Whilst a journalism course will always set you on the right path, some of the skills will be learned along the way.
1. FOI requests
The Freedom of Information Act has proved invaluable to journalists. A new journalist can self-learn the ins and outs of making FOI requests.
2. Foundational coding skills
There is no expectation for a journalist to be fluent in advanced coding, but a basic understanding of HTML and CSS will be very helpful when it comes to uploading online copy. News outlets are more likely to come back to you for stories if you have submitted articles that can be uploaded seamlessly.
3. Video and audio storytelling
Today’s news is about so much more than the written word and photography; for example, you will need to self-teach yourself how to make the most of audio and video storytelling for both social media posts and embedding into online news stories.
4. Advanced listening skills
A good journalist is an excellent listener, but an excellent journalist has advanced skills in deep listening. You need to learn how to make people feel comfortable and how to read into what they are not telling you as much as what they are. As time goes on, you will discover that listening is not only about words but also cues such as body language. You will learn a lot about the importance of communication on journalism courses from providers such as https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk.
5. Social media news sourcing
Stories and events often appear on social media first, so learning how to source stories from here is an excellent skill. It is not only about finding the stories but also being able to quickly and accurately check them for credibility.
6. Crowdsourcing
Calling on the expertise of social media users can be a great way to obtain information, but you will need to develop skills when it comes to negotiating over the use of this content.
These are just six of the skills you will learn on the go as you embark on the thrilling career of journalism.
About Author
