After my first blog post on the changing face of journalism, someone asked me to define what a journalist is. I tried and failed to answer the question at the first time of asking. So, I thought that I’d try and answering at the second time of asking.
The Google definition of a journalist is:
a person who writes for newspapers or magazines or prepares news to be broadcast on radio or television.
When I tried and failed to answer the question at the first time I went on about a journalist having the ability to tell a real life story really quickly, and well. That is the main part of what I see a journalist to be, someone who can tell stories. Everyone that I’ve met during the Summer School, both journalists and the other wannabe journalists like me, this week can all tell stories, from the work they’ve written and the anecdotes that they’ve told.
What else makes a journalist? I also feel it’s someone who can go out and find a story. Authors got through that period of writer’s block, when they can’t think about what to write. Journalists can never go through this period of writer’s block because there will always be a story. It might not be obvious, but there will always be a story where ever you look.
I think that journalism is a profession that is very different to novel or play writing. Journalists work under pressure, a lot of pressure. The deadlines are something that are unlike anything in any other job, and that is what makes the work they do different. They have to write under pressure and still produce engaging work. Sticking to a deadline and a word limit is something that is very difficult. This quote from Mark Twain just sums up the tough job the journalists have to do:
I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.
To sum up,in my eyes a journalist is someone who has the ability to find a story, and tell it quickly and concisely. I’ve learnt from this week that it’s not easy, but I think that it’s great fun!
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