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As a journalist, you’ll be reporting on breaking news stories. Depending on the type of publication you work for, or the specialism you’re in, this could be across a huge range of different areas. You could be a sports, culture, or political reporter, or work for a publication centred on a specific industry, reporting on something quite niche. The type of journalism you do will depend on your personal interests and expertise.
What does a journalist do?
In your day-to-day job, you’ll have to carry out a variety of tasks to research, write and publish stories. Some of these tasks include:
- Investigating breaking stories
- Networking, building your contacts and finding new leads
- Interviewing people in-person or virtually
- Attending press conferences
- Recording meetings or interviews
- Fact-checking sources
- Coming up with pitches for stories
- Writing and editing your own articles and stories
- Sub-editing the work of others
- Following the style guide of the publication
What’s it like to work as a journalist?
As a journalist, you’ll be working to tight deadlines, so you’ll need to be organised and good at working under pressure. You may have to work long hours to get stories ready for release, and it’s likely that you’ll find some times of year to be busier than others, depending on the type of stories you report on.
Working as a journalist is highly fulfilling, however. You’ll be at the forefront of breaking news stories, potentially finding out information before it’s known to the general public. You could be working to entertain, educate or inform, depending on the type of reporting you do. You’ll likely also meet a lot of interesting people, including people well-known in the field you report in.
As well as working in-house for a particular media publication, you could also work as a freelance or self-employed journalist. In this capacity, you may be pitching stories to publications, meaning you’ll have a lot of freedom to write on the stories that interest you the most.
What skills do you need to be a journalist?
There are a lot of skills that come in handy when working as a journalist. Some of the most important skills are:
- Ability to work under pressure
- Attention to detail
- Ability to critically analyse sources
- Strong communication skills
- Investigative and research skills
- Confidence to be in front of the camera or to follow up new leads
- Organisation
- Flexibility
- Time management
- IT skills
- Excellent understanding of spelling and grammar
How much does a journalist earn?
The starting salary for a journalist is around £21,000, with average salaries of around £33,500. You can expect your salary to increase with experience, and you can also expect more potential for career progression working within a larger organisation. Larger organisations tend to offer structured training to help you progress your career.
There are also continued professional development courses available regardless of your organisation which are well-recognised within the industry.
How to become a journalist
The most common route into journalism is through a degree or diploma. In recent years, the industry has become very competitive, so work experience is also advisable in order to secure a role at a well-respected outlet.
Study a journalism degree
One of the routes into journalism is of course to study a degree in journalism. This will teach you the skills you need to work for a range of different outlets. You’ll learn research, interview and writing techniques in order to best prepare you for life after graduation. Journalism degrees may be offered as a joint honours course with English literature. Typically, these courses last for three years and you’ll need 104-136 UCAS points to obtain a place on the course.
Study a degree in the area you want to report in
If you want to be a political journalist, for example, then a degree in politics will give you the background understanding of the topic in order to excel in your chosen field. The entry requirements for these degrees will vary based on the subject area you’re interested in reporting in. Typically, an undergraduate degree lasts for three years.
Degree apprenticeship
A degree apprenticeship offers the chance to work and earn while you’re studying. You’ll work in a journalistic environment and spend an average of one day per week studying for your degree through the university. There are different levels of apprenticeship available, with a Level 4 apprenticeship being equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree, and a Level 6 apprenticeship being equivalent to a full bachelor’s degree.
These courses will be more limited than straightforward undergraduate courses but offer a lot of work experience and industry connections.
Non-degree apprenticeships
Larger media outlets tend to offer apprenticeship courses to those interested in becoming journalists, but these typically aren’t equivalent to a degree. Instead, you’ll typically receive a diploma at the end of your apprenticeship. As with degree apprenticeships, these opportunities are a great way to build experience and gain connections within the industry, as well as being paid.
Work experience
Work experience is typically combined with an undergraduate degree as journalism is a competitive field. It’s particularly important to get journalism work experience if you’re studying a degree in the subject area you want to report in, as it proves that not only do you have an understanding of your field, but you also have the skills required to report on breaking stories. These are often unpaid opportunities.
You may want to reach out to publications such as your local newspaper or radio station to get more formal experience, or you could do this independently by starting your own blog or channel to post your work. However you choose to do it, having a portfolio you can share with potential employers will help you to stand out among other applicants.
So, if you think that a career in the fast-paced world of journalism is for you, why not get started on preparing for your future career now? Read more about being a journalist on our career profiles.
