The Qualities of a Good Journalist

Have you ever wondered about what journalism is? Or what a journalist does? Or about what it takes to be a journalist? Well, look no further as some potential advice is about to head your way. The job of a journalist can be fun but also quite challenging at the same time. As a journalist, you are given the ability to travel the world and learn about the different things going on all around us. As exciting and fun as it all sounds, there is plenty of work that goes into writing news stories and reports. There is also a mandatory yet extremely beneficial skill-set that you must have to work in this field. Let’s take a look at some of the important qualities needed to be successful in the field of Journalism.

Integrity

A journalist must possess a solid ethical core and integrity. Journalists must be deemed honest, trustworthy, and having the trust of the audience is very important to succeed in the field of Journalism. Fairness, objectivity and honesty are all involved with integrity and they are built into every story published or reported on. It’s a journalist’s job to always be accurate and reliable to their audience. If trust is compromised with the public, it can tarnish and ruin the reputation of a journalist’s career.

This may be something simple to know, but a journalist should never take advantage of a corrupt situation and make a story of it. A positive but professional mindset helps keep balance in a story while protecting it from being biased.

Courage

A journalist must be courageous and bold. You must have the ability to be brave and must dig deep when asking questions during an interview. For instance, journalists may have to ask tough questions even when they are deemed unethical or uncomfortable. Personal feelings must not interfere with the task at hand and fear should not be existent no matter how big of a name the interviewee is.

In some cases, a journalist may be required to travel to the scene to get a glimpse of the environment to report the story in its true nature. Depending on the nature of the situation it can sometimes be dangerous, regardless it is always important to be prepared for what’s to come.

Communication Skills

Strong communication skills are essential to be a journalist. Communication skills is undoubtedly the most important quality to have as a journalist aside from integrity. Communication skills are the root of journalism and is the core of the field. These skills are used daily to interview people or to write in-depth stories and reports.

Communication has to be clear, precise and as accurate as it can be. To be a journalist, you must have a diploma or a bachelor’s degree in communication or journalism. You must also possess high proficient reading and writing skills along with outstanding english grammar. This is to ensure that the person reporting information to others is qualified and certified to complete the tasks they are trusted with.

Tech- Savviness

Technology and social media have become a huge part of journalism and reporting. Journalists hoping to reach success today must have solid technological skills. Social media is expected to be used as a tool to report stories in real-time and to provide transparent coverage of an ongoing event. Journalists also need to know how to research, fact check and access pubic records that are necessary for reporting a story. Social media also helps connect potential sources that could help build a story for the potential ins and outs of each media platform.

With that being said, journalists must also have a basic understanding of cameras and must know how to operate and use its functions. The same is required for any type of technological object including video cameras and tape recorders. Being tech savvy is a massive plus to have in the career of a journalist and will help with communications and interactions with others.

Time Management/ Organization

Time management and organization are essential to a successful career in journalism. Stories need to be put out on time and must be on schedule with the event that has happened. When working for a news press or a news company, editors will require journalists to meet deadlines so that stories may be delivered on time. In terms of organization, it is very important to be organized at all times. Good organization skills result in better time management and in better-written stories. Organization, along with many of the other skills mentioned, is great practice for a better and easier lifestyle overall.

The Blueprint Of Success In Journalism

A journalist that possesses these qualities is Trevon Marsh. Tre, a young journalist and Humber graduate has seen much success early in his young career. Tre possesses all of the qualities needed to be a great journalist running his own production in TMTV Media. He has been very successful with running the production. TMTV has been running strong for 5 years and during this time Tre had accomplished many things including interviewing the Marley family, airing TMTV on Rogers TV and surpassing 1 million views online. Everything accomplished within these 5 years however did not come overnight. Tre had to work extremely hard to make progress, the hard work put in was built off his integrity, the courage his outstanding communication skills, good tech skills and amazing time management. Tre has had the luxury of meeting some big named people including Snoop Dogg, Tory Lanez and Rick Fox. We can all see what Tre has done so far and have him be the possible blueprint for success in this field. Wanna learn how to be a good journalist? consult Tre.

The qualities needed to be a good journalist don’t just come out of the blue, it is something you must work on and perfect over the years to be successful within the field. But just like anything in the world if you practice you will improve as practice makes perfect.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more content!