For my first blog post I want to talk about journalists themselves. I feel like everyone is so concerned about newspapers and how journalism itself is changing that there is little room to discuss the actual people. Journalism is about reporting and writing about people to people so this topic is definitely something I want to explore more, but for now I'll just start with the basics: what it takes to be a journalist in today's world. I learned a lot during my two internships, and the most important thing I learned is that journalists need to be multi-talented individuals.
When I say today's world, I mean what everyone calls the "digital age." Almost everyone has a tablet, laptop, and/or a smartphone. That means that all these people have constant access to the Internet, which means constant access to news. The general public isn't going to wait around for tomorrow's newspaper or their favorite TV station's report at 8 p.m.; its wants news that it can get on any device at its earliest convenience
Is it possible to reach such a demand? Yes, but that means staff reporters can't just write stories. Editors can't just edit. Critics can't just review the latest books, restaurants, and movies. Photographers can't just take photos. You get the idea.
In order to survive in today's world as a journalism, one has to be able to do everything I just mentioned. Unfortunately, there isn't much money in journalism today, so news outlets are looking for journalists who have a wide range of skills. The quality of reporting and writing is obviously still very important, but interacting with your audience, photo and video skills, and knowledge about social media is becoming equally important.
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