// Journalism

Day in the life

A day in the life : Journalism

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09:00
Following a good read of the papers and the news intake reports, get a strong coffee and meet with the team to figure out the initial priorities to produce tonights news programme.

Career details: Journalism

What you do: The range of the job.

This is, of course, a huge field with many separate specialisms - from local radio reporter through to anchor person for a network TV's main nightly news programme. Whichever part of broadcasting you work in as a journalist, you will be responsible for researching, interpreting and communicating key news issues and events. For many, journalism is seen as a vocation and it is their passion for recording and reporting on news and current affairs that carries them forward in a challenging and often tough career.

Qualities: What you need to be able to do the job

Broadly, you will have studied journalism and be an able and keen communicator. You will need a highly developed 'news sense; coupled with the ability to explain often complex stories to a TV or radio audience that demands a 'quick fix' of news. Self starters and highly motivated individuals do well, but this needs to be tempered with a willingness to work as part of a team.

Career path: How you start and where you can go with it.

Following journalism studies, it is common to spend time on a work experience basis at local radio or newspapers. From here, it is usual to begin to specialise in either print or broadcast fields. At the higher level, jobs include editor of 'heavyweight' news programmes and then into senior management roles within broadcasting institutions.

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