Journalist

1. Get the proper education
The majority of news publications will require a journalism degree as well as some formal training in photojournalism. Some schools do offer specific photojournalism degree programs, where you could take journalism as a minor. Along with classroom training, students will receive hands-on instruction in the use of their equipment, as well as image editing, printing and publication software in computer and photo labs. Check out our journalism schools and request information to get started on your career.
Here is a sample of courses you might take:
- The Photographer and Photoshop
- Website Design for Photographers
- Editorial Photography
- Legal Issues in Photography
- The Photojournalists Eye
- Freelance Photography
- Digital Imaging Photography
2. Build a Portfolio
This may seem obvious, but you've got to take pictures. Wherever you go, you should take your camera with you, aiming for 50-100 photos a week. Use your best photographs to represent your work in your portfolio, focusing on ensuring that your photographs speak to a diverse audience. Your instructors can help you put together your portfolio, both online and in print. A good portfolio can help you secure an internship or entry-level job.
3. Publish Your Photographs
Create your personal website. For very little in startup costs, you can purchase a domain name (we recommend your working name). Contact local newsletters, school newspapers, trade magazines, and community newspapers, and show them your photographs. If you took pictures at a local event, contact the media and offer them the use of one of your photographs. Its critically important to advertise your product. In the beginning, you may not receive pay, but as more and more of your photos make their way into publication, you can begin to charge a fee for them.
4. Invest in Quality Equipment
At a minimum, you need a good-quality digital camera, a computer, and photo editing software. You can often find used equipment if cost is an issue. Instructors can make recommendations on a good source for reasonably-priced equipment.
5. Continue to Refine Your Photography Skills
Not only do you need to work on your picture taking to become a photojournalist, but you've got to develop your ability to edit and publish your images online. Quite often there is no photo editor in between your picture and publication, so you've got to have the skills to make your photos published.

As a TV journalist, you're responsible for reporting on the news to your viewers. Your main focus is to research news events in order to compile presentable stories. This may include traveling to the scene of events and interviewing those involved, like bystanders or police officers. You may also conduct research in order to provide a more accurate and complete story. When covering a scheduled event, you might spend time observing the occasion and then have the opportunity to complete interviews in a more controlled environment.
Once you have the material gathered for a story, you'll need to write your script, produce the piece and complete any necessary editing. In some cases, you'll report from a scene while incorporating pre-recorded elements into your story; this may require a mixture of live reporting and previously edited material. Throughout all of your work as a TV journalist, you'll work closely with producers, camera operators and technical crew members.
In some cases, you may work as a commentator. This is a specialized field within TV journalism in which you offer opinions on the news rather than reporting. This work typically involves much less production. Instead, you'll observe the news, write your opinions and then present them on the air.
Where Might you Work?
With the exception of commentating, which is primarily traditional, office-based work, TV journalism will require long, uneven hours in what can often be a variety of settings. You may be asked to respond to events as they occur, which may result in unexpected travel; you may not have a clear understanding of how long you'll be working on a given story.
Sometimes you'll report from events that are benign in nature, such as parades or festivals. You may also report from areas that involve threatening circumstances, such as wars, natural disasters or terrorism-related situations. While some TV journalists complete production and editing work using field equipment, you may also complete this type of work at your television studio's offices. You'll often be working under tight deadlines, so even when you're working from the relative comfort of the studio, your pace may be frenzied.

Hi Aditya,
Mass Communications is a general course geared towards the media sector. Specializations include Journalism, Film-Making and Advertising. People with a degree in Mass Communications get recruited by news and entertainment television, magazines, production houses for TV, ad-film production houses, advertising agencies and independent film makers. While it is not necessary to have a degree to get a job in these areas, it is highly desirable and many companies prefer candidates with professional degrees. Most of the reputed institutes only offer post graduate courses. Undergraduate courses are very useful but should ideally be combined with a post graduate degree. However, if you are very sure of your choices, you can simply join a job after your undergraduate degree and work your way up. Degrees have limited relevance in the media sector.
No formal training is required in Radio Jockeying since it is a talent based field. To develop confidence and flare in this field, one needs to have exposure. RJ hunts or talent search are often conducted by FM channels to bring out original unique talent. There are a number of universities and institutes that offer courses in communication and broadcasting and a couple of institutes offering training on how to handle auditions and conduct short term workshops that focus on pronunciation, reading styles, music appreciation and creative thinking. But in the field of Radio Jockeying, only few institutes offer specialized courses and most of them have been started by well known anchors. To become a good RJ one should have the following qualities- An attractive voice, good command over English, Hindi and the regional language, Confident, smart etc.
After training, you can venture into careers like Radio Jockey, Webcaster, Podcaster, Voice-over Artiste, Narrator, Announcer, Newsreader, Script Writer, Producer, Mobile Jockey, Internet Jockey, Voice for animation etc.
Hope this information helps. Please feel free to revert.
Wish you luck.