You want to become a journalist but have no experience. How can you gain the skills you need?

Farooq Moin former Chief Editor Pakistan Press International PPI wire service. In my experience of over 53 years as a professional journalist in print and electronic media, one should have quality education in English or national language of the country, can speak on subject he or she is talking. It is essential to watch, hear TV, Radio news, current affairs programs to remain updated on events in political, economic, other fields. Electronic or print media it should be choice of individual having ability to speak on breaking news live on TV, Radio by giving descriptive analysis. I feel that TV news channel is best in which views of journalist are conveyed and appreciated by a cross section of audience in your country and around the world.

Es importante consumir noticias que te permitan entender estructuras y conocer los diversos géneros periodísticos. De este modo, puedes identificar qué te acomoda más y así perfilar tu escritura.

A gente não precisa estar em um veículo de comunicação tradicional para contar nossas histórias. As redes sociais e a internet são um ótimo espaço para quem quer produzir de forma independente. Também existem muitas bolsas para o desenvolvimento de reportagens que não usam a experiência como critério de seleção. O que importa é a pauta. Ela tem relevância? É isso que o jornalismo (e a sociedade) busca. A partir disso, é possível oferecer as ideias para os grandes veículos. Mas o treino e a busca incessante por aprimoramento profissional são fundamentais.

Hoy por hoy, es posible expresar tus ideas en diversas plataformas. Las redes sociales ayudan bastante y los blogs siempre están vigentes. Mantenerse activo es una buena idea para ir puliendo tu escritura. Además, puedes explorar diversas áreas y temáticas.

Internships are an amazing way to start! So many news organizations have options no matter what career path you're looking for. In smaller markets in particular, an internship can very often lead to a job offer. Journalism and news become such a small world. We're all connected in some way and most media professionals are willing to offer a helping hand!

The best way to learn is doing! If you're still in college, writing for your college paper — where everyone is learning how to become a journalist — is the best way to learn and make mistakes. Surrounded by other young journalists is a great way to learn the ropes of the industry with built-in mentors to ask questions and seek advice from.

Praktische Berufserfahrung in ganz unterschiedlichen Redaktionen zu sammeln ist das A und O. Es ist kein Geheimnis, dass am Anfang vieler journalistischer Karrieren, mehrere (leider häufig unbezahlte) Praktika stehen. Diese haben aber den Vorteil, dass man dort erste Berufskontakte knüpfen kann und zugleich auch unterschiedliche Medien/Redaktionen kennen lernt.

Una buena opción es encontrar sitios donde requieran colaboradores. Ahí puedes empezar a escribir con frecuencia y al mismo tiempo conocer personas que te permitan construir conexiones vinculadas al periodismo.

Experimenting with different types of print articles — including explainers, meeting stories, event coverage, features, breaking news, investigative, etc. — is the best way to show you can be thrown into any situation and keep your head above water. This shows you have a diverse skill set than someone who may only focus on features or breaking news.

Explorar los diversos tipos de periodismo y formatos te permite adquirir experiencia y descubrir tu interés específico. Siempre será un plus tener conocimiento en periodismo escrito, audiovisual, radial y formato podcast que cada vez tiene más presencia.

Mesmo com 12 anos de profissão, 11 deles em televisão e rádio, eu ouço minhas entradas ao vivo, assisto aos meus vt's e observo o que poderia ter sido melhor. Como está minha respiração no ar? Está ruidosa para o ouvinte? Como eu comecei o meu texto? Foi de forma atrativa e objetiva para o leitor/telespectador? Poderia ter entrevistado outro especialista? Faltou algum dado importante para embasar a pauta? É preciso ter senso crítico consigo, de forma justa e com foco na melhoria. Também estou sempre de olho nas tendências de comunicação, pois o público muda a forma como consome as notícias e a gente precisa se adaptar. O bom do jornalismo é que um dia nunca é igual ao outro. O que não muda é a seriedade da apuração.

I’ve never studied journalism as a student, but my initial struggles helped me learn the craft on the job. Journalism is also an essential skill for non-journalists. At the core, honesty of purpose, passion to explain and inform people for shaping a better society and ability to have meaningful conversations are the skills. Writing or producing a video, creating a meme are all the formats that can be learned. But the core skills trump them all. For aspiring journalists without any experience, there couldn’t be a more exciting time. You could look at what excites you—climate, travel, technology or politics. If you’re a travel guide or hospitality professional, you’ll bring deep domain and niche networks. Ditto for health and other fields.

I always knew that I wanted to write and was attracted to profile interviews. Nobody wanted to give me opportunities because I had no evidence of experience. So I did what all aspiring individuals with no street credibility must do: Just start somewhere. Do something. I started a blog. I found a psychologist willing to be interviewed, then a local chef. Then a few more locals. Eventually, I reached out to guests abroad. After a while of this, a celebrity chef I interviewed on my humble blog introduced me to my now editor. Currently I write for one of the Caribbean’s largest newspapers. Lesson: Begin small, focus on craft, audience size doesn't matter. You never know who’s reading!

Just do it 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️ that is all. They want me to type in 125 characters but for real I don’t need all that to tell y’all what I told y’all above. Either your gonna do it or not 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️

Enroll in some basic newswriting classes at a reputable college or community College. Look for a good teacher with experience in the profession.

Sense of reading, writing and listening: Read aloud to understand as if you have written it, write as if you are reading it, speak as if you are listening to it and listen as if you are speaking it.

I was not trained as a journalist. My undergraduate degree has no ties or whatsoever with journalism or communications. But, I have always had a thing for journalism and communication as early as I could recollect and I always had wanted to be heard on radio or on TV. So I developed the knack to read, write and speak well. Then I fell in love with international relations and politics. I suppose this came from my studies in history. Lesson: Choose a niche you'll be comfortable in: sports, politics, business, travel, science, etc. The most important is to learn through apprenticeship, having hands-on experience and working under a mentor in the field, someone who has gathered proficient experience in the field.

La redacción es la base, a muchos no les agrada, pero poco a poco, uno puede ir mejorando en ese aspecto, con capacitaciones o cursos de actualización. Yo fui uno de esos casos. Igual nunca lo sabrás todo, siempre hay algo nuevo que aprender o actualizarse. Para ser periodista no vale ser una persona callada, se debe ser curioso a más no poder, hay que preocuparse de los detalles que no se dicen y contrastar con otras realidades. Ser una persona honesta, intachable ayudará.mucho en la reputación del periodista.

All the above mentioned points are critical for someone who's trying to build a career in journalism. I'd like to add that another thing that could help is diving into the world of Journalism Fellowship Programs. These programs are not just once in a lifetime opportunity, but they also help open doors to unexplored territories but also hone your skills. They allow you to think deeply about journalism, the issues that matter to you and your place within that matrix. Among multiple personal experiences, I also benefited from teaming up with like minded individuals, debate merits of my stories, work on my fact checking skills and generally learn from peers across different beats, different cultures, etc.

You should try and join a newsroom any way you can : internship, freelancing, summer job... Even "small" jobs, especially at the local level, can teach you a lot about the work and what it means to be part of a team.