Journalist jobs can be found in a variety of industries. Writing, researching, editing, interviewing, and thinking skills are all developed through a journalism degree. A journalist can work as a reporter or a news anchor on television. Journalists also contribute to magazines, newspapers, and online publications by writing and editing. Copywriting in the advertising or public relations fields, as well as working in music journalism, are all jobs available to journalists.
A music journalist focuses on a particular genre of music, such as rock, pop, country, or hip-hop. Music journalists conduct interviews with musicians in order to write informative articles for print or online publications. While some music journalists are also musicians, this isn’t required as long as the journalist understands and enjoys music. The majority of music journalist jobs are freelance, and they involve pitching and writing articles about musicians and the music industry. Music journalists can also write scripts for radio shows.
Advertising, marketing, and public relations agencies hire copywriters to write ad copy. A copywriter’s education may include advertising, English, communications, or journalism. Journalists with persuasive writing skills and an interest in advertising may be a good fit for work at ad agencies, whether freelance or in-house.
Many journalists write articles for magazines, newspapers, and online publications as freelancers. Full-time positions such as reporters and columnists are available in the magazine and newspaper industries. Reporters usually cover a specific geographic area and write stories about current events, whereas columnists usually focus on a single topic, such as politics, gardening, or entertainment. Journalists also write reviews of movies and books for the entertainment sections of magazines and newspapers. Journalists include copy editors, designers, and photographers.
Television reporters, particularly those who conduct interviews on news programs, are frequently journalists. Television journalists may also work as travel correspondents, spending much of their time traveling across the country or around the world to cover breaking news stories. Other television journalists may work as reporters or anchorpersons in their local markets. Investigating product or service complaints on behalf of consumers or working on in-depth news stories are examples of other journalist jobs in television.
Journalists can work full-time, part-time, or on a freelance basis. Following graduation with a journalism degree, many aspiring journalists seek internships at a newspaper or television station to gain experience for future journalist jobs. Journalists at the entry level may work in a variety of industries before deciding to specialize in one.