Journalism is one of the pillars upholding contemporary society. We don’t mean to intimidate you with this statement, but it’s important to understand just how essential journalism is to our modern world.
To guide you on your journalistic journey, we’ve assembled the five essential skills you’ll need to succeed. If you want to hone these skills without committing to a three-year degree, you can find plenty of options for journalism courses online, such as https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk.
Clarity
As a journalist, people depend on your writing to learn the truth on matters. Not only do you need to contextualise information properly, but you need to ensure it remains truthful. Fact-check, accrue multiple sources, fact-check again, frame the event within the wider context and fact-check once more.
Computer Skills
Although not quite as foundational as the other skills here, journalism has largely shifted online, and our list serves to reflect the growing importance of technological understanding within the field. It’s not just Microsoft Word you’ll be using. Make sure you’re familiar with editing software, microphones, cameras – anything relevant to modern journalism.
Communication
Writing’s main purpose is to communicate, so failing to communicate properly is a failure to write properly. If readers are confused by your writing or fail to understand what it’s trying to say, you haven’t done your job properly. Ensure your writing is clear, concise and communicative.
Coherence
Similarly, good writing should be easy to read and it helps if it’s enjoyable. Double-check for spelling and grammatical errors, and try reading your sentences out loud to see how well they flow.
Leaving your work for a while and coming back later can reveal bumps in your writing that would otherwise go unnoticed. As for enjoyment, being a good storyteller can help your stories to stick with your audience and keep them reading on.
Community
Finally, it’s important in journalism to have good interpersonal skills. Working effectively as part of a team is integral to the success of your work, as is being able to build rapport and empathise with the people you’re seeking to write stories about.
