By The Sunday Times Political Editor Jennifer Bray.
1. Perseverence
There are many traits that make a great journalist, but perseverance is one of the most important. When you’re starting out, people in positions of power will find every reason to say No. It’s your job to turn the No into a Yes. Not to be mistaken for harassing or haranguing anyone (that will earn none of us any favours) persevering means not giving up when, at first, you don’t catch the attention of an editor.
The difference between an unpublished writer and a published writer is that the latter just kept going. Seek out internships, propose stories you’ve spotted to news editors, ask to meet with journalists who are doing what you’d like to do. Keep going! And if you get a foot in there, simple refuse to leave. That’s not a joke!
2. Never forget the right of reply
This might sound like the most basic rule of journalism, but believe me, I’ve had some moments of panic in the evening realising that a relevant person in an article had not been given the opportunity to respond to all claims made against or about them. This can happen surprisingly easy if you’re writing something complicated or with many different people involved.
But making sure to check that everyone in your piece has had a chance to respond saves you the heartache (even though it is kind of inevitable, it happens to us all) of your first official legal letter. And if that does happen: keep calm. It’ll be OK. Do not be like me, at 20 years old, smoking 20 Marlboro Red.
3. Write what you know, but not forever
College campuses are fertile ground for good copy – there is always something happening. A lot of this could be of interest to national newspapers or national media outlets. Writing about education, and what is happening around you, just makes sense – if it’s newsy, of course. But don’t get pigeonholed, either. It’s all easier said than done, but you’ll find the natural progression point when you’ve written all you have to find from that world.
4. Yarns, yarns, yarn
What do news editors want? Yarns, yarns, yarns. Something exclusive. We are still blessed with plenty of news outlets, but this does make the competition fierce. The way to stand out is by having a story no one else has, and by breaking it first. Doing this, of course, means cultivating sources, telling and showing them they can trust you with sensitive information.
It also means becoming familiar with vital tools like Freedom of Information legislation, company office records, workplace relation hearings, whatever works for the line of journalism you want to pursue. If it were politics, for example, watch for the political row and then FOI the email correspondence that may have happened in the background. Ken Foxe has some superb guidance online about the use of FOI.
5. Be collegiate
I’m sure some journalists will disagree with me on this, but hear me out! It’s a small industry, and the conditions can sometimes be tough in that deadlines are often tight and sometimes you might miss a press conference or doorstep or forget to turn your recording device on. These aren’t State secrets – if a colleague asks for help because they’ve become unavoidably waylaid, do them a solid and share the basics. Plenty of people want to tear journalists down. Let’s give each other a dig out when we can.
Image Credits: The Times