Journalism Degrees & Careers How to Become a Journalist

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Indeed, journalism informs the pubic of important news and information. Journalists work for newspapers or magazines, write behind-the-scenes for broadcast networks, confine their work to the internet or go on location to gather information on events. Some work from a quiet office; others put themselves in harm’s way. Before they enter the field, however, most journalists pursue formal education.

What Does a Journalist Do?

Journalism Career Basics

At the most basic level, journalists investigate, collect, and present information. Journalists do this in newspapers and magazines, but it can also be done in radio and television broadcasts, and online, through websites, blogs, podcasts, and other digital platforms.

Journalism Careers In-Depth

Working as a journalist can take on many different aspects, from the day-to-day job of beat reporters to the intensive pursuit of investigative and so-called long-form journalists. But, in essence, all journalism is investigative in nature. It involves learning about an issue or a subject, whether that’s by reading official documents and questioning those in authority, or conducting interviews and sleuthing around like a detective. Individual journalists often work with editors and/or producers to verify facts, fill in missing details, and hone the narrative elements of a story. More and more commonly, as convergence blurs the lines between print and broadcast mediums, journalists are expected to be ready to do all of these things in an online environment, where written stories exist side-by-side with audio and video content. And, because journalism is a profession that depends on the interest the public, journalists also have to know how to package their stories, using headlines, photos, and other journalistic tools to get and hold people’s attention.

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Journalism Salaries

Salaries for journalists vary widely from region-to-region, state-to-state, and individual job-to-job. Freelance writers, for example, can make as much as two dollars a word doing stories for national magazines, or as little $50 per story for an online site. As a result, the BLS doesn’t have reliable data for individual jobs in journalism, but the three charts below illustrate what salaries look like across the profession.

Median Annual Wages for Journalists

Source: BLS Occupational Employment Handbook

Highest Paying Employment Sectors for Journalists

Source: BLS Occupational Employment Handbook

Steps to Becoming a Journalist

People who have successful careers in journalism tend to have a few things in common:

• They are critical thinkers who can access, synthesize, and retain factual information logically and systematically
• They are motivated and persistent in their efforts to get at the best available or obtainable version of the truth, and then to verify those facts
• They are good communicators who have an intuitive understanding of storytelling and the non-fiction narrative devices that create drama, tension, and suspense

With that in mind, below are steps one can take to enter the field of journalism:

Journalism Degrees & Concentrations

Matching Journalism Career Goals to Journalism Degrees

These degree programs offer something for everyone, including both seasoned and prospective journalists.

Journalism Degree Levels

Though journalists often begin with a dream and remarkable talent, most need a degree to enter the field. Whether students earn associate degrees to learn the basics or pursue PhDs teach or conduct research, journalism degrees can provide the tools and education necessary to move up in the profession.

Associate Journalism Degree

Associate-level journalism degrees prepare students for entry-level positions or to advance to higher degrees. Associate degrees take approximately two years to complete and establish a firm foundation for career or educational advancement, though most journalists earn at least a bachelor’s degree before entering the field. Students who choose to start with the associate degree can expect the following courses:

Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism

The bachelor’s degree in journalism is ideal for those who want to start in entry-level positions and advance through hard work, talent and dedication. Bachelor’s degrees often take four years to complete and prepare students for numerous journalism career paths and media specialties. The following courses are common among journalism bachelor’s degree program, regardless of concentration:

Master’s Degree in Journalism

Master’s degrees in journalism can prepare experienced professionals to move into more lucrative and senior positions or enhance marketable skills. While baccalaureate journalism degrees focus on general mass communication, master’s degrees build specialized expertise while learning the latest technology and techniques. Many schools require an in-depth master’s project demonstrating what students can do.

Master’s degrees typically require one and two years of study, depending upon curricular requirements and student course load. For convenience, many master’s programs can be taken entirely online. The following are a few typical courses.

Doctorate Journalism Degree

PhDs are ideal for journalism students who want to reach the highest echelons of the field. Doctoral graduates typically go into research or teaching, but they can also help active journalists gain significant expertise, advance their careers and enhance their resumes. The PhD program can take anywhere from three to eight years to complete, depending upon students’ choices; researching and writing the dissertation takes up the bulk of that time. The following courses are among those one might take in a journalism PhD program.

Components of a Successful Journalism Career: Skills, Tools, and Technology

Skills

Communications skills, both written and verbal, are a key component of a successful career in journalism. Journalists interview people on the phone, in person, and through email and other digital platforms. They report back to editors, and ultimately have to tell a story to an audience, either in print, broadcast, or online. So the ability to express oneself clearly and logically, and to maintain strong interpersonal relationships is crucial.

In addition, journalists must cultivate critical thinking and data analysis skills. Healthy skepticism and the ability to synthesize and sort through information quickly and with accuracy are important to the job. So, journalists have to be strong readers of texts and of people, and must be able to place information in a context that is easy for others to understand.

Tools and Technology

The tools of journalism vary from job to job, and story to story. Increasingly, it’s important to be adept at handling digital recording devices and digital cameras that are interfaced with laptop computers, handheld mobile devices, and satellite uplink equipment. Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking platforms are also becoming more central to the job of reporting, and journalists who are adept at working in the digital realm with websites, blogs, and audio and video streaming have a distinct competitive edge in the job market.

The research involved in reporting also has a strong digital technology component. Knowing how to use databases and spreadsheets, and a familiarity with advanced online search-engine capabilities are a big help in this area. And, an understanding of search engine optimization, or SEO coding is another distinct advantage in the field.

Finally, journalists are often asked to edit their own audio and video content, which requires a working knowledge of editing suites like Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Pro Tools. Similarly, it’s helpful to know the basics of print and online layout and design, and the software that’s used in this process, including Photoshop and Adobe’s Acrobat Pro and InDesign.

Career Trends in Journalism

Journalism is migrating to the web, and the hot jobs tend to be either in digital content or the integration of print and broadcast with digital content. The chart below illustrates where journalists worked, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data:

Related Careers

Spotlight Careers

Editor

Editors may oversee sections of particular publications and/or websites (i.e., a sports editor, a political editor, an arts and entertainment editor), or they may be in charge of an entire site or publication. Their job is to plan and coordinate the work of writers, photographers, videographers, and other content providers, to assign and oversee projects, and maintain the editorial quality of the media company.

Art Director

Art directors work at magazines and newspapers, advertising agencies, public relations firms, and in film and video production, overseeing the visual style of content, whether its in print, online, or film and video. They’re often part of a team that includes editors, photographers, artists, and other content providers.

Broadcast News Analyst

Broadcast news analysts are the anchormen of yesterday, and the webcast hosts of tomorrow. They are on-air personalities and behind-the-scenes writers, producers, and reporters, whose job it is to sort through and interpret news events and craft them into stories for broadcast purposes.

Job Growth, Prospects, and Outlook

After a long period of growth throughout the 20th century, journalism has undeniably been in the midst of a major disruption that’s led to fewer jobs and an uncertain outlook since the emergence of the Internet and the rapid proliferation of digital platforms for news and entertainment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a 13 percent net decline in jobs for reporters and correspondents through 2022, largely due to decreased advertising revenues in print, radio, and television. At the same time, however, there has been intense growth in online journalism and media companies are investing heavily in new media possibilities.

What Do Related Occupations Make?

The skills and training that come with being a journalist are fairly easily transferable to other professions. For example, journalists can often easily transition to jobs in public relations and marketing that involve creating and editing content, and it’s not uncommon for journalists to move into writing books and/or screenplays, or writing/producing/directing documentaries. Here is a look at the salary levels in some of those related occupations:

Related Occupations: What You Need to Know

The careers below illustrate the salary, job outlook, employment numbers, and education level for journalists and other related occupations.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

Journalism Degree & Career Resources

In-depth information for student journalists, covering everything from social media impact to new laws that govern the press.

Up-to-date news articles, studies and research resources for investigative journalists.

Johns Hopkins University highlights critical international issues that are currently under-reported in mainstream media.

A clearinghouse of key daily news topics, scholarly studies and reports curated by Harvard and the Carnegie-Knight Initiative.

An exhaustive list of journalistic resources compiled by the Society of Professional Journalists.

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