Do I have what it takes to be a print Journalist?

During my visit to the Toronto Star;

I have discovered no matter which particular career you want to pursue in the Print Journalism business, whether it is a photographer, columnist, editor, etc. all require similar traits. Especially since print journalism is an interconnected business, that depends on each and every personal to get the paper out to local people.

Online journalism has swept the nation; therefore it put a lot of pressure on print journalism, and these pressures require print journalists to think of new ways to attract readers; to view or even continue reading the paper.

Journalists always have to be open to different types of point of view; especially since many people have separate ideology of what “attracts” the audience. Therefore Journalists should be able to be creative in approaching different views, creating new layouts for the paper, writing or re-writing a piece, or have the ability to recreate what has already been done; for a nearly approaching deadline.

There is no doubt that journalists have to work well under pressure, but more so they have to manage their time well. As in they have to prioritize what is most important to least. And put themselves in a position where they could quickly write or edit a piece. These obligations go as far to the extent that these journalists have to be open to eating lunch at their desks!

There isn’t news without sources; Journalists have to feel comfortable talking to new people almost every day in order to gain information and form strong or good contacts. Since news gets across to people very quickly it is important for each journalist to make themselves accessible to head quarters but more so, to get their information to head quarters as soon as possible. Sometimes getting the exclusive information requires journalists to put themselves in very bad situations such as war zones, scene of a crime, etc. Journalists have to be adaptable to almost any situation, or so it seems.

Overall being a journalist is very time consuming; it takes many hours, effort and a whole lot of team work and coordination to have a great quality production to reach local audiences. But during the course of my trip to the Toronto Star, and my experiences in life I’ve learned, that if you love what you do you would never be confined to time. Matter fact those hours would pass with mere simplicity, well… with a hint of tension. I may not know whether I have the ability or the attributes to be a journalist now; but I sure know how I should feel when I get to that point in my life, and everything else… shall formulate as the time comes.

An aspiring Journalist-Writer

“When aspiring to be a Journalist-Writer passion should be above all qualifications.” Brian Baker is a Journalist that I was lucky to meet; through a “J-talk” that is part of my Journalism course. Not only a reporter for the Bloor West’s Town Crier, he is probably one of my best examples of a journalist that takes on a vast variety of topics among different genres. Namely current events, entertainment, sports, etc. Most of his work, the ones I’ve happened to look into was in the genre of sports. Reason being that is one of the categories I don’t have much interest in, most of which is because of its lack of creativity. However as I was browsing through Brian Baker’s pieces, I was amazed by how interested I was to continue reading. His writing played in my mind, like a black and white movie; it allowed me to think imaginatively while still giving me the facts. I believe the reason for this was because he gave bits of background information, prior to the actual story; therefore increasing the intensity of its importance. For example, a story he’s written, titled “Saintly resurrection”, just in the first 2-3 sentences he reeled in my attention.

After looking into Brian Baker’s variety of works, I’ve learned some things that are important in order to be a strong journalist.
1) Make WELL use of limited time
2) Have reasonable sources
3) Try going beyond limits
4) Because of online journalism information gets across fast; therefore try to look at stories from different perspectives
5) Have the ability to change writing style according to genre
6) Journalism is informative, but it’s means and sources are creative; so learn to manage both
7) Be competitive, try to improve writing style, and approaches to stories
8) But most importantly, write something in the quality you would want to look back and read yourself! Never be a sellout…