How to be a Journalist is News Associates podcast, hosted by our very own Plamedi Mbungu.
He has interviewed journalists in all areas of the industry about what their roles look like, how they landed their jobs and what their top tips are for early-career journalists.
Read on to find out what we are taking away from the latest episodes.
“You have to throw yourself into the deep end to find that story.”
The Athletic staff editor Richard Amofa shared why working in smaller, regional publications makes for a great journalistic foundation for early-career journalists.
When you work for smaller publications or in less fast-paced patches, searching for a story can be difficult but doing this will make you a better journalist.
It gets you thinking creatively because you can’t piggy back off any other stories.
@newsassociates_ Hear from The Athletic staff editor Richard Amofa and gain insight into the industry on episode five of ‘How to be a Journalist’ 🌟 #TeamNA #StartedHere #HTBAJ #NewPodcast #Podcast #TheAthletic #Football #RichardAmofa ♬ milk cassette x.mp3 (slowed + reverb) – analog_mannequin
“If you deliver, you will find the opportunities.”
The Sports Agents producer Adonis Pratsides understands that landing a dream journalism job comes from the perfect balance of luck, timing and a flawless portfolio.
You can’t control all of these things but you can make sure you have a portfolio of work full of high quality journalism.
Being consistently good gives you the best chance at greatness!
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“It’s about finding that new angle and new question that they haven’t been asked about.”
PoliticsJoe junior political correspondent Laura Beveridge says that the way to get an interesting interview is by doing your research.
An interview full of questions that have been asked before is repetitive.
Making sure you watch other interviews and read other articles will make sure you come in with different questions and a fresh angle.
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“Was it my dream job? No. But it was experience!”
BBC Radio London reporter Adriana Elgueta reflected on her career so far and her time at national newspapers before landing her role at the BBC.
When asked about how she separates her personal politics and publication, she described how her willingness to work in the industry was enough motivation to do whatever job she could find.
Success in your early-career is dependent on how willing you are to put yourself out there, even if it far from ideal.
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“It’s weekly podcasts so whatever we recorded we had to put out… practice makes improvement.”
Seasoned Sessions podcast O&O lead Hanifah Rahman stresses the importance of consistency in your early-career.
Success doesn’t come from writing and posting sporadically, it comes from delivering consistently high quality journalism.
Making a writing schedule and sticking to it can improve your time management skills, your writing skills and build up your portfolio – making you an all-round better journalist.
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“If you’re passionate about something, you will end up in the right place.”
Dansplaining podcast co-host Jordan Rason reminded trainees that getting rejected from jobs is an unfortunately normal thing for those starting off in the creative industry.
Even though you may feel demotivated, the key to success is to stay passionate about your work.
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“Even if you don’t feel like you want to go into local news, and are not very interested in that, there will be space for you.”
The Independent news editor Sian Elvin shared her thoughts on working in local news at the start of a journalism career.
Although she doesn’t think this is the only way to be a great journalist, it is a great way to start, no matter what your areas of interest are.
Today’s media landscape has made a lot more varied job opportunities in local media which can build up your skillset even more.
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“You can’t stand still because how are you going to progress?”
Richard Amofa understands that one of the best skills an early-career journalist can have is ambition.
Having the drive to get to the next project, improve your work and refine your skillset is what sets apart a good journalist from a great one.
You can listen to and watch our How to be a Journalist podcast on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts.
Read what we learnt from our first four How to be a Journalist podcast episodes here.