Magworld article - Journalism in the field

As a journalism student, you often walk into many unfamiliar environments scattered with people you don’t know, and with the pressure of having to prove yourself as a good journalist to your editor, and to society. To be comfortable doing this, you need to know the skills of a reporter when you finally get that diploma, and head out for your first job in the field.

Sharpen soft skills; be a self trainer

“Journalists have to be good with people,” says Tina Anson Mine, managing editor of Canadian Living magazine. “You have to talk to them, negotiate with them, and you have to put people at ease and respect what people are bringing to the table.” It is essential to connect with interviewees, make them feel comfortable, and show that you are interested in what they have to say. If they sense that you are rushed, then they will rush through their answers and you won’t be able to get an informative interview for your article.

Ryerson student, Canice Leung, editor in chief of Ryerson Review of Journalism and the co-editor of McClung’s magazine, says, “You have to have personal skills, and the nature of journalism is to cold call people, harass them; this is how you work your way up there. “You simply just have to want it enough to get the experience, to get out there and make contacts; it’s the only way to get better at what you’re doing.”

“You either have what it takes or you don’t,” says Aaron Brophy, managing editor of a popular music magazine, Chart. He says in a stern voice that he is a very opinionated editor and to show him that you can stand out takes a lot of effort.

As a journalist you must be determined and bold to get what you want out of people.
Journalism teacher Douglas McGill, a former reporter, on his website says that you have to push in order to find the cause to reach the outcome of the story.

Find the core of the story

Mastering soft skills, such as being comfortable with people and respecting them allows the reporter to dig deeper to find the core of the story. In the article, “School of journalism and Mass Communications,” Hemant Shah, a professor of journalism and mass media communication at the University of Wisconsin, says that what is not forced enough in colleges is to push students above and beyond what they are comfortable with. Shah says most students just splash all the information they have come up with on a page and call it a story. He says in the article that a journalist can interview many people about a story, but where does that really lead you to? All you now have is a bunch of opinions and ethical judgments without the real cause. It is very important to know your story and all angles of it before you put a finger to your computer keys.


Develop an interesting voice

All potential journalists are trying to compete with other writers to get their stories published, and it all comes down to voice, individuality, and how you bring life to your copy. Every word in an article holds certain significance, and if you don’t show voice in that copy, you will lose to someone who does. Brophy says, “The ability to having an interesting voice in your writing is something amazing. “It’s extremely important, especially in our magazine because we write a lot of similar stories all the time, and if someone can bring life to that copy in 200 words to present, that is incredible; to make something stand out is incredible.” While Brophy feels that people either have a unique flare, or they don’t, Anson Mine says she thinks, “All people are unique in their own way, and some people are natural with it and others will grow into it. All people have totally different strengths.”

Know the niche of your magazine

Being a journalist, you have to know the niche of your magazine, and be able to write flexibly. Brophy says, “You must know the niche of the magazine, or you can not write an article and sound like you know what you’re talking about. It just doesn’t work” The key to knowing your story is to research, gain knowledge in what you are covering, and follow up with it all the time. Anson Mine says, “It’s unproductive to pitch to a magazine you don’t understand. It’s presumptuous to assume people will read anything.” Journalists have to constantly be calling their contacts and sources to know the latest on the story. Brophy says, “We have had many good writers, but they didn’t get the niche of our magazine; we are a music magazine. You can be a wonderful writer, but if you don’t understand the value of Alexisonfire, you’re of no use.”
A little piece of advice coming from Leung, she laughs as she says, “In fourth year everyone wants to make something of their self, and things start to become hectic because everyone wants to start working their way up. “I think all the students are at the level where everyone is champing at the bit. You have to show your self-worth.”
Anson Mine says in an industry where things are very demanding and competitive, most people do what they feel comfortable doing, and they play it safe. She says, “Just go with the flow, and don’t be afraid to try new things. What’s the worst someone can say? They don’t like it? It all takes confidence.”