The Five Things You Need to do in College to Help You Get a Job in Journalism

So you’re in college and have decided you want to someday be a journalist. But you’re not sure what you should be doing now to increase your chances of landing a job in the news business after graduation.

To Write a Great Lead, Focus on What Makes a Story Interesting

I’ve already talked about the basics of writing a lead, and the idea that it should summarize the main points of the story using the 5W’s and the H.

But experienced reporters know there’s another important element to writing a lead – grabbing the reader’s attention.

Six Tips on How to Conduct an Effective Interview

Journalism students tend to fret a lot about learning the newswriting format. But learning to write a news story is relatively easy, and any experienced journalist will tell you that reporting is at the heart of what the news business is all about. And when it comes to reporting, there is nothing more important than learning to be a good interviewer.

So here are six important tips to keep in mind when doing any interview.

Should Reporters Record Interviews, or Just Take Notes?

I’m a journalism professor, and one of the questions I’m most often asked by students is this: “Should I record my interviews, or just take notes?”

It’s a good question, but one that reflects the insecurity journalism students feel when they go out to do their first interviews. Many are concerned that if they simply take notes they won’t be able to get down everything the interviewee says. So here are my thoughts on the pros and cons of notebooks versus recorders.

Six Things to Look For When Evaluating a Journalism Program

So you’ve decided you want to major in journalism in college, and are in the process of finding a
program that’s right for you. That’s not necessarily an easy task, since there are dozens if not hundreds of journalism programs in colleges and universities across the U.S.

But by prioritizing the things that are most important to you, you can certainly make the process easier. I have both undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism and have been a journalism professor for nearly 20 years, so here are six things I think any prospective student should look for.