that reduces their desire to get out and explore because they have everything they need at their fingertips.
Why do you travel? Are you more dependent or independent? Are you spontaneous or do you like to have everything planned in advance? Are you proactive or reactive? You can manifest a proactive mindset by taking initiative and practicing independence, but at the end of the day, this requires a desire to want to be that kind of person.
Interpersonal and Communication skills
Communication skills are vital to journalism on two fronts. Firstly, you’ll need to be able to build genuine rapport with your interview subjects to obtain the most authentic and personal accounts that make for a compelling story. Secondly, you’ll need to be articulate and know how to piece together prose, with sound knowledge of spelling and grammar. You’ll need to be a confident and affluent writer with astute storytelling skills, in order to succeed. A lot of the general population possess these skills and have gained them through various means and life experience; however, undertaking journalism or communications degrees can provide you with the specific skills required to excel as a journalist (especially when it comes to writing). The market for journalism jobs is vastly competitive in general, in the US and abroad. So ideally you need to have been complimented on your writing ability at some stage to score a chance.
Dedicated Research
In order to be a journalist you need to substantiate your natural curiosity with the ability to back it up with dedicated and thorough research. You can walk the walk but can you talk the talk? Let your curiosity fuel you in your research journey as you dig deeply, dissect and analyze every possible angle to create an informative and unique story.
You need to be passionate to find answers to learn the ins and outs about your subject. Sometimes the answers are hard to find or you might have a hesitant interviewee. You need to be committed and persistent to achieve results. This could involve sometimes repetitive and arduous tasks like sifting through press releases and skim-reading copious articles to find relevant information like a change in someone’s attitude or key dates and locations. Research can be compelling at times and at others it can be administrative and mundane and involve examining the nitty gritty details. You need to be ready for anything when it comes to finding the answers.
Computer Literacy
Once upon a time journalists needed to know how to use word processing software, web searching, cameras, microphones and video editing software. Enter the digital age where journalists need to know all of this and more. These days, most Americans get their news from digital devices. It’s now routine to publish news online; therefore, journalists need to be equipped additionally with web, design, social media, image collection and sharing and app usage skills.
While it might sound ironic, if you want to improve your tech and computer literacy, YouTube is a great free resource. Videos are the simplest way to demonstrate how to use various software and hardware, as often it’s somewhat intuitive to show, but a lot harder to describe these functions.
Though it might seem like everyone is a journalist these days, you still require a certain skill set to be a successful journalist that the community at large can trust. What’s more, in a vastly competitive industry, you need to be the best in the game in order to stand out from the crowd. If you’ve already nailed these skills, you’re well on your way to paving a career path in journalism.
