How to Know if a Career in Journalism is Right For You

It is a truth increasingly universally (if somewhat paradoxically) acknowledged that we live in a “post-truth” world – particularly (with the exception, of course, of this article) as regards the mainstream press, and the “media” in general. Major news corporations and publications are owned in large part by partisan billionaires (many, indeed, by one partisan billionaire), or else are subject to various forms and degrees of shareholder or political pressure, and as a result are often either unable or unwilling to present a full, balanced account of a particular event, trend, or phenomenon. At the other end of the scale, the ubiquity of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and alarmingly realistic deep fake videos on the internet make it almost impossible to assess the veracity of grass roots reportage.

As the one-time “most trusted man in America”, CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite once said, “freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.” Given the mounting threat to such freedom, there has never been a more important time for conscientious, curious and persuasive types to enter the field of journalism – but is it for you? This article aims to help answer that question, by outlining some characteristics that might set you in good stead for a career in the media, and giving an idea of some of the options available within the field and what they might involve.

Are You The Talkative Type?

While there are of course exceptions, most forms of journalism involve a great deal of interpersonal interaction: trying to get as many first-hand accounts, interpretations, and points of view as possible is crucial to writing a balanced and informative account of whatever you might be reporting on. 

Often, people will be more than happy to share their version of events or excitement about something with you: say for example you are covering the development and opening of a new community library, prospective librarians, members of the community, local teachers and politicians, and those responsible for the building might all be very willing to offer you comments and express their excitement about the project. 

However, what might potentially set you apart as a reporter would be your willingness and ability to dig a little deeper, pick up the phone and dial up some people who might have different opinions and approaches, and ask difficult questions as and when they might be needed. While in our library scenario, it seems unlikely there would be any significant losers, it migh,t for instance be worth trying to establish if, and if so, why, there was any opposition to the project. 

Could the resources have been better allocated elsewhere, for example? Is the library in the same district that the rather vocal mayor is attempting to generate more support for an upcoming election, perhaps? Did the building it would replace burn down in suspicious circumstances? While these examples are obviously (and hopefully) a bit far-fetched for a well-meaning community project, you get the point: it’s the journalist’s duty to talk to as many people as possible, to get the fullest version of the story that they can.  

Curiosity: Bad For Cats, Great For Journalists

As the example above suggests, one of a journalist’s most valuable attributes is their curiosity – their “nose” for a story, as it were. While to a degree this might be natural, often the more knowledgeable you become about a particular field or theme, the more naturally questions seem to pop up in your brain. 

By exploring these questions rather than dismissing them, you will be able to train your brain to become better at reporting. Try if possible to be proactively curious – when you see or hear something, try and force yourself to ask why? Who? How? When? Where? 

Here, the role of imagination is key, in both developing an obvious line of questioning but also in being able to recognise and question any assumptions that you or others might have made about a story, and concoct alternative narratives as might be appropriate. So, if you’re curious (or willing to learn), journalism might well be for you.

The Three Rs: Reading, (W)riting, and (More W)riting

One of the key responsibilities of a journalist, of course, is to present as fact only that which can be verified – this requires extensive research in and around your specific area of focus. There are many courses and degrees available to instruct would-be journalists in how to conduct research of a sufficiently high standard to publish in good conscience, as well as a plethora of open-access internet resources intended to help writers meet journalistic standards. The quality of your writing, naturally, should reflect your research, and would ideally be able to point readers to the raw source material you used as evidence for any claims or arguments you might have made. As well as being accurate, though, your writing must be able to persuade readers of your argument, and get people invested in what you’re reporting on – so, if you love creative writing, slick phrasing, and even coming up with punny headlines, this would be a huge plus if considering a career in the media.

Variety Is The Spice of Life

Anyway, enough about what journalism might demand from you – what might you get out of it? One central attraction of a journalistic lifestyle is the variation baked into such a role. For example, if you have studied a sports journalism degree and go to work for a city-wide newspaper, you might spend one day going to a baseball game, another interviewing the head coach of a football team, and the next in the office writing up a report – only to be called out after lunch to gather an inside scoop on the beef between two major basketball stars. Such a dynamic and varied life is not for everyone, but it would keep work from going stale, and hopefully keep those creative, investigative muscles on their toes.

As well as diversity within a day, there is great diversity within the field of journalism itself. Humans have a huge range of interests, and this is reflected in the staggering breadth of subject matter covered even just in mainstream reporting. There really are many avenues available to our courageous would-be journalist – topically, the world really is your oyster. Generally, if it’s being done, someone will want to hear about it: sports, finance, culture, travel, music, and politics are just a few examples of the more common themes, but really if you’re passionate enough and can find an audience of like-minded people, you could report on anything.

Whatever your field, you could rely on being able to meet a huge array of people, from all sorts of backgrounds, in varied and interesting locations, each talking about something they’re interested in and (hopefully, but not always) knowledgeable about. While perhaps you may not always see the best side of humanity, you are certainly offered a privileged glimpse of it in all its diverse glory – and so if this is something you are curious about, and willing to write and research on, a career in journalism may very well be for you.

By Chris Bates