When it comes to getting your first job in journalism, there are a
number of qualities all potential employers will be looking for.
You need to be able to write with accuracy and clarity, for example, and
at times at speed (without – importantly – losing either of the first
two staples of good reporting). It is also generally important to be
well-versed in media law. Shorthand? Well, we will come to that later.
But assuming you possess all the important underlying abilities, having
some digital sensibilities on top could help to set you out from the
crowd, and where you are applying for an online or otherwise-digital
position in particular, having key digital skills and tools under your
belt could be vital.
For a podcast on this subject last month I spoke to Alison Gow, editor of the digital content innovation team at Trinity Mirror Regionals; Cate Sevilla, homepage editor for BuzzFeed UK; John Barnes, managing director for digital and technology at Incisive Media; Anna Doble, head of online at Channel 4 News and Jon di Paolo, executive producer of SkyNews.com.
Their comments covered skills within the following areas: social media,
multimedia, newsgathering and fact-checking, digital innovation,
interactivity and specialisms. They also shared some advice on
qualifications and other non-digital skills which can help to put your
application in strong standing.
Social media
Being on social media is not just a chance to show you are up to speed
with the different networks being used today, but it is important to use
these platforms to engage with others, particularly around your
subjects of interest.
So make sure your accounts reflect your stated interests. And if you are
going for a social media-focused role, make sure your social media
activities demonstrate your ability to communicate well with others and
share interesting content effectively.
If somebody comes
along to us and says I'm really switched on, I've got the potential to
be a great journalist and they don't have any form of social media
interaction at all, no followers, nothing, it is highly suspicious
John Barnes, Incisive Media
"You
might have a Twitter account and a Facebook account, but you actually
need to use them because you need to have that deep level of
understanding," Alison Gow explained.
"If somebody comes along to us and says I'm really switched on, I've got
the potential to be a great journalist and they don't have any form of
social media interaction at all, no followers, nothing, it is highly
suspicious," John Barnes added.
"Simple things like do they have a picture on their account? Do they
actually describe what they're doing? Do they have a consistent level of
tweeting or commenting? Is it in and around a subject that they're
developing an interest in or an expertise on? We will look at those
things to get a more general picture of what a person is like.
"Obviously, in my day, it was 'had you worked on the university
newspaper or magazine', and now blogs are slightly like that. But any
experience that has been gained along the way, whether it's more formal
experience through publications at college, whether it's work experience
through courses that have taken place at college or holiday jobs, or
whether it is actually just things like a really keen interest in a
subject and therefore the go-getting nature of writing a blog or having a
good social media profile, they're all things that definitely help."
And if you aspire to write for viral content sites such as BuzzFeed, being social media-savvy is obviously vital.
"If you're applying for a community management role and your Twitter
feed is only updated once a week or has been left to rot, that's a bad
sign", Cate Sevilla said.
"So having all of the usual profiles you expect people to have, having a
blog where you talk about this stuff you claim to be interested in or
be a specialist in, is really important.
"If you're coming to an employer like Buzzfeed and you want a job, when
we look at what you've done in the past we should be able to find you on
the internet and find that you are talking about the stuff you claim to
want a job in."
Given the rise, and continuing growth, of social media as a traffic
referral for many news sites today, being able to share content
effectively is also a valuable skill to be able to demonstrate. And
again, your potential employer may look to your existing online activity
to see how well you are already doing this, Sevilla said.
For sites like BuzzFeed, which also include platforms where anyone can submit articles, such as BuzzFeed Community, they are also impressed to see you have already been getting yourself published on their own site.
"That's the best way for us to see if people get it and can create
BuzzFeed-style content that we enjoy," she added. "We've actually
published some of it to our homepage because it's been so good."
Multimedia
Having some basic video, image and audio skills in capturing, editing
and publishing are all useful additions to your toolbox. Late last month
we published some best practice tips on mobile multimedia creation
from documentary maker and photographer Christian Payne, @Documentally,
and Sevilla added that Photoshop skills in particular are important for
those coming to work at BuzzFeed.
Meanwhile Alison Gow said being able to exercise some multimedia talent would impress her as an editor.
It's lovely when
somebody comes in for an interview and they've brought along a tablet or
something they can show me some multimedia they've done
Alison Gow, Trinity Mirror Regionals
"It's
lovely when somebody comes in for an interview and they've brought
along a tablet or something they can show me some multimedia they've
done," she said, "for example, video around a story or a podcast they've made".
"I really think people who do that show that they have thought more
deeply about what the journalist's role is nowadays in storytelling, and
have taken it on.
"I don't want to detract from text; 350 words of news story is sometimes
all that a news story needs to be. But to have that added ability to do
[video] - and I'm not talking about Spielberg level video here - but
just to have thought to take a video, and add to the way that that story
is told and to embed it in that article, says to me that's somebody who
really has a skill that you'd want to bring into your newsroom."
If you are hoping to work at a broadcaster one day, video skills are of
course incredibly important, and when also working online there are a
number of different platforms at your disposal to share video in
different ways, from a 6-second Vine, to a longer YouTube clip.
And being someone who is able to use their smartphone to gather video on
the go, as well as fulfil their other responsibilities, is something
that will serve journalists well, as Doble highlights.
If I set myself up
well on a smartphone, I can have Instagrammed a great shot and sent it
to my newsdesk, I can have done a quick interview and done something fun
with Vine, all in the space of about 20 minutes, and then get back to
digging for the news itself
Anna Doble, Channel 4 News
"If
I set myself up well on a smartphone, I can have Instagrammed a great
shot and sent it to my newsdesk, I can have done a quick interview and
done something fun with Vine, all in the space of about 20 minutes, and
then get back to digging for the news itself.
"It's a balance. We don't want to waste producers' time messing about
with Instagram when they could be getting a killer line from an
interviewee. I think it's understanding that if you set yourself up and
you understand the tools, you can use them really swiftly and then crack
on. So you can have that digital presence while keeping to your
journalistic roots."
Fellow broadcaster, Jon di Paolo, executive producer of SkyNews.com,
also referred to the value of having a "visual awareness" as a
journalist, adding that so long as this is in addition to "the core"
journalistic skills of having a good understanding of what makes a news
story, and the ability to write well, "that is going to give you a big
advantage somewhere like this".
Newsgathering and fact-checkingOne skill highlighted by Anna Doble as being particularly valuable, was
having the initiative to be proactive in how social media is used to
gather original news stories, rather than solely responding to what is
being said on the platform.
For example, she explained, a journalist could make a Twitter list of
local politicians from a specific party and put a question to them
relating to a hot topic of the moment.
Within a relatively short space of time, purely by looking on social media from your desk, you could have a story
Anna Doble, Channel 4 News
"Within a relatively short space of time, purely by looking on social media from your desk, you could have a story," she said.
"Using the power of the crowd to actually create a line, create a
statistic, it might not be utterly scientific, but rather than just
going 'something's happened, someone's said this', I think it's turning
it round, it's inverting the root to the story and using it as a
starting point."
New journalists should expect to be asked in interview how they would
find a story, Alison Gow added, and including both digital and
non-digital techniques would show a diverse skillset.
"Somebody who would include in that conversation, 'well I would have
made a Twitter list from local councillors and I'd be tweeting that I
was new to the area and hashtagging it with #Liverpool and I would have
already joined the Flickr group for the Liverpool city area, so I was
talking to people on there' – that says to me that is somebody who has
really thought beyond 'I would go and get the names of the councillors
off the council website', because all these people are on social now.
"You can make the lists, you can use Tweetdesk columns, so you can
actually have those story sources coming in. Similarly, someone who had
put in some FOI requests before they came, so as they were starting
those FOIs were coming to fruition – fair play, that would be a good
thing as far as I was concerned."
Increasingly, in a world where people don't answer telephones, double checking facts is very much online
John Barnes, Incisive Media
As
well as social media, journalists should also know how to use other
online tools and platforms to contact and check facts with people,
particularly if more traditional methods are not proving effective, as
John Barnes explains.
"Increasingly, in a world where people don't answer telephones, double
checking facts is very much online," he said. "So whether that's using
online resources, other websites, whether it's using LinkedIn primarily
as a social media tool to contact and manage people, or other tools like
Skype.
"It doesn't really much matter but the fact that people are able to use a
range of tools to double check those facts, to make sure we've actually
got correct information, that we're not misrepresenting anybody and
we're actually producing accurate, reliable high quality journalism,
that's very important."
Digital innovation
On a simple level, understanding "how to write for the web" is vital when going for a digital reporting role, Sevilla said.
And while potential employers are not going to expect all journalists in
their first job to be digital innovation thought-leaders, they will
certainly be impressed by those who can also think creatively about new
storytelling formats, and the flexibility of digital platforms to
deliver content in a variety of ways.
Doble said this is one of the key attributes she would look for in
someone joining the newsroom – the ability to identify opportunities to
do storytelling beyond standard structures.
It's having the
confidence to say online news can be anything. It's not printed in ink,
it's not beamed out on a television set, it can be so many different
things
Anna Doble, Channel 4 News
"It's
having the confidence to say online news can be anything," she added.
"It's not printed in ink, it's not beamed out on a television set, it
can be so many different things."
While having technical skills is a wonderful addition, it is "more
important" to be able to demonstrate that "online journalism is a thing
in its own right and not just a dumping ground for the newspaper, TV
newsrooms of old".
It is also important to have an understanding of the different
ways to approach various digital reporting platforms, particularly in
the social web, rather than trying to run with a one-size-fits-all
model.
"We're all guilty of just whacking out a link across social media,"
Doble said, but added that "the key skill for somebody new now is to
show they have that awareness" of both the social network's own
environment and distinguishing features, as well as the "user journey"
and the impact that may have on the context experience expected on
arrival.
"You've got to think about where they're coming from, what they are
probably looking for when they arrive at your piece. And therefore one
story could have 4 or 5 different looks to it, or different emphasis,
depending on where you place it."
The added strength of a specialism
Having some form of specialism, such as an affinity for working with
data, or even some coding skills, can give you that extra selling point
to a potential employer, but the underlying reporting skills come first.
Having a specialism is not necessary to secure a journalism job, but
the point is that like many of the digital skills included in this
article, they can help you stand out from the crowd.
For example, Alison Gow said just having spreadsheet skills and the
ability to build visualisations gives applicants an "edge", but this is
in addition to the "broad skills" of being a good journalist.
She also highlighted how specialisms can emerge once someone is
working in a newsroom, pointing to former Wales Online journalist Claire
Miller, who now works as part of the Data Journalism Unit at Trinity Mirror Regionals after her data skills got her noticed.
"She demonstrated absolute capability and expertise with data and as a
result a job was created to make the most of her skills in that area,"
Gow explained.
Such skills are certainly valued in digital newsrooms. Doble, for
example, said "in a dream world I'd absolutely have a specialist who's
purely looking at graphics and data all the time".
Coding is also admired, but while some basic HTML will help you along
as a new journalist, more advanced skills are certainly not expected in
general.
"I don't think new recruits should be panicking about learning to be
code-heads," Doble said, "because it's a huge, huge discipline in it's
own right".
"But a basic understanding and a confidence around interactive
graphics and how to make basic things like Q&As or polls, is a great
skill," she added, or at least, "knowing which tools to go to to make
that kind of content".
At Sky News, one recent recruit shone above the rest due to his
abilities in data and coding, so having these skills is "a big string to
your bow", Jon di Paolo said, but stressed that this is only the case
if the "core" abilities as a journalist are there.
"I don't think you have to be familiar with coding and the back-end of things, but it doesn't do you any harm," he said.
"People like that are very few and far between because to be really good
in all those disciplines takes a tremendous amount of work, and you
have to be really disciplined to get to that point."
But, he added, "somebody who could do that but couldn't string a sentence together wouldn't get very far."
On the subject of coding skills, Sevilla said that those looking to
work in a start-up may find such skills are not required anyway because
newer content-management systems will do "everything for you".
At BuzzFeed for example, "we have developers already", she said, "so
if you are a journalist, you can just write rather than worrying about
formatting your posts in a certain way".
Barnes added that specialisms in "video, data journalism, audio" can be
big positives in the eyes of employers, but for him the key is "being
rounded and very practical", along with a "keenness to learn".
"Nobody's going to be the finished article when they start," he added.
While for some people, their journalistic career lies in general news
reporting, others may be interested in working towards a specialism, and
becoming experienced in covering a particular subject or patch.
If you want a job
being our new political reporter, and you claim to have a grasp on viral
content, we're going to want to see that when we look for you online
and go through your Twitter feed and see the things you've shared
publicly on Facebook as well
Cate Sevilla, BuzzFeed
And
for those keen to zero in on a specific patch or niche, Sevilla
highlights the importance of demonstrating that interest, and
specialism, in your online personality.
"If you want a job being our new political reporter, and you claim to
have a grasp on viral content, we're going to want to see that when we
look for you online and go through your Twitter feed and see the things
you've shared publicly on Facebook as well."
Non-digital skills
While we have so far focused on the key digital skills that may help to
give journalists that extra leg up as a journalism job applicant, there
are obviously a number of other 'analogue' skills, which are vital in
the eyes of some editors.
For Alison Gow, for example, shorthand is a vital skill for any
journalist planning on getting a job in the regionals, particularly "if
you're going for a traditional journalist job".
The shorthand debate remains fiercely debated, but as Gow highlights, if
you are likely to wind up doing court reporting, shorthand will be
important.
"It is a discussion that's being had more and more," Gow added, "but if
you haven't got your shorthand, a lot of newspapers will put your CV
straight to the reject pile".
She added that journalism-related qualifications that include key areas
such as media law can also help get you onto the career ladder, even at a
higher level than someone else.
"People who do the NCTJ, or people who do the BCTJ, or who do journalism
degrees, come into newsrooms and they generally come in at a higher pay
level," she said.
Doble added that journalism qualifications help to provide "a very clear
bit of evidence that this person has done the basics, the law,
understands the rules around journalism".
"It's more to just be able to tick that box and say this person's
clearly learnt the ropes and has proven themselves and presumably done
some practical training that was part of their course as well."
Once you are in the newsroom, being proactive, and brave enough to stand
up and share your ideas or new approaches to something, is also
something Doble admires.
It's coming in
with a fresh idea, a fresh way of working as well as the idea itself,
and then just pushing and having the confidence to convince others it's
worth doing
Anna Doble, Channel 4 News
"To
arrive in a newsroom like this with lots of big names, big reporters
who've done loads of amazing stuff... it could be an intimidating
environment, however it's not, it's a friendly environment and I think
the great thing you can do as a young journalist is come in and go
'look, I know a lot about this, there's some great stories to be had,
give me a day, and I'll build you an excellent story about something
that's never been covered before by this team or is not generally part
of the political agenda'.
"It's coming in with a fresh idea, a fresh way of working as well as the
idea itself, and then just pushing and having the confidence to
convince others it's worth doing."
Before even starting a job, Gow also encouraged new journalists to think about how they present themselves in an interview.
"If somebody can engage me and chat to me and make me enjoy talking to
them in interview, which is a horrible situation for anybody to be in,
they're going to do it out on the streets as well," Gow said.
We compiled some interview practice tips for journalists in this how-to guide.
Part of your interview skill is about how you sell yourself as a
candidate, and Barnes said harnessing your inner salesperson is key for
journalists in their everyday work as well, not just in the interview
room.
"If you think you've got to convince somebody that you're the person to
share the information with, to actually get the story out of them, that
ability to engage with people, to be a good communicator, to be very
fluent when you're talking, that ability to talk naturally and get on
with people and be convincing and true to yourself, that's what we look
for because that's not something we can teach you."
I'm very much of
the school of thought that says if somebody's got very good, core
skills, you can train them up on almost anything
Jon di Paolo, Sky News
And of course, writing and communication skills in general are a must.
"Obviously you've got to be able to read and write, spell, good
punctuation," Barnes listed, adding that other abilities in the field of
subbing and gathering images for stories are also now often falling to
the journalist, so being able to demonstrate skills in those areas can
also stand you in good stead.
And for di Paolo, having the "core basics" beat any digital expertise.
Journalists must have "a good news nose", he said, as well as "brilliant
written English".
"I'm very much of the school of thought that says if somebody's got very
good, core skills, you can train them up on almost anything, but the
peripheral stuff, their familiarity with interrogating Tweetdeck for
example, they can pick up here."
Update: This article was updated to correct the spelling of Jon di Paolo's surname
