Becoming A Better Journalist – To Rise Above The Call of Duty

25 Mar 2019
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Edu

A journalist has the responsibility of providing important news at the right time. The journalists’ profession is one of the most revered, simply because these guys are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to provide viewers with the information they need. Many have given their lives in the line of duty, and many are willing to go to extreme lengths in order to provide coverage. Michael Ray Smith, an award-winning journalist, knows quite a bit about the rigors of this profession. If you want to become a better journalist, follow the tips given below.

Prepare to never live the same day

This variety is the main benefit of this profession. No day is like another when you are a journalist since it is the news that dictates the use of time and the volume of content produced. In the morning, you start on a subject that you often ignore everything for, and by the end of the day, you end up publishing news about something quite different. In addition, journalism is a formidable observation post for a societal change.

A famous American journalist once said: “What is incredible with the journalists is that they are supposed to tell the evolutions of society in their articles, but they are unable to see under their noses the change of their own profession.”

Do not self-censor yourself

Not feeling legitimate, many students are forbidden to apply for an internship in writing or even a school of journalism. But you must not stop in your pursuit of improving yourself. If journalists do not obtain an internship in a media, even after asking for it, it does not matter. Your voice is what matters. In this day and age, anybody can just start a blog and start writing about their interests online.

You need to start anywhere you can. Even simple things such as taking a photo per day and posting it on your Instagram account with a relevant caption, to build a blog and learn to interact with Internet users, produce news videos on Dailymotion or YouTube in the form of zapping, launch a student newspaper, a newsletter, set up an application, are all going to make a difference. The key to successful journalism is consistency. You have to be consistent with your posts.

Do not be afraid for your future salary

A statistician mentions that “a very large number of journalists with incredible talent are struggling to make ends meet” in the United States. To note, “a journalist graduated from a recognized CDI or CDD course earns on average 12% more than a journalist graduated from an unrecognized course” according to a report conducted by a private agency.

If you are constantly working as a journalist because you want to make money, you will never be able to excel in your field. Michael Ray Smith began as a journalist but also diversified into teaching, and now has more than three decades of teaching experience. He’s also the founder of the pilot journalism program at Gordon College, Barnesville.