Lois Lane, Puhlease i'm more Christiane Amonpour!

Ok, i know there are some here with aspirations for journalism.

Discuss topics that interest you here, post mock 'articles' or maybe some real ones you have gotten published - Share the News and Share your Views.

Thanks for starting this board Emily! I'm doing a course in Journalism right now, and it's far far tougher than I expected! After my course finishes (April) I'm doing an internship - haven't decided where. The easiest parts of the course are Editing and Writing and the most difficult are Press Laws and Reporting.

ReNu wrote:

Thanks for starting this board Emily! I'm doing a course in Journalism right now, and it's far far tougher than I expected! After my course finishes (April) I'm doing an internship - haven't decided where. The easiest parts of the course are Editing and Writing and the most difficult are Press Laws and Reporting.

I feel really stupid asking this ReNu, but could you explain what different aspects of your course involve? I'm fascinating by journalism but am vague on the finer details

Actually most courses on Journalism anywhere in the world involve the following:
Mass Communication (including history of journalism)
Editing
Reporting
Writing
Newspaper Organization/Management/Administration
Press Laws/Censorship
Printing/Broadcasting (if you want to specialize)

Some let you focus on print media or tv/radio if you want, but I'm not specializing. Also, you have to bring out a class-newspaper and write a dissertation or do project, which is usually a piece of reporting on the subject of your choice. I've just done my dissertation. It's all fun to do, especially thinking up headlines and writing imaginary interviews and editorials

ReNu wrote:

A I've just done my dissertation. It's all fun to do, especially thinking up headlines and writing imaginary interviews and editorials

Oh feel free to post some up here - i'd love to read them!!

ReNu wrote:

Thanks for starting this board Emily! I'm doing a course in Journalism right now, and it's far far tougher than I expected! After my course finishes (April) I'm doing an internship - haven't decided where. The easiest parts of the course are Editing and Writing and the most difficult are Press Laws and Reporting.

ReNu, as a journalist I can tell you that if you go into journalism professionally, Press Laws will ALWAYS be your biggest headache, mainly because they vary so much between states and have so many loopholes, but they can also be your very best friend!! Most states have a press association that offers legal advice to member newspapers. Having that legal aide number on speed dial is a tremendous tool to have in the field, especially when you're covering government.

The reporting aspect actually gets much easier with time and practice. The trick, aside from the automatic givens such as accuracy, objectivity, etc. is developing your own style of communication to pull information from people and keeping an open mind. So often you will go into an interview expecting to get one story, yet come out with something completely different! Let me know if you have any questions I might can help you with!

Thanks Alice. Is it ok if I sent you am article or two that I did for our lab newspaper?

The legal helpline is a great idea and I'm sure it'll be of use to me more than once a week. I haven't done any real-life interviews, but have written imaginary interviews for the lab paper. I start an internship in May (not sure where yet).

The other thing I have trouble with is the Editorial. Everyone tells me that my features and editorials look alike. Which is why I'd like to send an article to you, and get you to identify whether it's a feature or an editorial, and tell me where I'm wrong. I know the theoretical difference, but am not sure I can get the difference right while writing.

Exam on the 25th - Press Laws, Editing and History of Journalism. I haven't read a single thing yet, apart from "Qualities required for a sub-editor" Stress stress stress.

Sure dear, send them on, I'd be happy to take a look at them. Editorials and features happen to be my favorites! Of course, then again, I really get a kick out of government too!

Oh, for all the aspiring journalists out there, let me share the best piece of advice I was ever given...

I practically grew up under a composing desk at a newspaper and when I landed a job at a newspaper, I returned to ask my favorite veteran reporter if there was one guiding principle that would keep me on the right course.

Her response: "When you walk in those doors, you only have one thing going for you and that's your integrity. The moment you arrive you'll have people trying to steal it from you, trying to talk you into selling it, trying to scare it out of you or even trying to beat you over the head to take it. But when you leave, regardless of whether it's been two years or twenty years, there's only one thing that you're going to be able to take with you and that's your integrity. You'd better make sure it's still in tact!"

I wish more of the journalist in the mainstream media had been given the same advice.

Wow, that is a great piece of wisdom Alice, thank you for sharing and i think its applicable to all occupations! its great to hear about your experience in the world of publishing, and you worked on a congressional campaign as well? i'd love to hear about it. i'm not american but i think the whole world has been bitten by the politics bug in the past year!

Emily, if it's ok, I'll start a thread devoted to covering politics and government and can share such things there. I was lucky to be able to see it from the inside as well as from the editor's desk.

Thats fine Alice, i love politics and this has to do with journalism so i think its exempt from the rules

AliceKildaire wrote:

Oh, for all the aspiring journalists out there, let me share the best piece of advice I was ever given...

I practically grew up under a composing desk at a newspaper and when I landed a job at a newspaper, I returned to ask my favorite veteran reporter if there was one guiding principle that would keep me on the right course.

Her response: "When you walk in those doors, you only have one thing going for you and that's your integrity. The moment you arrive you'll have people trying to steal it from you, trying to talk you into selling it, trying to scare it out of you or even trying to beat you over the head to take it. But when you leave, regardless of whether it's been two years or twenty years, there's only one thing that you're going to be able to take with you and that's your integrity. You'd better make sure it's still in tact!"

I wish more of the journalist in the mainstream media had been given the same advice.

Wow, thanks for sharing that advice. I've written it down in my main journo notebook and am definitely going to follow it.

Don't worry Emily, I'm cursed with an unfaltering objectivity so it will be completely non-partisan so it should stay within the rules!! (I had to go back and read the rules so I could be sure I knew what the rules were!! )

Lol, aw don't worry - i'm flexi about the rules - i love talking politics myself