The aim is to be up to date and ready to learn
One of the four pillars of Indian democracy, journalism is a field of presenting the facts to the world. The whole aim behind being a journalist is to bring to the fore unheard truth. One of the prestigious fields of work that deals only in facts, journalism requires precision and accuracy to excel. It also requires one to have the correct information, and be up to date with daily happenings around the world, not just domestic. Being aware is the key to being a successful journalist. For the upcoming breed of students aspiring to join the stream of journalism as a profession, here are a few things to keep in mind while on your journey.
Like any other professional course, journalism also requires a degree. While there are colleges dedicated to journalism, people with a degree in any language, English or Hindi, with a basic understanding of forming sentences can aim to be a journalist.
A daily habit of reading newspapers. For a student aspiring to be a journalist, inculcating the daily practice of reading newspapers is a must. While all the papers will present the same news, the focus has to be on the style of writing, patterns, forms, and similarities. Pay attention to how the information has been presented and in what order.
Practice the language as much as possible. It is of utmost importance that the aspiring candidate has a stronghold over the language, either Hindi or English. Right from the grammar to the sentence structure to forming smooth transitions from one paragraph to another, the language has to be easy.
Writing and communication skills. Well, you may not have thought of this but, both have to be bang on. The more you read the newspaper, practice the same amount of writing. Take up any small piece of newspaper and write in your own words. Practice recording a piece-to-camera from the facts gathered from the newspaper or internet. Observe how many pauses are there, how accurate are the pronunciations, how well articulate are you, and so on.
When in doubt, leave it out. This is the golden rule of journalism. When there is a doubt in any fact, story, event, or incident, the best thing is to leave it out completely.
Never stop learning and evolving. To be a journalist there is no end to gathering information or keeping oneself updated. Every day is a new learning experience; the same is the case with journalism. Every piece of information that is out there in the public should be in the minds of a journalist.
