How long does it take to be a good news reporter?

Question

Please help . I'm very serious

Answer 1

Either being a news reporter comes naturally or it doesn't. Talent is evident immediately. There is no creating talent, only developing on what is already there. So, to be a respectable news reporter should take no time at all. All a person can do is be thyself.

Answer 2

Define good. Does that mean honest? Someone readers trust? Someone who gives readers all the facts and lets them decide what's good or bad? Or someone who forms public opinion by manipulating information?

Regardless of ethics, you're going to need to spend some time interviewing people and writing about such exciting things as school board meetings, and pee-wee sports. Find out if you have the instinct for an interesting story and a sense of when there is more to find out.

If you have the instincts and the ability to make things interesting to read, it won't take you long, maybe only a few months - especially if you can find a smaller daily paper and are willing to do the grunt work.. If you don't try Public Relations or something more suited to your natural talents.

Reporting is a huge responsibility and easy to abuse. I hold myself and my fellow journalists up to a very high standard. Few are good in my book. However, many are employed.

Getting a degree will probably help, but I've been freelancing successfully for a decade without one and I have a very loyal following for my column and a whole group of people who equate my by-line with real information and honesty.

I'll take that reputation.

Answer 3

How long depends on how much natural talent you have. You must always be willing to improve; getting the job is not the end of the journey.

I have seen young journalists who were very enthusiastic about the profession. But they couldn't write very well and they weren't willing to ask probing questions. Thus, they weren't good reporters.

Answer 4

First, get a journalism degree. That's four years, longer if you pursue an advanced degree

Then work your butt off doing research on news stories, calling people, asking questions, putting the information together into a coherent, informative, grammatical story, and developing your own style of writing for print journalism or camera/microphone personality for broadcast. That's a couple more years to start, and the rest of your career to maintain or climb.

Answer 5

If that's the job you want--it's just like any other job--if you love what you're doing and have a passion for it--then you will be good at for the rest of your life--it is a lifelong committment--especially to news reporting. Good luck.