Journalist Job Description (Production Journalists and Reporting Journalists)

The basic job description of Production Journalists and Reporting Journalists

Production Journalists are the ones who turn your office’s ugly toads into Page-3 princesses. They are the Editors/Sub-Editors/Copywriters and Copy Editors, Photo Editors and Evaluators, Proofreaders and language editors and language "formatters," Best Practice managers, video editors, graphics/layout designers, webmasters and all such personnel specializing in certain areas of technical production. 

In modern Media corporate, Production Journalists are some of the highest-paid skill-resource people. They are the ones who make sure that facts in a story are accurate, comprehensible and systematic; the language is well-dressed; the wrinkles are blurred out; that photographs personify the story perfectly; that the unnecessary are banished to the dustbin; that the stories fulfill the demands of accuracy and comprehension; that the uncertain shades are blacked or whitened and so on. Of all, they, Production Journalists, especially the editorial personnel, function as the second pair of eyes that look for something not visible in a story. This vital dimension of the editorial job is also called The Last Line of Editorial Defense or ‘LEAD.’

They are professionals with specialized, applied skills and expertise in various areas of production: language and editing, designing, analysis and knowledge of multimedia platforms and applications and so on. Their working hours are not stipulated but are counted only from whence they began work or the duration of it, as their skills are applied only as a production effort, for instance, after reports have been filed by the reporter or the pages are set.

(Salary & Incentives for Production Journalists)

Production Journalists, specific to editorial production are one of the highest paid in the media sector mainly because their skills are not considered just a learned facility but critical intellectual proficiency that require strong intellectual, analytical and empirical capabilities. 

In mainland Indian cities, a senior editor/senior subeditor/senior copywriter/senior copyeditor with 6-8 years experience can earn anywhere from Rs. 2, 50, 000 to Rs. 7+ lakh per annum (readers may want to check www.payscale.com, or regularly read finance news or corporate blogs on the internet to stay updated). Then there are the performance bonuses and increments aside from incentives and facilities employees are given. Salaries also depend on the reputation and reach of an organization. For instance, salaries in The Times of India or NDTV may not be as high/low as Reuters’ or the BBC’s.  

Reporting Journalists

Reporters are journalists who witness events, or research matter and present the gathered information as news/feature/article. Distinct from the aspect of production, the work of Reporters is primarily to gather information for awareness of the public on any matter of interest – from hard political news and current events to human interest stories. 

Considering the investigative nature gathering information is, reporters who have a nose for sniffing out a story from thin air zoom ahead of his peers (but remember this: the “sniffing-quality” is not an inborn talent. Well-informed, regular book-reading, current affairs-eating, socializing and enterprising reporters are usually the more progressive and successful. They know that the mundane stuffs going around have a big exclusive story in them. News is not always about something that happens at a location or time – the bigger stories are usually the ones that had demanded reading closely into the fine lines of what was being witnessed or best of all, finding lines where none was there in the first place. Now you know why some experienced guy said “Something smells fishy.” You have to have the knack to smell out a story even though you can’t see it right then and there.)

On a lighter note, readers may find interesting a few of our duh-huh slang we Journalists use: A news item is not “article” (as almost 10 from 10 readers would call so, I believe). A news item is a “story” (or ‘stories’). A journalist’s effort in gathering information on a stated subject is referred to as “reporting” or “covering.” An area that a reporter specializes in is referred to as “beat” or “patch.” So, reporters who report, for instance, current political-related issues are of “political beat” (or “political patch”); those who specialize in police and crime stories are of “crime beat” and those in entertainment are of “biz beat” or “celebrity patch” and so on.  

Reporters are the media’s version of medical personnel – they have to be on call all times so long as a current edition has not gone to production. It is a high stress job – odd hours, constant stress on deadlines that stories have to be filed before; constant interaction and meeting with people, gathering information and so on. 

Nevertheless, may I remind that enterprising reporters go up the ladder faster than the ones who give 100 stories and no important news. 

Reporters generally are expected to spend half-half working hours in a Newsroom (office where reporters’ news materials are processed) and going out to witness events or interview people, as part of news-searching.

(Salary & Incentives of Reporting Journalists)  

Unlike the developed countries, the Indian media woke to Globalization only in the early 2000s. Prior to the advent of New Media, Reporters in India enjoyed some of the most horrifying pay scales ever of all professional media careers. I am told that even modern media deities such as the Times of India and the Hindustan Times were paying a disturbing Rs. 5000-6000 to entry reporters during the beginning of the decade. 

Competition and the economic dynamics of rising standards of living and escalating prices are the chief reasons that the Indian media decided on a paradigm shift. A big one, that too. Today even entry reporters (‘entry reporters’ are reporters who have no significant experience) are paid at least Rs. 12, 000 a month (note: excluding extra allowances, incentives and taxes). The more experienced are paid starting at Rs. 20, 000 per month normally.

Media organizations also ‘market’ popular flagships campaigns and personalities to increase their audience. Big audience means big economic returns and growth of a company’s business. Visible and popular professionals are promoted and ‘brand marked’ and in the process increase circulation (Print), audience (broadcast) or traffic (web). For instance, NDTV’s star reporter Barka Dutt reportedly receives around Rs. 5 Lakh a month as basic salary. 

Al Ngullie
The Morung Express, India

©2012 Journalism Jobs Guide
 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This article contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

What do Journalists Do?

Basic tasks of a Journalist. Or specifically, what reporters do

No, they don’t always necessarily roam around with pens wedged in the flap of their ears and a small discolored writing pad sticking out of their shirt pockets. Or cameras, notepads and ball pens spilling out of military-type vest jackets.  

In spite of hypocrisy that 'new world journalism' have encouraged, paid-news and the utopist nostalgia of snob-nosed Journalists, I have always believed in this very basic tenet: Journalists must be governed by the desire for the plain truth about ‘something’ and not only inform the society of it, but also evaluate and interpret it before presenting it to the society. In this age of intrigue, corruption and manipulation and economic ‘interests’ digging out the truth is not always a case of calling a spade a spade.

Primarily, the perceived role of a journalist is in the collection and dissemination of information about current events, people, trends, and issues. 

What do News Reporters do?

 

The reporter researches and presents information in certain formats of mass media – print (newspapers), broadcast (television and radio) or online (new through the Internet). So the job basically include:

• Gathering facts from the spot of an event/incident/case 
• Interviewing people and authoritative voices that can offer credibility, factually-correct, contextually-sound and verifiable information
• Meeting with people and gathering opinions/data/information to support the occurrence of an event, for instance
• Compile the gathered information and write a "story" (In Journalism, any news report is called a "story")
• Publish the story  

The job also naturally means a good nose is an indispensable asset; to smell a story out of nothing; a candidate needs to be innovative, creative, active and analytical and yes, courageous. 

Being a very-high-stress career itself, journalism is not for every bright-eyed lad that walks into a newspaper or a television news channel with a fat CV. Few stick long enough to be actually respected as a journalist. The truth is, the work of a journalist is not participation in the exchanges of the greater global economy, or in the dissertation of diplomatic etiquette and egalitarian poise: His work is service, service to people and society, independent of influence – or at least that is what the good principles stipulate.

Al Ngullie
The Morung Express, India

©2012 Journalism Jobs Guide
 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This article contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

What are the types of Journalists?

Political shindigs and the modern man’s insufferable obsession with politics and tragedies have reduced journalism to a pitifully parochial stereotype. 8 out of 10 think journalism is limited to hard political concerns. 

Some years ago, I was informed that some press organizations in Nagaland were talking about calling only reporters as ‘journalists’ while production personnel (management, editors and editorial personnel, layout designers, cartoonists etc) should not be called so.

My reaction was irritation: We need to do something completely different once in a while, say, look out the window and look at the world – or at least read a 100-page book at least once every 10 years. Perhaps impulsive and ill-informed interpretation overlooked one essential aspect reporting Journalists and Production Journalists share – a component in the single whole organism of the profession itself. So what of editors, for instance, who possess experience as reporters? Simple as that. Broadly, there are two classifications:

• Reporting Journalists: 
  
  Media professionals that fall within the 'Reporting Journalist' category are
  
  Reporters, 
  Correspondents,
  'Sectoral' columnists (This is a recent classification. They are normally Reporters who are tasked with specific beats such as, say, rural development related issues and so write exclusively on it)      
  
  Bureau personnel 
  Stringers
• Production Journalists: 
  Media personnel that fall within the category 'Production Journalist' are  
  
  Editors, 
  Subeditors 
  Copywriters 
  Managers/Management
  Language managers/format specialists
  Photo Editors, 
  Graphic/Layout Designers
  Webmasters, 
  Technical personnel     

There is, however, nlo hard and fast designation to them. For instance, in Asian countries Subeditors are tasked with reporting assignments as well.

Al Ngullie
The Morung Express, India

©2012 Journalism Jobs Guide
 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This article contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Kinds of Journalism: The Classification

Someone queried me once whether ‘blogging’ can be considered among the kinds of “Journalism,” even if just “somewhat like Journalism.” My answer is this: It depends on what you are blogging or writing about in the first place: Is the blog a hard, entirely fact-based, relevant public interest issue, researched and investigated and up-to-date information?
 

And then there is the ‘economic’ factor: An individual who engages in citizen Journalism on blog platforms cannot be a Journalist anymore than a paid, real-time, full-time professional Journalist cannot be called a “citizen journalist.”

New technologies have birthed various classifications of Journalism (which are at best whimsical, though) which are in turn defining their purpose. For instance (I am told) there is so-called “fashion Journalism”, “trend Journalism” and even “online Journalism” as someone claimed during an Interaction I had with him once.

To put it simply to underplay the prospect of confusing students of Journalism, there are two broad classifications of Journalism – and relatively, Journalists – according to the nature of platforms that are employed to disseminate information (I am of old-school Journalism though, mind you): 

• Print Journalism (newspapers or new magazines for instance) and
• Electronic (Audio/Visual) Journalism

(Electronic Journalism is also known by its more generic term ‘New Media Journalism’)

Newspapers, magazines and even journals fall within the domain of Print Journalism. Electronic Journalism encompasses multi-media platforms such as Television, Radio and the Internet media. There are newspapers and magazines that maintain web editions as well as those that have only web editions or say a corporate television channel to cater only to select audience, for instance web-users or broadcast audiences. 

Different Types of Journalism 

So naturally, the types of Journalists are consonant with the several more that of Journalism aside from the more-fundamental News Journalism; the “subsidiaries” of ‘News Journalism’ now equally cover the cultural and artistic dimensions of an organized society (for instance, arts and entertainment, fashion and food and travel). That is the reason various types of journalistic institutions exists across the globe (aside from the more fundamental News Journalism). 

The New York Times’ writers’ website about.com lists the various types of contemporary Journalism:

• Business and Finance journalism +
  
• Environmental journalism
  
• Citizen Journalism
• Sports journalism  
• Investigative journalism
• ‘Photo Journalism’*
• Celebrity Journalism + and
  
• Fashion journalism +

+ Business and Finance journalism, Celebrity Journalism and Fashion Journalism are three of the highest-earning media professions in the world, particularly in the West and Europe where even journalists in the two beats with even 2 years experience usually earn in 6 figures a month.

* The increased interest in the fine arts has also birthed the industry of what has rapidly gained mainstream recognition as Photo Journalism.

Globalization compelled the new industry into engaging technology to not only tide competition but also to make information more accessible to the end-user. 

The diffusion of focus from traditional news peddling in the face of emerging user-technologies in the 21st century is a convenient panache for the young. It is a career that the youth’s vocational goals find almost ‘full’ fulfillment; the now almost-unlimited opportunities: fulfilling social aspirations, fame and adventure, working for society and people, challenges and high earnings.

I shall be writing more on the aspect of classification in Journalism.

Al Ngullie
The Morung Express, India

©2012 Journalism Jobs Guide
 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This article contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

Journalism in Nagaland (A random Thought)

Contemplating the state of journalism in Nagaland today – the overriding tendency to appease or give in to pressure (read fear) – I have no issues in saying we all regularly wet our pants for no good reason other than the journalist (or a pansy-bottomed management) would choose convenience over principle. The notion of Interpreter and Evaluator as intrinsic roles of the media does not exist in the Naga media. So you are merely a "Disseminator."   

However, the fact is that the process of evaluation and criticism that the Media is expected to play (role of ‘filterer’ for the society and citizens) is to enable the society to choose and judge. Now, do we wonder the pitiful state of Nagaland today, the people and their social appendages, who swallow without protest whatever muck is fed to them? Agreed, we do apparently play the role of the filterer – filter out all truths and dump the rubbish into the print. 


In Nagaland, Journalists work in circumstances that involve, for instance


Stern social arbitration: 


The Nagas are a tightly (if stifling) knitted, almost feudal communities where the burden of tradition and tribal allegiance often interfere in the work of Journalists. For instance in criminal cases that involve a member of a tribe and one of another ultimately guarantees that there would be a friction of some nature between the two tribes  - each tribe would jump in the fray to vouch for its member. This tribal inclination have often even led to manipulation of established, legal justice systems.


Political instability 


Journalists in Nagaland are probably one of the most stressed Media communities in India. They work in a State where "news" is apparently entirely synonymous with political conflict - specifically the more than 50 years of armed struggle of Naga underground organizations against the Government of India. Further, the fact that there are multiple armed Naga organizations engaging in hostilities with the next group makes the task of Naga Journalists an even more touchy affair. In fact the condition of Journalism in Nagaland is to the extent that the the armed organizations even go as far as  to "request" Editors which page to carry a press statement and then, when! 


Economic constraints


Simply put, Journalism in Nagaland is as far as your salary goes. Thankfully, things somewhat brighter  since the Center's Wages Labor Board stipulated wages for working Journalists in India. Till a few years ago, the Naga Journalist was being remunerated in the proverbial peanuts. Long, stressful working hours in stressful and often violent situations, their remuneration could only be called anything but even decent. Notwithstanding the lofty standing of principles and vision for society, one still has have to eat. The wallet department is one of the reasons Naga Journalists have had to wait for higher inspiration to intervene. 


Those were just few instances of what Journalists Nagaland go through. However, things are looking up with the government's Wages Board's recommendations to hike incentives and remuneration of professionals working with Media organizations in the State.  

What is Journalism? All about Journalism and the Jazz

A senior executive of English newspaper The Morung Express who participated in an exposition in Northern Ireland on Journalism recently narrated to me a starkly fascinating anecdote: Celebrated reporter Eammon Mallie dared the gathered journalists with a query. “Why do people become Journalists?”

In response to the query you could almost hear unabashed and unworried answers leap from the Journalists’ thoughts:

‘Fight corrupt governments’

‘Encourage citizenship’

‘Be the voice of the people’

‘Be the ultimate microphone for Freedom of Speech’

‘Change the world’

‘Block Climate Change’

‘Impress that gorgeous girl next door’

‘Stir dad into buying you that swanky Chevrolet in Dimapur and etcetera and etcetera.

None so.

So why do people become journalists?

“Vanity. Vanity. Vanity!” Eammon Mallie thundered to the stunned Journalists.

I believe that the gathering had an answer far more surprisingly Utopian than what Ms. Mallie fished out for them.

Before defining Journalism, here is an Assessment

Today, Journalism – the print, broadcast and online – is among the world’s more celebrated (if ‘dirty’) careers especially for the educated young. Why so? A few reasons:

• The prestige and the romance of fame and grind
• High earning and career-growth factor
• The opportunities and dangers (depending on how willing you are at risking your bottom on the frying pan),
• High-competition and thrust for excellence and competition,
• Career challenges that could span from big scoops to bigger trouble and yes a comparatively high earning index when put to contrast with other “non-economic” careers   

No wonder, Eammon Mallie declared ‘Vanity, Vanity, Vanity!’ as the sole reason why people ‘become Journalists.’ The exchange of placements and employment in journalism count by the thousands for major newspapers, broadcast and the online news corporate every year. Thousands of the young are opting for Journalism as a career for or either of, two basic reasons: (a) a passion to work for the people and society and (b) high earning and the fame-factor.

The People & Society Factor:

Do you wonder why Journalism sits in the same front row of chairs with Democracy, Liberty and Freedom and Nation-Building? Even one with the IQ of a cabbage knows that enlightened society has pinned prestige on journalists for that their role largely encompasses the universal pursuits for positive change, nation-building; peace and growth; the universal aspirations for a progressive humanity. And I say so without pride. Probably.

The stuff Journalism is made up of

Volumes and library-thick discourses throughout history offer a good idea on what characterizes journalism, and the role of journalists. Personally, I love what the feisty Nagaland Page’s chief Monalisa Changkija – during an interaction years ago – said of journalism: Old-school journalism – Just to speak the truth.

Considering the immutable changes in value-moderation contemporary journalism has undergone, ‘truth’ today almost sounds a feeble defense to shut up the proletarian purists and fed the socialist-tweaking elitist. Global economic compulsions and handy socio-political tensions storming the advent of the 21st century have forced new paradigms in value-moderation. But the reality remains that truth is just plain truth. Nothing else.

The intrinsic values of the very purpose of journalism are summed up in The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. The book is considered the one authority for reference for all aspiring journalists – with a reminder that all journalists are humans; and so, are essentially biased. The Elements of Journalism lists a number of imperatives that represent the very spirit of Journalism, its purpose and goal. These elements are not necessarily exceptions nor are they rules unto themselves. They are more of a rationalization of the paradigms, I believe, that completely represent the central tenets of purpose, rather than intent. They are pragmatic standards for newsmen I say. 

The elements say that:

(a)    The first contract of Journalism and Journalists is with Truth

(b)   Their first loyalty is to the Citizen and to Citizenry

(c)    Journalists are independent, and must maintain independence from any influence, individual, organization or government

(d)   Journalism is independent check-and-balance, the monitor

(e)    Journalism should provide the public a platform to opine and criticize

(f)    Journalists must be allowed to exercise personal conscience (I believe this element supplements point ‘e’ by principle and not merely complement it).

So what is Journalism?

For the sake of sparing my readers the burden having to dissect pompous explanation here is Journalism:
 

Broadly speaking, Journalism refers to the work of a Journalist working with a news organization in disseminating and informing the public on current events, issues and trends. It refers to the activity or profession of writing for newspapers or magazines or of broadcasting news on radio or television, to be disseminated as information for the public.

Broadly speaking again - the role of Journalism as I understand from industry trends and societal thought processes - the profession plays three significant roles. Role as

(i)                 An Interpreter

(ii)               An Evaluator and

(iii)             A 'Disseminator'

In its more predisposed role as an independent monitor, Journalism offers ‘choices’ to the citizenry; journalists write, evaluate and comment on relevant issues and events for the public. 

Al Ngullie
The Morung Express, India

©2012 Journalism Jobs Guide
 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This article contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.