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.
What they do:
Analyze, interpret, and broadcast news received from various sources.
On the job, you would:
Write commentaries, columns, or scripts, using computers.
Coordinate and serve as an anchor on news broadcast programs.
Edit news material to ensure that it fits within available time or space.
Arts and Humanities
English language
history and archeology
Communications
multimedia
telecommunications
Business
customer service
management
Engineering and Technology
computers and electronics
Basic Skills
talking to others
writing things for co-workers or customers
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Social
understanding people's reactions
changing what is done based on other people's actions
Verbal
communicate by speaking
communicate by writing
Ideas and Logic
use rules to solve problems
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Attention
do two or more things at the same time
pay attention to something without being distracted
People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules.
They do well at jobs that need:
Dependability
Attention to Detail
Initiative
Stress Tolerance
Integrity
Self Control
You might use software like this on the job:
Music or sound editing software
Audion Laboratories VoxPro
Avid Technology Pro Tools
Analytical or scientific software
Nielsen Arianna
Nielsen Marketbreaks
Data base user interface and query software
Microsoft Access
Statistics databases
bachelor's degree or high school diploma/GED usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
In the military:
see titles from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy.
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