Print Journalists example essay topic

Journalism, a profession that has started to become a good paymaster in the last five years has expanded over the years from print, audio, video, multimedia to the latest craze internet (Web content manager). Though journalism has its own ethical lapses, majority of journalists do have high ethical standards and are dedicated to their job, which in reality can be termed as a public service. The basic job profile of a journalist can be termed as gathering and presenting news for a wide variety of media, such as: television, newspapers, radio, news services, magazines, Web publishers and book publishers. To succeed in the field of journalism, there are a lot of personal characteristics that one should posses. Valuable skills include: listening skills, writing skills, the ability to reason and think, imaginative skills, discipline, punctuality, and accuracy. Also, you should like people and have a healthy sense of both curiosity and scepticism.

Journalists tend to be the kind of people who do not follow the herd blindly. Apart from this, one should have a good command of the English language. Students without grammar or writing skills are at a serious disadvantage right from day one. With the passage of time, one will also have to develop photographic skills, computer skills and political and cultural awareness. Till recently, this profession was entirely dominated by men, but women have successfully learnt how to be journalists and are now taking quite a large share of the market jobs available.

This is one profession where there are a lot of job titles - reporter, journalist, writer, author, specialised writer, (science, sports, education, etc. ), editor / copy editor, photographer, photojournalist, producer, news director, assignment editor, news anchor, videographer, TV reporter, radio announcer, content manager, Web designer, publication designer, multimedia developer, researcher, production assistant, graphic designer, graphic artist. One can look out for jobs in newspapers, magazines, new services and photo agencies, Web development groups and government information agencies. The profession of journalism is changing rapidly with new information technologies, but there is expected to be continued demand for the skills involved in gathering, reporting, and interpreting non-fiction and public affairs information. Also, with the distinction between print and eroding, print journalists may be as likely to handle video as well as still cameras and audio tapes for computers as well as for radio broadcast. Napoleon described a journalist as "a grumbler, a censor, a giver of advice... a tutor of nations", and added that four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.

True, and more true in these days of moral corrosion in public life. Against this background, a journalist acquires great significance; he can make or break, destroy and mould. No doubt journalists have been accused of pandering to vulgarity and of irresponsibility, of being captious and prejudiced, but the enormous public awareness they have generated and their role in shaping public sensitivity cannot be overlooked. This has made students think of journalism as a serious vocation with a serious purpose.

The Chief Editor: The editor-in-chief is either the owner or the direct representative of the owner and the overall executive of the editorial department. The Assistant Editor: He is often in charge of a particular section of the paper. The News Editor: He plans the actual layout of the paper and works closely with the advertisement department. The Chief Sub Editor: He gives an attractive appearance to the printed matter and considers the interest value of the news item. The News Reporter: His basic function is to report which involves collection of information either by interviewing people or observing events, examining documents and thorough research. The News Columnist: He writes under his own name and his observations are those of a specialist, a close observer and an analyst.

The Commentator: He reports and analyses the news and gives his comments on it. The Feature Writer: The feature writer works in close touch with a specific department to cover news on a specific area, eg: education, lifestyle, etc. He often specialises in a particular field. The Foreign Correspondent: He sends news reports from abroad. There are Indians working at home for foreign agencies such as Reuters or for foreign radio companies like the BBC and the VOA. The Cartoonist: He makes comical or satirical sketches of political or cultural events.

The Artist: He draws sketches to illustrate incidents. The Photographer: He provides relevant photographs for news items. The Freelance Journalist: A freelance journalist has great scope today and gets paid per piece, sometimes at a per word rate. He can also receive additional honorariums for other contributions. Journalists say a thing that they know isn't true, in the hope that if they keep on saying it long enough it will be true.

-- Arnold Bennett.