Information about the career of choice.

A journalist may:
attend press launches, courts, council meetings and other events
interview people by phone or in person
respond to tip-offs, calls and news releases
record notes in shorthand or on tape and write stories up on computer.
Besides the pressures of working to deadline and getting stories out ahead of the competition, journalists must keep their stories balanced, fair and lawful.

A journalist must have:
an enquiring mind
excellent written English and a concise writing style
the ability to win the confidence of all kinds of people
high standards of accuracy
the ability to produce good work under pressure
a thick skin, to handle rejection
persistence and stamina
quick understanding - journalists often have to write with authority on unfamiliar subjects
a knowledge of the law as it affects journalism.

In the UK, new journalists in a local news organisation may start on around £12,000 per year.
With experience, senior reporters can earn around £22,000 per year.
The top journalists in national news operations can earn £80,000 or more per year.
It is important to have:
a passion for current affairs
an appreciation of the way news is presented by different outlets
wide interests, which might lead to work in a specialist field.
The main employers are:
local and national newspaper groups
broadcast news organisations
news agencies, which supply news to other outlets
magazines - more than 9,000 titles are currently published
online news outlets - either independent, or linked to traditional print or broadcast operations.
Training is carried out on the job.

Trainees are normally taken on by a newspaper or magazine for a two-year contract, with a probationary period of three to six months. Trainees without a pre-entry qualification may be expected study on day release for NCTJ exams, including shorthand and law.
Some big news groups, including the BBC, Trinity Mirror and Johnston Press, run in-house training schemes. Some national newspapers also have schemes. Competition for places is fierce.
A variety of training providers, including the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), offer short courses to help journalists learn new skills and adapt to changing technologies. Newspaper editors, who control the editorial operation and act as the public face of the newspaper in a community, are usually journalists who have gained wide experience. Therefore it is possible to move from print journalism to TV and radio news.

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references:
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