Newspaper Journalist

Job Description:

Newspaper journalists research and write stories or articles for local, regional, and national newspapers.

Job Category:

Culture, Media & Sport

What you will do:

You could be reporting on council meetings and school fêtes for a local paper, or on general elections and world events for the national press.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

investigating a story as soon as it breaks
following up potential leads and developing new contacts
interviewing people face-to-face and over the phone
attending press conferences
recording meetings and interviews using recording equipment or shorthand
coming up with ideas for stories and features
writing up articles in a style that will appeal to the reader
sub-editing other reporters’ articles for publication
writing up articles for online publication

Skills:

You’ll need:

knowledge of English language
knowledge of media production and communication
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

As well as:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
excellent written communication skills
excellent verbal communication skills
ambition and a desire to succeed
persistence and determination
adaptable

Illustration of employee looking at workspace

Entry Requirements:

You could start as a trainee on a local or regional newspaper. Opportunities are rare and you’ll need to show you’ve writing experience.

You could also get into this job through an apprenticeship.

You could also get into this career through a degree in journalism or English, or a postgraduate journalism qualification.

In the UK, you could also take a journalism qualification like those offered by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ).

Working Hours and Environment:

You may work long, irregular hours including evenings, weekends and public holidays.

You’ll usually work in an open-plan office. You’ll also spend time out of the office, following up stories. If you work for the national or international press you could travel abroad.

Career Path & Progression:

With experience, you could become a chief reporter or a specialist writer, covering areas like politics, business or particular regions of the country. You could move to a national newspaper or work as a critic.

You could move into other areas such as magazine, broadcast or online journalism. Or you could work in a press office or public relations.

Newspaper Journalist