Career in Print Media

Because of information revolution in the country everybody wants to be connected with other parts of the world through varied means of information and communication technology. Therefore the utility of mass communication in everyday’s life has really increased. These days various tools of mass communication like newspapers, magazines, journals, radio, TV etc are accessible to everybody irrespective of age and education. Gone are those days when remotest of villages in the country have no access to many national and regional newspapers. Today situation is totally changed. Even remote villagers are aware of the national and international events through local and national newspapers. This shows the significance of print media in modern man’s everyday life. Now newspaper and magazines are playing the role of national building by disseminating two ways information between the government and the people. Today’s newspaper and magazines are become an alternative forum of redressing of public grievances. The direct result is proliferation of newspapers, magazines and journals in the country and opening of many career opportunities of the youths. If you dream of making a qualitative change in the people’s life, bringing into light the dark side of the society, have the patience to get along with politicians, bureaucrats, criminals and a myriad of persons desperate to get some ready to rush to work at odd hours, do night shifts; Journalism is one of the best careers to pursue. Journalism as such is more than a career, it’s a mission. A mission that generates your creativity helps you socialize, earn name along with your livelihood, bring to the forefront problems facing the society and help implement the possible solutions. These inherent Print Media advantages of journalism attract a lot of young graduates.

Scope and Areas of Work in Print Media:

Print media has several opportunities to offer the candidates. The main positions offered are columnist, freelance journalist, editors and sub-editors. The other options are commentators, cartoonists, photojournalists, reporters and correspondents. Editors: Editors are responsible for the publication of contents as well as the supervision of how this is published. They must have the capability to brainstorm various innovative styles of content publishing. They should have an excellent knowledge of the market and should give enough effort to find new writers and new subjects to write. In some of the organizations there are assistant editors who tackle several topics like local news, international and national news, sports, special pull outs etc. Administrative functions of an editor include budget planning, contract negotiation and hiring freelance writers. Career opportunities in Print journalism are many. The newspapers and magazines today cover a wide range of specialized sections which demands for professionally qualified journalists. Print journalism has two sections; field work and desk work. A journalist can work as a correspondent reporter and collect news from the field. In other way he also can work in news desk as an editor/copy editor/proof-reader etc. Moreover a professional journalist can work as a freelancer in print media and can contribute articles to the newspaper and magazines. Nevertheless self employment is also a good option for journalists. They can run their own media or advertising house after some year of experience in this field along with ample capital.

The areas to work are:

>Editing
>Reporting
>Freelancing
>Writing Column A
>Writing Comments
>Drawing Cartoon A
>Working as an Artist
>Photojournalism

Remuneration

The minimum salary as per government directive has to be Rs. 5500 to Rs. 9000 for reporters and senior reporters, Rs. 5000 to Rs. 10,500 for the chief reporters and sub-editors, and Rs. 7500 to 12000 for editors. Private sector even offers higher remuneration including lucrative various fringe benefits. However salaries offered depend on the company one is working with. Field journalists are given travel and stay expenses as well as allowances are additional with all pay packets. Freelancers are paid for each piece of work they submit. Self-employed also have good earning depending upon the nature and extension of their business.

Eligibility Criteria for Print Media

In order to have a career in print media, the candidate must be a graduate or a post graduate or diploma in mass communication or journalism. Most of the journalism courses are offered in English, Hindi and other regional languages. The candidate must be fluent in English, should have an excellent flair for writing and should be capable enough to collect proper information for news stories. If you are a budding journalist of the country, be eager about people related issues and try to develop an inquisitive nature. The more you know the more you produce!

Excelling your Skill

Journalism is one of the most important vocations. Journalists not only report news but are also responsible for searching out for new stories that might impact the larger society. Journalists are also responsible for shaping opinions and perceptions about key issues that are prevailing in a society. From the local to the national level, journalists play a key role in shaping public opinions and perceptions. Journalists therefore perform a special function and one that no other vocation does. Journalism as a vocation has also been one of the fields that have seen a radical change over the years. Both print and the visual medium have grown exponentially over the years and there is always a demand for skilled professionals. Increasing competitiveness has also led journalism becoming a very high stress job where deadlines must be met at all cost. There is also an intense competition for more readers and viewers in both the print and the visual media. Both print and media journalists have to battle the daily stresses of work and life in order to produce relevant results. The job is stressful and may involve very high workloads in order to meet tight deadlines. It is not a profession for the weak willed or the timeservers. The vocation requires passion and complete dedication from an individual if he wants to excel.Good writing skills itself is not enough to excel in journalism. In addition to it, one requires an attention to details, because it is in these details that a story finds both clarity and meaning. Journalism also requires boundless energy and the relentlessness to pursue a good lead. Journalism can be an ideal career for those who love to read books and write. The vocation offers them an opportunity to extend their natural talents and utilize them to the best of their abilities. There are also various streams within journalism that a journalist can specialize in. These specializations include sports, investigative, science and film journalism.

For people who are looking forward to a journalism career, there are so many things that they can do to move an inch higher to their dream. For young people who were already to determine in themselves that a journalism career is really the profession that they would want to pursue, they can start gaining all they need to be qualified for the job.

Young ones should be arming themselves with the necessary skills in becoming a journalist such as writing. To do this, they should practice writing articles more often and monitor their improvement. To be more knowledgeable about the craft, they should also enroll in various writing workshops where the resource person are the ones who have been in the industry long enough to share their first-hand experiences. Aside from meeting famous writers and journalists, attending writing workshops can also help you improve your craft and will introduce you more into the technicalities of writing such as styles, structures and the like.

To widen your vocabulary, it is also a must that you read the newspaper regularly. Aside from current events and news, reading feature articles in magazines and even novels can help you be familiar with certain writing styles that can help you in creating your own in the future.

When you get to college, it is best to take up a journalism degree giving importance to the practical assignments. Generally in a good institute, you will be trained in all aspects of the field. Aside from training your writing skills, the school will open you up to other possibilities of the field such as the business side and other fields that may help you decide which field you are really suited to. Here, you will also have the opportunity to meet the "masters" in the field and you will also be able to use the school publication as the training ground for your future journalism career.