News Analysts, Reporters, & Journalists

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On television and in print, journalists uncover facts… to report the news as objectively as possible. Reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts inform the public about events and news occurring internationally, nationally, and locally. Reporters and correspondents —or journalists— spend a lot of time in the field… meeting contacts, investigating stories, and conducting interviews so they can write or record a story. The work is often fast-paced to meet deadlines or be the first to break news. Multimedia skills are increasingly in demand, so that journalists can add audio, video and graphics to adapt stories for different platforms… including newspapers, magazines, television, live radio, websites, podcasts and social media. Some reporters freelance, covering individual stories for a fee or marketing their own stories to news organizations. Broadcast news analysts work in radio and television, sharing their opinions with their audience, based on their expertise in a particular subject, such as politics, business, or medicine. Most reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts work full time. Travel is common, and may include exposure to risks in situations such as war zones or natural disasters. Schedules change as news occurs, and may include nights and weekends. To enter the field, a bachelor’s degree in journalism or communications is preferred, along with related experience such as internships or work in college news media.