3 answers
Annabelle
Student
Canton, Georgia
1
Question
Asked
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What did your process of becoming a journalist or editor look like, and how long did it take you?
Hi! I am looking to be a journalistic editor in the future, and I am very curious as to what some people's journeys have been on this route. It seems to be very non-linear, but writing is my passion, and I have loved being the editor of my school's magazine this past year, so I would like to know. Thank you for the help!
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3 answers
Joseph Aseo
Freeelance Technical Writer
45
Answers
San Ramon, California
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
I was an editor for my high school and college newspapers. I was also interested in computers, so I took computer science classes in college. My first professional job was at a high-tech startup, where I worked as an editor for two magazines about engineering. This experience helped me start a career as a technical writer. In that role, I wrote and edited documents for software developers, system administrators, and end users.
Brian P. D. Hannon
Journalist / Former College English and History Teacher
40
Answers
Bangkok, Thailand
Updated
Brian P. D.’s Answer
I had written a few short stories in middle school because I lived across the street from a successful author and thought that seemed like a fun job. I continued to write as a hobby in high school but didn't consider a career in anything involving writing until senior year in college when I took a "news writing" course. It combined my interests in telling stories and current events, since I always was fascinated by the different things going on around the world that I read about in newspapers and magazines. In the news writing course, it all came very naturally to me and seemed like an interesting way to make a living. The professor encouraged me to find subjects I enjoyed and begin submitting articles to various places, even if the only pay was my name on a story.
My first published article was about a whale watching trip near Boston that I wrote for a travel magazine. About a year later I was hired as a staff writer for a pair of weekly newspapers in North Carolina. Since then I have worked in six U.S. states and four foreign countries. I now live in Asia and work as an editor for a large news organization.
There is no right or wrong way to become a journalist and it is often not linear. Some reporters and editors start by submitting articles to a local newspaper or interning at a tv station. Others begin by writing for online publications or starting their own news website or blog. Whatever gets you reporting on the topics you think are important is a great way to start.
What all journalists share is a passion for investigating the world and sharing what they find. To that end, I recommend a few things:
Read/Watch/Listen a lot: Reading, watching and listening to news, whether print or tv or radio or other online sources, will help you learn how to build a news report. There are specific elements that need to go into every story, regardless of the medium. Studying how professionals operate is a great way to learn the craft of journalism. Look at a lot of different news organizations and individual journalists, the more the better, to study how good stories are structured and what techniques are used to catch the eyes and ears of the audience. But you also can learn from stories that were not done well, which will teach you what to avoid. Use a critical eye and try to take lessons from every news report.
Write a lot: While studying the work of others, you also need to produce your own in order to practice and get better. No matter what kind of platform you want to use, nearly every story involves writing, from print articles to television and audio scripts. The only way to get better at writing is to write. Go out into your community and write articles about what you find. They can be about events such as concerts or speeches or sports or art gallery openings. Or look for trends: what books or shows or social issues have people at your school talking, what are the political debates and economic concerns impacting people in your community. These articles can be any length and if you can get them published that’s great, but they still have value even if you only write them for yourself or family and friends. Write them to make yourself aware of your surroundings, which is one of the core elements of journalism, and simply to practice writing.
Join a group: Journalism is a collective enterprise. Even independent, freelance journalists go through publishers, editors and other collaborators, unless they are strictly self-publishing. When you start, being part of a group can help immensely. Whether that is a school newspaper or a local publication where you can work part-time or a writing group of some kind, joining others to help with your efforts will only make you better. You will gain advice from more experienced people, as well as other perspectives and fresh ideas from people around you. Not to mention, those other people can catch the mistakes you have overlooked (it happens to all of us.)
Good luck.
My first published article was about a whale watching trip near Boston that I wrote for a travel magazine. About a year later I was hired as a staff writer for a pair of weekly newspapers in North Carolina. Since then I have worked in six U.S. states and four foreign countries. I now live in Asia and work as an editor for a large news organization.
There is no right or wrong way to become a journalist and it is often not linear. Some reporters and editors start by submitting articles to a local newspaper or interning at a tv station. Others begin by writing for online publications or starting their own news website or blog. Whatever gets you reporting on the topics you think are important is a great way to start.
What all journalists share is a passion for investigating the world and sharing what they find. To that end, I recommend a few things:
Read/Watch/Listen a lot: Reading, watching and listening to news, whether print or tv or radio or other online sources, will help you learn how to build a news report. There are specific elements that need to go into every story, regardless of the medium. Studying how professionals operate is a great way to learn the craft of journalism. Look at a lot of different news organizations and individual journalists, the more the better, to study how good stories are structured and what techniques are used to catch the eyes and ears of the audience. But you also can learn from stories that were not done well, which will teach you what to avoid. Use a critical eye and try to take lessons from every news report.
Write a lot: While studying the work of others, you also need to produce your own in order to practice and get better. No matter what kind of platform you want to use, nearly every story involves writing, from print articles to television and audio scripts. The only way to get better at writing is to write. Go out into your community and write articles about what you find. They can be about events such as concerts or speeches or sports or art gallery openings. Or look for trends: what books or shows or social issues have people at your school talking, what are the political debates and economic concerns impacting people in your community. These articles can be any length and if you can get them published that’s great, but they still have value even if you only write them for yourself or family and friends. Write them to make yourself aware of your surroundings, which is one of the core elements of journalism, and simply to practice writing.
Join a group: Journalism is a collective enterprise. Even independent, freelance journalists go through publishers, editors and other collaborators, unless they are strictly self-publishing. When you start, being part of a group can help immensely. Whether that is a school newspaper or a local publication where you can work part-time or a writing group of some kind, joining others to help with your efforts will only make you better. You will gain advice from more experienced people, as well as other perspectives and fresh ideas from people around you. Not to mention, those other people can catch the mistakes you have overlooked (it happens to all of us.)
Good luck.
Linda Reilly
healthcare marketing writer, creative director
5
Answers
Ambler, Pennsylvania
Updated
Linda’s Answer
Hi Annabelle--Journalism is close enough to what I've done that I feel I can provide some insight. I'm an advertising and marketing writer and have had management positions in ad agencies. Your statement, "writing is my passion," is music to my ears! Passion, discipline, and focus are what it takes to have a fruitful career in writing and editing, whether in a journalistic setting or otherwise. With your focus on journalism, it sounds like you enjoy reporting the facts and helping your reading audience understand content. That is similar to the writing I've done in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, where conveying factual data is extremely important, while also expressing it in clear, reader-friendly ways. My advice is to continue writing, editing, and learning in college, if you plan to attend. Then look for an entry-level writing, editing, or proofreading job, even if it's in a corporate setting. I remember hearing employers say, "Come back when you have some experience." 'But how can I get experience,' I thought, 'if no one will give me my first job?!' So, I decided to write some spec pieces as samples, and that led to me getting small freelance assignments. Then I got hired at an entry level copy position at a magazine. The point is to get experience in various types of writing (e.g., newsletters, articles, speeches, advertisements, press releases, websites, banner ads, social media posts). The more samples you can show, the more likely it is to continue on the path to fulfillment as a writer and editor.