A journalist is an individual hired to collect and interpret facts about various events and news stories. This may involve conducting interviews and investigations, and using personal observation. Journalists are currently employed by a magazine or newspaper company, both national as well as local, but may also be hired for an online news site or other news supplier. Many journalists work directly under a boss and news editor who oversee the columns of the magazine, paper, or website, but some journalists may also work as freelancers and supply their work on an as-needed basis.
The work of a journalist is mostly mental, requiring strong reading and writing skills, as well as the ability to piece together snippets of information and facts to create an interesting and true story. However, there may also be certain physical aspects to the job, as a journalist often needs to do some legwork to get a story. Journalists' work may take them both indoors and outdoors to gather material for the article, but when writing an article, the journalist generally must have access to a computer. Many journalists work individually when creating an article and only rely on other people to gather facts/evidence as well as for potential edits to their piece.
A journalist must have a strong academic background in writing, and being associated with some type of journalistic activities in high school and/or college do not hurt. The hours of a journalist are mainly dictated by deadline. A journalist must feel comfortable working long hours to fulfill a short deadline and must also be able to pace himself or herself when a longer piece requires a deadline far into the future.
Journalist Tasks
- Review and edit copy.
- Report and write stories for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, or the internet.
- Collect and interpret facts about news events through interviews, investigations, and observation.
- Work with news editor and reporters to generate new content.
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