Journalism

Journalism has become a job carrying enormous personal rewards. Indeed, it is difficult, chalenging (e.g. physically, emotionally, ethically, politically), yet again - it is fun. Journalism requires mastering a multiple range of knowledge and skills (Hicks: 2008; Brighton: 2007; Randall: 2007).

This essay has the task to identify the key sources and methods I have used gathering information for my 332MC News and Features (aka. 332MC) articles portfolio, as well as give a comment to what I have learned working individually and collectively in teams in the various project tasks through this module. A critical discussion on various journalism issues, such as news values, objectivity, sources, identifying a readership, interviewing techniques and information gathering will be included (Machin: 2006: Allan: 2005).

In order to build on my skills and theoretical knowledge developed through my practice in years one and two of this course, this year I tried to develop my awarness of the concept of researching and presenting news and feature arcicles in print. As McQuail says 'journalism is not produced in vacuum' (in an analogy borrowed from Harcup: 2004), but a product developed within a range structural factors and influences, as well as law constraints and market forces (Allan: 2005; Shoemaker: 2006; Machin: 2006).

To begin with, one of the first and most important things I improved this year was the quality of research and the use of primary sources as a basis for my articles. People, places or organisations - these are the most vitabal part of the journalism practice (Machin: 2006; Brighton: 2007). Tony Harcup suggests that sources are where 'potential news stories originate' (Harcup: 2004: 44). 'News is what an authorit...

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... finding news sotries could also be charity societies, community groups, regulatory bodies, pubs, noticeboards, news releases, hospitals, council departments, etc. Information is everywhere, all a journalists have to do is go, get it and transform it into their own 'masterpiece'(Harcup: 2004; Hicks: 2008; Shoemaker: 2006; Cole: 2010).

To me, journalism seems to be one of the most exciting jobs in this world. When working as a journalist you get the chance to meet powerful, interesting and ispiring people, heroes, vilians and celebrities. Journalists indeed inform the society about itself and are concerned with 'making public that which would otherwise be private' (Harcup: 2004: 2). This profession gives a chance to be one of the first to know something and to tell the world, as well as an opportunity to indulge one's passion for writing, travel and knowledge.