Journalism Mass Media and Communication - Essay Example

? JOURNALISM MASS MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION: REFLECTIVE REPORT. BY PRESENTED Journalism Mass Media and Communication: ReflectiveReport. 1. Personal Skills Audit Skills and Qualities Evidence I can operate a wide range of high end cameras including Nikon D70, D90 or canon D 60 cameras. I have In the past used Nikon D90 one of the best cameras in taking long range pictures in large ceremonies and in picnics. These are some of the cameras used in journalism. I am a good communicator with good negotiating and communication skills I have worked in the university journalism club and have even being an official representing the club in various journalism forums where negotiating skills are critical I have an affinity for current affairs and knowing what is going on locally and internationally I have an affinity for current affairs and knowing what is going on locally and internationally I have a certificate in shorthand writing that I obtained from a journalism seminar Short hand is critical than ever in journalism to ensure speed and accuracy in recording and reporting news (University of Kent, 2011) I have a thick skin and like meeting strangers Journalism requires meeting strangers both high profile and ordinary people, sometimes asking uncomfortable questions, that require a journalist to develop a thick skin (University of Kent, 2011) Am good in creativity and have a sense of humor Presenting any news requires creativity in ensuring one attracts the attention of the audience and presenting facts in an easy straightforward, but creative way. Personal skill Reflection Some of the major requirements essential in journalism have already been applied in different platforms as portrayed above. These include the use of high end cameras to shoot long-range cameras, where the Canon D90 and D60 cameras were used in picnics. In addition, due to the strong urge of being a journalist, I managed to attend a shorthand seminar course involving some practicing journalists where were awarded shorthand certificates, though practice is still needed to prefect these skills. My qualities of being an entertaining communicator at all levels are essential in journalism. Meeting people and covering news requires interaction with different people; a good communicator will attract the attention of many people, which will be a major success in journalism. In addition, to being an entertainer and an eloquent speaker, I have already developed a thick skin and can effectively mix with the high profile personalities and ask even the hard questions with confidence. Developing a thick skin requires development of courage and determination to get to the root of any story despite the hurdles on the way. This will amount to taking numerous disappointments on the way and soldiering on to the end. This is a quality that I already have and am ready to apply it in journalism. My ever growing thirst for knowledge particularly concerning current affairs, and researching details to get facts is essential in journalism. Reporting the truth will require not just covering what is on the surface, but going deep to unravel the mystery behind any facts, an undertaking which I have exercised as a hobby in my coursework. 2. Industry Skills Audit Industry skill Evidence Multimedia skills Currently, media employers expect journalists and other media personnel to work on different platforms. For example, web based publishing is currently increasing in news reporting, where media companies have to use the internet as one of the primary platforms to public their content. Web based publishing skills are thus needed in using such platforms (University of Kent, 2011) Ability to write clearly, succinctly, quickly and passionately Journalism requires expression through verbal and written language. One is required to communicate to a wide range of audience both professionals and laymen. Excellent communication skills in writing with perfected grammar skills, ability to communicate clearly, and having a high degree of passion for writing and reporting are a must in journalism. Specialty and technical knowhow Journalism requires mastery in content being reported. There is therefore a need for a journalist to have a specialty area of reporting such as finance, sports, lifestyle, and social issues among others. Such specialty ensures the journalist has advanced level of information when handling any report in their areas of speciality, making it possible to appeal even to professionals in such a field (University of Kent, 2011). Ability to research and find information Journalism is all about passing information to consumers of such information who are supposed to make decisions based on such information. . This explains the sensitive nature of compiling and publishing any story in journalism. To ensure objectivity and professionalism, journalists are reburied to undertake objective research in finding out facts. Research helps in imparting objectivity to the reported news, giving the audience the right and credible information (Baker, 2012) Industry Skills Reflection Currently those people who need to join journalism have to have a wide range of abilities and skills to make it through in a competitive environment. One of the major skills required is the multimedia skills. Many media companies have shifted from the use of print media to using the internet as a digital platform. This will require journalist to publish stories online, which will involve integrating pictures, videos, and sound. Such undertakings require elaborate skills on the use of the internet platform. Moreover, the use of blogging is essential for the media companies. As more people shift towards the use of the internet, having a blog requires the company to publish specific news and then letting the public to contribute their opinions. Another skill required in journalism is the ability to carry out detailed research. Journalists offer information to the public, which is used for decision making by both professionals and the laymen. This implies that before anything is released to the public, the journalist has to ensure it is truthful and objective to the best extent possible. Journalists will thus require research skills in finding the truth behind stories before releasing them to the public. This goes hand in hand with dedication and passion for their work. Unlike other careers, journalists do not have working hours. They may sometimes work for long hours in remote, difficult, or even life threatening situations to compile news on important issues to the public. This can only be achieved by those with a passion for journalism. In addition, a journalist has to have a field of specialty that they have to specialize in ensuring, any content published marches the professionals in that field. 3. Goals Template Goal 1 – Public Speaking Objective To improve public speaking skills Outcome To have made two presentations to new volunteers and gained feedback Timescale / Deadline End of term 2 Key Actions 1. Attend a presentation skills course at the students’ union. 2. Keep a log of all feedback, learning points and skills gained. 3. Make a practice presentation to friends in December. Get feedback and make improvements. 4. Learn to use presentation resources like PowerPoint. 5. Do a second practice presentation in February and gain feedback. 6. Make improvements for a final presentation in March and gain feedback. 7. Analyse and reflect on learning and what could be improved. Evidence I will provide written feedback from volunteers I will provide my presentation Power Point slides 4. Reflective Essay Considering the above important requirements of a journalist, some of them have been met successfully towards the goal of becoming a journalist, while others are still lacking. However, more effort is being employed towards achieving such skills. The ability to find captivating stories, writing succinctly and clearly, and achieving a high level of grammatical mastery, are some of the important qualities that have already been achieved .Watson & Flintham (2008, 16) explain that some of the important areas that most journalists go wrong are in weak sentence and story structuring, in constructing a captivating introduction to a story that attracts and motivates the audience to read through, and poor ability to structure stories in addition to poor grammar usage. Having being part of the journalism club in the university and having published articles in various blogs, apart from the university magazines, the above errors have already been looked into to a good success. It is possible currently to come up and write a captivating story that would attract a wide range of audience. It is important that any one aspiring to be a journalist at least have basic knowledge of the equipment to be used, and how stories have to be published. As noted earlier, some experience using such equipment has already been gained through the use of high end cameras in long range picture shooting, which has offered great skills in the use of such devices. Moreover, as Sanders (2005, 5) explains, the ability to gather news by being an eloquent communicator with a thick skin makes the journalistic skills more enhanced. Having a thick skin requires a talkative and entertaining personality that can effectively capture the attention of high level personalities and the ordinary people alike. This is one of the best advantages that would make it possible to perform excellently as a journalist. The good skills obtained in in web based publishing through regular publishing in leading blogs are also an advantage in preparation of being a journalist. Journalism requires the use of both the print and digital platforms. In addition, journalism requires the use of internet to carry out detailed research to ensure truthfulness and accuracy in any reported story (Sanders 2005, 5), organizing the searched complex materials into clear and easy to understand stories, and analyzing such ideas to bring bout new knowledge to the audience. These are the new skills acquired and are being worked on to perfect them towards being a good journalist. However, there are a few areas that still need improvement and perfection before becoming an excellent journalist. One is the ability to discover holes in a report, and developing comprehensive stories for coverage by a general audience (Sanders 2005, 6). Having being used to writing in the university press where the audience is made of professionals, there is a need to work towards ensuring more efforts in demystifying information to the non-professional audience, and translating facts to offer information in the easiest way possible. In some cases, punctuating while writing becomes a problem, though the used grammar may be above board (Watson & Flintham, 2008, 16). The use of different punctuation marks in ensuring easy and effective communication to the ordinary audience wedel be an area that needs to be worked on as well. Moreover, campus recruiting has not been done yet (Hiatt Career center, 2012). In addition to undertaking campus internship participation, campus recruiting gives one the opportunity to meet with potential employers and university alumni, which facilitates learning of what is required to perfect one’s journalistic skill. List of References Baker, J., 2012 How to get into the BBC as a Journalist, BBC Academy College of Journalism, http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/blogcollegeofjournalism/posts/How-to-get-into-the-BBC-as-a-journalist [Accessed 23rd April 2013] Hiatt Career Centre, 2012. Employer Relations at Hiatt http://www.brandeis.edu/hiatt/employerconnections/index.html [Accessed 23rd April 2013] Sanders K., 2005. Ethics and Journalism, London: SAGE. University of Kent, 2011, Careers and Employability services: I want to work in..... Journalism and Writing, http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/journalism.htm [Accessed 23rd April 2013] Watson P., & Flintham N., 2008. Journalism Skills’ Survey http://www.skillset.org/uploads/pdf/asset_13022.pdf [Accessed 23rd April 2013] Read More