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
 
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