Mastering Journalism: Essential Skills and Practices for Aspiring Journalists (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: THE BASICS OF JOURNALISM Hello. In this video, we are going to explain what it takes to make a good journalist. So, first things first. What every journalist needs, no matter if they are experienced or not, is to be always up to date. That means that a journalist needs to be informed about the current affairs and always know what is going on, not only where he or she lives, but all around the world. So, follow the news, read the headlines daily, check what is trending now and what are people talking about on social media. A journalist needs to always keep improving their skills. Their skills of course in writing, but also in interviewing people and in photography. You will achieve this by writing, reading interviews, long reads and news stories and also by taking loads of pictures. Practice makes perfect. Keep your eyes open. A good journalist is always looking for the next subject, for their next article. A good idea is to be open and discuss a lot with people that you meet. They will share a lot of stories that might be an inspiration for your next subject. Be aware of the tools available. Always keep in mind the different journalistic methods and media so that you can choose the ideal one to cover your story. The same story may be cool as an article, but not as interesting as in video, or vice versa. You should also know how to use your equipment and what is the ideal way to use the internet not only for research, but also to distribute your story. Research is important. Remember to use always more than one sources. And that's a rule. Using two or more sources will help you to have a more objective view. Then try to double check the information the sources provided you. When writing and creating your content, there are multiple things you need to remember. Through the whole process, you need to keep in mind the point you want to make. In other words, the aim of writing your article. This will help you have a structure for your content and stay on topic. Having a specific structure for your text will help you to create high quality content and reach a valid conclusion. Think as if you were the reader, auditor, viewer. What would the public like to know? What information do they need? You may have all the information, but you always keep in mind that the reader, auditor or viewer might not, so you have to give them the whole picture. Then you should always remember the deontology. Be objective, be independent, be responsible, no stereotypes, no fake news. Last but not least, you should always read your article again and again. When you finish writing, let it breathe for a while. Then go back and read it again as if you were the reader. Check for any grammatical errors, check the syntactic structure and finally ask yourself, is this interesting? And you are ready to share it. When it's published, a good idea is to get feedback about your work. Ask friends with different backgrounds for their opinion. You can also check the comments on social media to see what the public has to say about your article. But take into account only the ones offering constructive criticism. So, keep practicing. See you on the next video. Thank you for watching.