Five skills you’ll need to be a journalist

It was never easy to choose the right career, even though there were plenty of career opportunities and choices available. In my mind, I was asking myself if I was making the right decision for my future, or if I would end up regretting it later. I did not want to follow everyone in my family. They tried to persuade me to do teaching, as they thought it had more job opportunities and most of my family members are teachers. One of the mistakes I did not want to make was to follow other people’s dreams when choosing a career. I would advise that before making any career choice, start by assessing yourself and make a list of careers you think might match your interests and skills.

Do research, ask people in the same career as the one you’re interested in. Get help from a student advisor. I chose journalism because I love telling stories that matter to others, learning new things, creating original content and getting to meet new people everyday. Journalism is an exciting career if you’re passionate about sharing information with the world.

To be an excellent journalist, it’s essential that you have outstanding journalist skills.

Five skills a journalist needs:

1. Communication skills

All journalists must have good communication skills to communicate news either verbally or written. Be sure to work on your communication skills by being friendly, empathetic and confident as you present the news or information.

2. Research skills

Research skills are very important in the career of a journalist. You need to capture all details and use different sources to get information. In addition, you must have the ability to know how to evaluate all your data and research before presenting it to the public.

3. Problem-solving skills

Journalists encounter many challenges, be it in their work, during a live show recording or in the field. It’s important that they have problem-solving skills to overcome any difficulties or challenges on their way. Journalists should be quick to identify problems and find solutions.

4. Fact-checking skills

- Journalists need to be thorough with their work. A small mistake or misuse of a word could result in an entirely different meaning to your story or backlash for your publication. They must be able to verify information, whether text, photo or video.

5. Writing skills

Journalists must master written communication for all media types, from text stories, social media posts to podcast scripts and photo captions. Good journalists should be able to know how to write stories that are error-free and comply with legal and press code guidelines.

Thembelihle Mkhonza