Who Is a Journalist?

Goals
Describe modern-day journalists and their role.
Explain the differences between reporters and editors.

Key Terms
journalist
journalism
freelance journalist
reporter
Correspondent
editor
Photographer
Videographer
copy editor
Designer
Artist

When your parents were growing up, they may have had a newspaper delivered to their
doorstep every morning. At breakfast, they may have peeked at the sports page to get the
score of last night’s important game, or looked at the television schedule to check which of their
favorite shows would air that night. They might even have read a few favorite comic strips
before catching the bus for school. In your world, the Internet has become as important a news
source as the newspaper was to your parents. It’s the modern way of keeping informed about
what is going on in the world. The difference between newspapers and the Internet is that
Internet users get video, audio and interactive graphics, as well as the printed word. Plus, the
Internet is updated all day long. The Internet is more than a news source, though. It also is a
place for regular folks to find information, build social communities and communicate — exactly
the mission most news organizations see for themselves.

The Modern Journalist

Journalists in the 21st century are the reporters, editors, photographers, producers and camera
crews who sift through the many events of a day to tell you what is important or interesting in
your community and the world. They are modern-day storytellers who use all the technology
available to them. Journalists work in the field of journalism, which is the business of
newsgathering and reporting. Journalists like to know what is going on in their communities and
why something happened. They like to get information, ask questions and tell good stories.
Journalists today may use a reporter’s notebook and pen, but they also must know how to use
the digital recorders on their smartphones and the latest video chat software on their laptop
computers. New-century journalists keep up to date with new technology and use it as they
develop their stories for print, broadcast and the Internet. In addition, today’s journalists need
traits and skills that good journalists always have needed: solid news judgment and sound
ethics, the ability to write clearly and edit carefully, and the desire to investigate and verify.
Some people become journalists because they are naturally curious. Others enter the field
because they are writers. They like the challenge of taking facts, interviews and observations
and weaving them into interesting tales that help others understand the world, or at least one
slice of it. Some are photographers who see stories through the lens of a camera, whether still
or video. Whatever the reasons journalists have for getting into the field of journalism, they are
in the business of storytelling. Whether the story is told in a magazine, in a newspaper, on a
television or radio broadcast or on an Internet webcast, the traits and basic skills needed are
the same.

THE ROLE OF JOURNALISTS

Journalists are people who collect information and report on current events, trends and issues
in the community and around the world. In other words, they are people who help to keep their
communities — and the world — up-to-date. Journalists work with government officials,
businesses and community leaders, but they must remain independent of them and free from
any association that would be — or might appear to be — a conflict of interest. Journalists
often work for news organizations, such as newspaper publishers or broadcast networks. They
are on staff and paid by those organizations to cover news, to find trends and to explain
important issues. Other journalists are freelance journalists. That means they do not work for a
particular news outlet and they may cover stories for any news outlet that wants to hire them.
Sometimes freelance journalists work for an employer on assignment, which means they work
on, and are paid for, one story at a time. Freelance journalists also work on contract, which
means they make an agreement to work for, and are paid for, a particular length of time.
Whether journalists are on staff or freelance, they represent the organization employing them
and adhere to their employer’s standards as well as those of the profession. The term
“journalist” is broad. It often is used as a synonym for “reporter.” However, many types of
journalists are involved in putting out a news report.
• Reporters, also called correspondents, gather information for stories by researching,
observing and interviewing. They then write most of the content. Most of their stories will be
assigned to them by editors, but some will come from ideas of their own that were approved by
an editor.
• Editors assign and approve the content — meaning stories, photos and videos — that will be
produced for a print, broadcast or online news report. There are editors for news, sports, the
arts, business and more.
• Photographers take still shots for a story.
• Videographers tell stories with moving images and capture the story in video.
• Copy editors edit the text of a story. They check the facts and correct errors in spelling and
grammar before publication. Copy editors also write headlines and photo captions.
• Designers determine, with the top editors, where content will be placed on printed pages or
how it will be arranged on websites.
• Artists work with editors and reporters to produce illustrations, charts, graphs, maps or other
material that will help tell a story. In the next section you will learn more about the role of
reporters and editors, the backbone of the news media. check Name the types of journalists
involved in putting out a news report.

Reporters and Editors

Reporters and editors are the journalists who work in print, broadcast and Internet operations to
report and sort the news. They work for daily and weekly news operations, monthly magazines,
and 24/7 broadcasts and websites. As you have read, journalists on the front lines are usually
called reporters or correspondents. They gather facts and prepare information to send out by
mass media to the people who will read it, listen to it or watch it. When Japan was hit by a
major earthquake and tsunami in 2011, journalists from national cable and broadcast networks
and many major newspapers and websites scrambled to get reporters, photographers and
videographers on the ground there quickly. They wrote and photographed thousands of stories
about the devastation and the human impact of these disasters so that people in this country
could understand what had happened. Some correspondents stayed for weeks or months after
the quake to continue reporting on rebuilding and relief efforts. Reporters don’t have to go to
the scene of an international disaster to be on the front line. A reporter who covers a school
board or city council meeting in a small community also gathers and reports information that
helps people in the community stay informed on important issues that affect their lives and
personal budgets. How do you find out whether the city council voted to raise parking fees?
How do you learn that the school board voted to cut the music and arts program? You learn
from reporters. Editors work with reporters to get the best stories to news consumers as
quickly as possible. In addition to assigning reporters to breaking news stories or features,
editors also may help reporters develop questions for interview subjects, decide where
reporters should go to get the story and be a contact point in the office of the news
organization. While reporters were in Haiti covering the aftermath of the earthquake in 2010,
editors were in the office reviewing photos, video and information coming in from all sources.
They listened to reporters on the ground via cell or satellite phone, received text and email
messages, and developed a list of stories the reporters would produce for the website and print
editions. Editors also edited the material to be sure it could be understood easily by readers
and website users.