While considering a career in journalism, it is worth thinking about what makes a good journalist and what the job demands.
1. It’s a vocation, not a job. You are on duty 24/7. Your duty is to scrutinise and question those at the top and to highlight those dark places where few venture
2. All journalism should be investigative. You have to ask questions
3. Don’t expect to be given stories – your job is to find them. You can find stories at very event and every occasion you attend – whether for work or pleasure. Stories are all around us – in our lives and in the lives of others
4. Your job is to ask questions, research information, uncover facts, check those facts and deliver them to your audience in the most effective way
5. Live by the rule that everyone has a story and it’s your duty to find it and tell it
6. Come up with something original in your reporting. Don’t rely on wires or press releases
7. Don’t follow the competition. Aim to be ahead of your competitors by finding your own stories and angles
Don’t expect to be given stories – your job is to find them
8. Read through press releases. You may find the final paragraphs contain ‘the story’
9. Write for your audience not for your own glory or peer approval
10. Treasure and nurture contacts don’t just pump them for information and dump them
11. Don’t have favourites. Don’t do deals. Don’t accept gifts. Don’t make exceptions
12. Respect privacy. Be sensitive when dealing with the bereaved or traumatised
13. Keep your notes and recordings. Never throw a notebook or recording away. They may be needed if you get a complaint
14. Check and double check facts
15. Know your limitations
16. Read your words as a reader. Never assume your reader knows the context or background of your story
17. Resist the temptation to ‘sensationalise’ your story
18. Your own feelings and beliefs should have no impact on your delivery of balanced, impartial and objective writing
19. Don’t use long words when short will do. And keep sentences simple
20. Enjoy. It's a great job and a privilege to be allowed into the lives of others.