We all use language to express our desires, frustrations, hopes, wishes, anger, and happiness – we seem to have a word for all of our emotions, feelings and whatever message that we want others to know about us. But each to his or her own – we have different manners of using language. Some write or speak more clearly than others; some have difficulty choosing the right words while some have the propensity to use inappropriate words and at the wrong time at that. There are people who are passionate about what they think and they can tweak their words so they either elate their listeners or impassion them to act with impunity. Our words carry consequences and knowing how to phrase them correctly can make a difference the world over. Wise journalists realize this soon enough in their careers and thus can turn themselves into major opinion makers that influential people listen to and people on the streets turn to for their daily dose of wisdom. If you have this same passion for words, you can enroll in journalism courses to hone your skills further and turn your passion into something more than a dream.
Journalism can be quite a challenging career and with the world becoming virtually smaller everyday because of technology, many people around the world are reinventing it and making it more exciting than ever. You have plenty of options in journalism courses such as becoming a freelance journalist, photojournalist, proofreader or fiction writer. Journalists may no always be in the forefront of developing stories but those who are have the advantage, filming and writing the stories behind the news before everyone else become aware of the unfolding events. This is what makes journalism an exciting career.
But one thing that no journalism courses can teach you is to be confident and naturally inquisitive. You cannot be a journalist anywhere around the world if you do not possess the confidence and inquisitiveness needed to make you face strangers, ask them questions and take advantage of any and all opportunities that you may encounter on the streets. The internet has revolutionized the way journalism is practiced these days. Computer technology has given birth to virtually unlimited publishing platforms which means more and more people are able to access the news as soon as journalists are able to post them online. People can read news through their smart phones, tablet pc’s, laptops, and desktops. Traditional newspapers and magazines used to set regular deadlines for their daily, weekly and monthly editions for their journalists to follow. Now, there seems to be no strict deadlines as an event can be posted every minute, and readers can follow the blow by blow account of any event that’s happening halfway around the world. The usual day and night distinction has become blurred and you can read the developing news on another part of the world at a moment’s notice. And it’s not only in words; no news today is complete without accompanying photos and videos with sound. News editors, once cub writers themselves, are now hard pressed to come out with up to the minute editions of their online versions.
Being fast on the news however doesn’t mean journalists lose their accuracy. No journalist can be forgiven for reporting inaccurate facts such as a wrongly spelled name, an incorrect quote from a personality and other inaccuracies at it could mean serious legal problems later. Journalism courses will always take this as a dogma that must be learned by heart.
Journalism courses will tell you to have more than just a passing interest in what goes on around you. But they can only go as far as that – remind you of your responsibility. It is up to you to become engrossed in the current affairs in the community, in the country and around the world. You should have what veteran journalists call a “nose for the news” even as you are a novice and are yet to be seriously considered as a journalist.
Even as you have completed journalism courses, you may not end up writing the news for primetime television or the national newspapers. However, there are other areas where you can use your writing skills. You can find exciting careers in video and audio production firms, book publishers, media consultancies, business corporations, copywriting, marketing and advertising agencies, website designing, government offices, and self-employment opportunities.
Lifestyle Learning Direct offers journalism courses that can introduce you to this exciting world. You will learn the fundamentals of journalism, know how to prepare your writing, generate story ideas, understand the different writing styles, identify your market and how to market your work.
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