Sokanu: The Blog

What Is A Journalist?

In broad terms, journalists are writers that find and present information in many areas of life. In a more “traditional” sense, journalists are writers that find and research information to be presented to the public through mediums like newspapers, magazines, radio, television stations or the internet. In many ways, journalism is the backbone of media industry. Therefore, many media jobs require some aspect of journalism experience. The type of writing a journalist does, depends on the subject being covered. Another aspect that affects a journalist's job is the type of medium they produce news for.

What Does A Journalist Do?

Journalism is a broad career with many opportunities. Within different areas of media (television, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.), there are specialized tasks for journalists. Depending on the size of an organization, a journalist may work one or many of these tasks:

Reporters are directly involved in the gathering of information. They conduct interviews, find sources, and pull together all the information needed to write a well-rounded news story. Reporters also present the information in a written or spoken form in news stories, documentaries, or feature articles. General reporters cover all kinds of news stories, but some may specialize in certain areas such as sports, politics, or lifestyle. Some reporters may work on staff for large news organizations, or as freelance writers, writing stories for whomever is paying them.

Sub-editors take stories written by reporters and put them into a form that suits the special needs of their particular newspaper, magazine, or website. Sub-editors do not gather the information themselves but rather they concentrate on how existing stories can be better tailored to match a specific audience.

Photojournalists use photography as a way of reporting the news. They may cover events with a reporter, taking photographs to represent a written story or attend news events on their own, doing both jobs. A photojournalist is like a reporter that must make decisions instantly in order to capture important events at the time they take place. They must carry photographic equipment and be able to make snap decisions. This may mean they are exposed to some obstacles like physical danger, crowds, or harsh weather.

The editor is the one in charge of deciding what goes in a newspaper, magazine, or news bulletin. He or she is responsible for the content that is to be written by the journalists and makes all final decisions.

The news editor is the person in charge of all news journalists. They make all the decisions about what stories to cover and who will do the work. In large news organizations, the news editor may have a deputy, often referred to as the chief of staff, whose job is to assign reporters to selected stories.

Feature writers write longer stories, which give more background to a news story. This type of writing involves a lot more in-depth research to give readers a lengthy and informative article.

What Does It Take To Be A Journalist?

Journalists must have a desire to find and write stories that are important to the people. There is a great deal of power that comes with being a journalist, as they decide and create what it is the public should see or read about. Journalists can be seen as “watchdogs” for the ordinary man or woman.

People trust journalists with facts, whether they are being given or received. This trust must be honored. One should never use journalism for selfish needs, but rather for improving the life of other people. Journalists must have a passion for the truth and exposing that truth to the people. But desire alone will not make a successful journalist.

On the technical side, a journalist needs to have excellent research skills and an ability to generate information and good content. They must be able to ask the right questions and understand situations quickly in order to produce coherent stories.

Like any writer, journalists should have a passion for language and all the ways it can be used. It's not just about the facts, but also about the way they are presented. Journalists need to have excellent writing and grammatical skills, and must always aim for accuracy. The best way of ensuring accuracy is to have a system for keeping track of facts, perhaps in a notebook. This way, when events are taking place, a journalist has a quick way to gather the information that he or she will use later.

To gather this information, journalists need to have determination (though sometimes perceived as aggressiveness) to ask all the appropriate and necessary questions until all the facts have been addressed. This may mean asking the hard questions that could upset people. It may be painful but there is respect to gain in the end. There is a simple rule: be polite but persistent.

Workplace

Depending on the type of article being written, a journalist works anywhere they are able to, in order to produce that story. There are two parts to creating a story. The first is being out on the field gathering the facts. Journalists need to find sources, attend functions and big events, and interview people. Anywhere that the news is happening, there's usually a journalist (or several) on site. Journalists have to know where to look for a story, as sometimes it is necessary to do some sleuth work when digging up information.

The second part is the writing. If a journalist works for a large news organization, he or she may have an office (or desk) to work at in order to meet strict and short deadlines. Freelance writers can work from home or anywhere that they are able to produce well-written work.

Salary

There are a number of factors that determine the salary of a journalist, including education, type of media, work experience, location, employer and talent. The average salary for a novice journalist sits somewhere in the $30,000 range, but as listed above, many factors determine this rate.

The quality of a journalist's writing can greatly affect the wage, as well as the company profile that he or she is working in. If one has earned a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree from a good institute, he or she may earn a starting salary of $22,000 - $50,000. Those earning a bachelor's degree specifically related to journalism can earn even more. Students who have obtained a master's degree in journalism can earn an additional $10,000 - $20,000 annually.

And of course, over time, as experience is gained and the quality of writing improves, a journalist's salary will grow.

List of Schools

http://www.canadian-universities.net/Universities/Programs/Journalism.html (Canada)

http://http-server.carleton.ca/~mmcguire/J-Ed/j-prog/index.shtml (Canada)

http://www.journalismschools.com/ (United States)

http://www.squidoo.com/bestjschools (United States)

http://www.markovits.com/journalism/jschools.shtml (International)

What Is A Television Writer?

A television writer is a skilled writer responsible for the developing, writing, and revision of scripts so that they are ready for the silver screen. They are responsible for creating all plot lines, characters, dialogue and situations. Episodic television writers also work as producers to oversee the budget and overall quality of production of a series. Television writers usually work as part of a group of writers to ensure that scripts are written well and meet strict deadlines. 

What Does A Television Writer Do?

Television writers are responsible for the production of a television series from the beginning processes of writing a script to the launch of a pilot episode. They prepare scripts for a wide range of television programs including soap operas, comedies, dramas and documentaries. A pilot episode may be “picked up” by a network for a contracted television series. Some writers also create ads for local sponsors, previews for upcoming shows and station announcements.

A major change has taken place in television production in recent years. No longer are studios spending millions of dollars on long-term development deals with writers in hopes that they will provide them with a hit show for the studio. More recently, studios engage writers to create or contribute pilot scripts to be considered for development. A pilot script, also known as a pilot episode or series premiere, is the first episode in a television series. Pilot episodes are created as a test run to determine if a television series will be well received on air. The studio is granted a number of options to involve the writer in the processes of writing and producing a script. The benefit to this is if the studio is not happy with a script, it can cut its losses early, while only having to pay the initial script fee. These deals, referred to as “one of’s”, are the dominant form of television series writing deals.

When a script is picked up for a pilot episode, the writer is involved in many aspects. He will be the one to hire the director of a given episode, work with a line producer to hire a crew, and supervise casting and post-production efforts. The head writer is also referred to as the “showrunner”.

What Does It Take To Be A Television Writer?

As with any career in the writing world, the way to gain experience and build a portfolio is to write. A television writer builds something like a portfolio called a “spec script”. A spec script is a sample of writing that showcases a writer's knowledge of the craft and lets others know that he has an understanding of the format of television writing. It could be an original television pilot or a script for an existing show. A good spec will illuminate a writer's skills.

Once their foot is in the door, a television writer is under the gun to write shows that meet strict deadlines. When a writer is creating a spec script he can use as much or as little time as he/she needs. Working in television means a writer has to meet very short deadlines that may change day to day.

Television uses a lot of material. An hour long drama needs a new script every five to seven days. A typical TV deadline takes a week to go from an approved outline to a good first draft. A good writer should be able to accomplish it in four days, which leaves one day to fix mistakes. No one expects perfect work, but they do expect constructive work that can be built on. With such a demanding schedule, a writer is NOT allowed to have writer's block. It's just not an option. A schedule must be stuck to and a writer must be able to power through a script and make it happen.

The most negative thing a writer can do for a network is to deliver a show late. A network has a slot in their schedule for a show. If a show is late then the network will have to find something else to fill that slot with and that means money is lost and people lose their jobs.

Something else writers have to take into account is the internal structure of television. Because commercial breaks are the bread and butter of television, the story needs to be structured with cliffhangers to take place at the end of an act, so that the audience will want to return to the show once the commercials end. A studio's goal is to keep the viewer tuned into the show, and to make them want to return for the next week's episode. It's vital that writers structure episodes in this way to keep the audience interested.

Workplace

Writing a spec script can take up as much time of a writer's schedule as he/she needs as it only matters when the script is complete. When a writer is working with a network, he/she is on a strict schedule. Writers are usually part of a writing team to ensure that the writing can be completed well and on time. The writing team may consist of anywhere between four to twenty (or more) writers. This all depends on the budget, show, and the preference of the showrunner. This may mean a room full of people sketching ideas and writing scripts, surrounded by pots of coffee to keep up their energy. What matters most in a writing team is that the work is done efficiently and well so that a show can air on time.

Salary

Under the Writer's Guild Agreement (which governs most television projects), the price for rendering a half hour script is $30,000 while an hour-long script is $43,000. For this price the studio will be entitled to a story, first draft and final draft of the script. In some cases, the studio will bargain for a story, first draft, two sets of revisions and a polish. Usually, the writer/creator will receive a higher pilot writing fee than mandated by the WGA. It may range from $50,000 (for a relatively inexperienced writer) to $250,000 for an experienced and established writer. This money only applies to the “one-of” deal.

In many cases, when a pilot is picked up and ordered to production, the studio will guarantee the writer employment as an “executive producer” of the pilot episode at a negotiated fee. The WGA does not govern these producing fees. A writer's experience and social influence are taken into account during negotiations. These fees for producing such services can range between $15,000 - $100,000. Here is a great link with specific fees based on WGA 2008 Schedule of Minimums. http://www.wga.org/subpage_writersresources.aspx?id=68

List of Schools

http://www.humber.ca/program/television-writing-and-producing (Canada)

http://specialprograms.tisch.nyu.edu/object/tvwritingcert.html (U.S.)