“Model Up” revision

How to connect your reader to an audience

How to Become a Journalist: Education, Jobs, and Specialties 

by Elizabeth Grace

The world of journalism can be very exciting. Journalists are on the cutting edge of local and global events helping to keep the world informed about both hard news and gossip. Before you take a big step for becoming a journalist, like enrolling in a top journalism school, please make sure you are aware of salaries of journalists and the competition for journalism jobs. The climate for newspaper journalists is especially tough right now.

Once you are sure that journalism career is right for you, here’s what you need to do.

Education comes first. A degree in journalism, English, or communications is beneficial for those wishing to pursue a career in journalism. In addition to helping you gain the necessary knowledge, many universities offer job placement services to new graduates and alumni. Some journalist are able to find employment without the benefit of a college degree, but most often, those jobs are at community newspapers or very small publications.

If you are hoping to work for a large publication or production company, your best bet is a solid education. Attending journalism school, also called J-school, is an investment in your future. Enrolling in shortcut programs, such as seminars and classes offering "certificates of completion," although tempting, should be avoided. Additionally, be wary of online universities that promise a degree based on "life experience." Many of these are not affiliated in any way with an accredited university. There are a number of good online colleges, but most--if not all--are sister schools to a brick and mortar university. Journalism college is very important. It's especially good to find a journalism college with a reputable student newspaper or television program - you will want to get as much hands-on journalism as possible while still in school. This will help you secure a journalism internship, and get around the Catch 22 of needing journalism experience before you can get a journalism job.

Publishers, especially those with worldwide recognition, will respect your commitment to getting a solid education.

Let’s look more closely at the sentence that connects the reader

to an audience.

How did the author connect the reader to an audience?

“Publishers, especially those with worldwide recognition, will respect your commitment to getting a solid education.”

“Publishers, especially those with worldwide recognition, will

respect your commitment to getting a solid education.”

 People who hire journalists

 Which type of publishers

 The impression the publishers will have of you

 What journalists have done to impress them

Let’s try it with a different topic: how to

play basketballModel sentence: “Publishers, especially those with worldwide recognition, will respect your commitment to getting a solid education.”

Revision modeled from that sentence:

Let’s try it with a different topic: how to

play basketballModel sentence: “Publishers, especially those with worldwide recognition, will respect your commitment to getting a solid education.”

Revision modeled from that sentence: “Coaches, especially those trying to create a strong team, will be impressed by your commitment to learning the basics and your desire to contribute to a team.”

Try a sentence for your process paper

To consider:Who would be impressed by the process you’re describing?

What type of these people would be most impressed?

What might they think about someone who is doing the process well?

What would the reader have to do well to impress that audience?