Give Your Best Tip/Resource For How Someone Can Become A Journalist?
To help you work as a journalist, we asked founders and CEOs this question for their best advice. From creating your own news outlet to finding an internship, there are several practical ways you may employ to enter journalism as a career.
Here Are Nine Ways To Become A Journalist:
- Create Your Own News Outlet
- Find and Practice Your Own Storytelling Style
- Get Under a Mentor Who is in The Industry
- Gain Writing Experience By Developing a Portfolio
- Freelance for Any Outlet
- Broaden and Diversify Your Knowledge
- Set Up Informational Interviews
- Get a Journalism Degree
- Find An Internship
Create Your Own News Outlet
No matter what industry you are in, there are websites and blogs that cover it. If you have knowledge of any job in the world, you can find a job writing about it. After years as a cybersecurity analyst and consultant, I turned to writing on the subject for a change of pace.
I still get to participate in the field that I love and stay on top of the latest happenings and innovations every day. Anyone looking to become a journalist should look into websites that cover areas that they already know well.
If you do happen to be into something that isn’t covered, or isn’t covered much, the option to start your own news site is always there.
Eric Florence, Security Tech
Find and Practice Your Own Storytelling Style
Journalists are storytellers. The best tips for becoming a great journalist are finding and then practicing your storytelling style. There are some questions you can ask yourself to help you develop your storytelling style. What kind of stories do you want to tell? How do you want to tell those stories? What makes a good story? Who will be interested in the stories you have to tell?
Try writing out answers to these questions and see what comes up for you. From there, start practicing writing stories – both real and fictional. The more you write, the better you’ll become good at it.
Natalia Brzezinska, PhotoAiD
Get Under a Mentor Who is in The Industry
Mentors are incredibly important. Finding a mentor who knows the ins and the outs of the business is essential. Figuring out what you want to do with your career is half the battle.
However, it’s an even bigger battle when you know what you want to do, but don’t know where to begin. A mentor can act as a guide that can help you maneuver through an ever-evolving industry such as journalism.
Kate Lipman, embrace Scar Therapy
Gain Writing Experience By Developing a Portfolio
Budding journalists need to get their byline published and out in the public eye in order to gain traction in their careers. Prolific writers have a better chance of getting work than those who don’t produce as much, and this goes for early stage career journalists as well.
Writing for local publications or online blogs are some good ways to build a portfolio for someone who is truly interested in a journalism career. Having a substantial writing portfolio is a major advantage in the hiring process and it gives candidates an opportunity to display their skills to hiring managers at significant publications.
Liza Kirsh, DYMAPAK
Freelance for Any Outlet
You want to get into journalism and you’re starting at the ground level? Find out where you can do any correspondence/freelance writing. If there are suburban and rural areas in proximity to where you live, there is a good chance that the community still publishes a weekly newspaper. Offer to do some freelance writing for one or more of those outlets. Find out whether there are any trade publications looking for correspondents.
There may even be online blogs/news sites interested in submissions. Build up your portfolio of clips and keep writing. There won’t be much money at first, but you’ll be gaining valuable experience. Learn to write on deadline and bone up on your knowledge of AP style. Read the published copy and see where the editor made changes or cuts. Keep trying and keep learning.
Trevor Ford, Yotta
Broaden and Diversify Your Knowledge
Stay hungry for information of all kinds. It goes beyond interdisciplinary knowledge gained at school or following the current trends only. The best way is to stand in the middle of everything interesting, whether it is a Nobel’s Prize, an Olympics game, new affair of the Kardashians, or a sensational finding on sushi consumption.
Sharpen your focus and absorb like a sponge all issues, which may evoke emotional reactions and turn out to be widely discussed, shareable, or helpful later on. The broader and more diverse your knowledge is, the greater your chances to succeed as a journalist are.
Agata Szczepanek, MyPerfectResume
Set Up Informational Interviews
Reach out to editors and set up an informational interview. Consider this an opportunity to find a mentor. Connect on LinkedIn or send a message over Instagram, or something more simple like an email. They can share job boards or openings within their company to point you in the right direction, all while sharing their own tips and tricks.
Corey Ashton Walters, Here
Get a Journalism Degree
One way to become a journalist is to get a journalism degree from an accredited institution. This will allow you to learn about the different aspects of journalism and how to apply them in real-world situations.
There are many kinds of journalism degrees available, so it is essential to choose one that best fits your interests and career goals. Some of the most popular journalism degrees include broadcast journalism and investigative journalism.
Gino Louise Reichert, LSAT Prep Hero
Find An Internship
Want to become a journalist? Find yourself an internship. Gaining experience is the best way to learn how to do the job and prove you’re good at it. Don’t hesitate to land an internship in a local or online editorial office, media agency, newsroom, or any other publisher. I’m not saying it will be easy, but when you succeed, do your best.
Editors often leave interns for longer. And those who do exceptionally well are likely to receive job offers from other employers. Think of an internship as a door that opens new opportunities for you.
Nina Paczka, MyPerfectResume
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