Being a journalist means being the eyes and ears of society. You have the power to uncover truths and a responsibility to inform the public.
Understandably, it can be quite a high-pressure career. To thrive in this profession, you must learn multiple skills and dedicate yourself to continuous improvement.
Essential Tips To Be A Great Journalist
Here are a few things to remember if you plan on pursuing this career.
1. Train your curiosity.
While curiosity is more of a character trait than a skill, it’s also one of those things you must cultivate.
As a journalist, you need that desire to learn more about a topic or event. A curious nature makes you proactive. You don’t wait for information to get to you but find ways to dig it up.
Make it a habit to use your imagination and ask questions. Most people will take a look at a piece of information and stop there. You don’t. You see a story, find its sources, learn more about it, and think about how best to present it to the people.
2. Learn how to research effectively.
Research is the backbone of journalism. Every piece you write has to have valuable, factual information.
Googling stuff should only be the starting point. Once you get a basis of what you need, it’s time to look for verifiable data and facts that people don’t know or are hard to find.
This means talking to experts and first-hand witnesses, sifting through books, making phone calls, sending emails, and more. Journalistic research needs to be multi-faceted to minimize bias and get the full picture. Verify everything you obtain to ensure they’re correct.
You need to be relentless when gathering information. If a story is a puzzle, then some of its pieces will be scattered, others will refuse to give you a vital piece, and you might never find all the pieces.
Find the places where information passes through or is gathered (libraries, community meetings, government websites, online databases, public records, archives). Build professional relationships with key people. And create a system where you can easily keep track of information, sources, and other stuff.
3. Sharpen your interviewing skills.
As a journalist, you’ll be interacting with a lot of people, whether online or in real life. You need to know how to navigate a conversation and extract relevant information from it.
Interviews are essential to journalism. It is how you get to the source of a story and obtain unique information. Knowing that you have first-hand information also gives your work authority.
Interviewing isn’t just about asking questions and recording answers. You must be able to make a connection with your interviewees and put them at ease. People talk more freely if they’re comfortable with you.
You also need to know the right questions to ask, when to follow up, and how to guide the conversation in the direction you want. Research your guest’s background and behavior, study their reactions, and listen to how they speak. Use what you glean to judge how much you can push on certain topics.
4. Embrace digital media.
Modern journalists need to be versatile as media companies have different expectations of journalists. You’re also dealing with multiple mediums now, requiring you to learn a lot of different skills.
It’s no longer just about your writing and presentation skills. You should also know the basics of taking photos, shooting videos, recording audio, and other digital skills.
With the common lack of media literacy and the prevalence of fake news, there’s now more pressure on journalists to deliver fair and quality information. Having a firm understanding of the technologies you use as a journalist will help you in this.
A lot of current journalists have also become social media personalities. If you take this path, you’ll need to learn how to grow your platform, interpret data, and engage with your audience.
5. Develop strong ethics.
Strong ethics is another backbone of journalism. A good journalist is someone who people can trust to deliver fair and factual news, regardless of their personal feelings.
Always strive for truthfulness, accountability, and transparency in your work. Commit to your organization’s ethical rules as well as your own. This is perhaps the trickiest aspect of your profession. You will be constantly beset by ethical dilemmas, personal biases, and outside influence.
You should also be mindful of what you write about. Your work shouldn’t be at the expense of someone or something unless the information you have is of utmost importance to the public.
6. Build your expertise.
At the start of your career, you’ll probably handle a wide range of topics. If you want to grow further, consider specializing in a particular one.
The more you know about a topic, the better you will report on it. It makes you more valuable to media companies, allowing you to get better jobs, more recognition, and higher compensation.
The only way to build your expertise is through continuous learning. When you can, attend workshops, conferences, and training programs. Get certified or earn a higher degree. Even learning through unofficial paths like YouTube is a start.
7. Separate yourself from other journalists.
Successful journalists often have a distinctive style, voice, or approach to their jobs. They’ve become known for certain things, specialize in specific areas, and are consistently at the forefront of journalism.
Ernest Hemingway is known for his economical approach to writing. Jeremy Clarkson’s tongue-in-cheek humor has made him both a celebrated and criticized TV presenter. Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s Chief International Anchor, is well-known for her fearless war reportage and in-depth interviews with world leaders.
Finding what separates you from other journalists will take time. Identify your passions, reflect on what areas you excel at, seek feedback from your peers, and adapt to changes. As you progress, your unique qualities will slowly reveal themselves.
Being a Modern Journalist
Journalism has always been a scary career. You play a vital role in informing the public and holding those in power accountable. This often means reporting on sensitive topics, running against powerful people, and facing public ridicule.
It’s also currently in a state of transformation. Today’s digital age has brought about changes—some good, others dreadful—that require you to rethink what journalism is. Your role expands as technology and society evolve.
It’s a difficult profession that many say is dying. But they fail to realize that people want to know what’s happening in this world. Journalism is no longer what it once was, but it’ll survive in some form or another.
What do you think is essential to becoming a better journalist? Share your thoughts below!
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Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
