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Who is a Reporter?
The corruption in reporting starts very early. It's like the police reporting on the police ~ Julian Assange
A career as a reporter is one of the most demanding yet rewarding professions in the modern world. There is a lot of struggle; to find and ascertain facts, make contacts, coax people into telling their problems and issues on record, meet deadlines, travelling to places where no one wants to go or where modern amenities are next to nonexistent.
A reporter has to work in all kinds of environments, from a board room setting to the sports field to conflict zones; wherever an event at the national, regional or local level is happening, you will always find a reporter present, such as the kind of work profile of a reporter. A news reporter may conduct interviews and reach out to people's locations to capture or absorb their reactions to the news story to be published in a newspaper or broadcast on television. There are various types of news reporters depending on the various beats they are assigned to cover stories.
pursuing journalism or a mass communication course is important in order to understand the nuances of reporting, although, it is not compulsory. Here, in this article, we will discuss how to become a Reporter after 12th, how to become a Reporter in India, what to study to become a Reporter, the highest-paying jobs in journalism in India, and what subjects I need to become a Reporter.
Reporter in a Nutshell
Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter may often be at work on national holidays and festivities. He or she pitches various story ideas and covers news stories in risky situations. Students can pursue a BMC (Bachelor of Mass Communication), B.M.M. (Bachelor of Mass Media), or MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a reporter. While we sit at home reporters travel to locations to collect information that carries a news value.
Quick Facts for Reporter
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Industry
Media
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Average Salary in India
₹26500
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Suitable for
Male, Female, Others
A career as a reporter is suitable for everyone regardless of gender. A reporter career is based on fieldwork. He or she requires to travel from one place to another to collect information and news bytes from sources such as relatives, police officials and related people to present the news story.
Table of Contents for Reporter
What is the role of Reporter?
While you are sitting at home or in a safe environment reading a newspaper or watching the news on television, a news reporter must be at his or her duty. In a career as a reporter, individuals talk to various sources and take pictures and videos of the evidence, happenings, and events and write a copy describing the story to send them to headquarters for further editing and broadcasting on television or publishing in a newspaper or magazine.
Research
A news reporter has to research various topics to pitch ideas for a news story. He or she has to read from various sources and stay aware of what is happening in the city that carries news value.
Investigate
A reporter holds the responsibility to investigate a news story to provide accurate information to the public. He or she should not come into the trap of fake news or unintentionally misinform the public without checking facts.
Interview
A reporter has to collect information from various sources. It includes taking news bytes from officials, eyewitnesses and relatives. A reporter may often get the opportunity to interview eminent personalities such as politicians, celebrities, and sportspersons.
Write
A news reporter must be able to clearly and concisely frame the sentences to convey the information accurately to the news editor or news producer. He or she must have five W (what, where, when, why, who) and 1H (how) in the draft that he or she sends to headquarters.
Collect Visuals
A news reporter is responsible for capturing the right visuals that build up the storyline and become proof of evidence to be published or broadcast to viewers. The visuals presented on-screen must career authenticity and it should not carry any content that can not be published.
Update
A news reporter has to update the desk about any developments in the story. He or she has to provide up-to-date visuals and raw script to the assignment desk which further sends it to the output desk after checking visuals and script to avoid any blunder.
Types of a Reporter
There are numerous types of a reporter or reporter career options depending on the beats they are assigned. We have provided below a description of several types of news reporters who work on the story of their respective fields.
Entertainment Reporter: An entertainment reporter reports on the ongoing happenings in the entertainment industry. He or she covers major stories that carry the interest of the audience. The film industry, the tv industry, and the music industry are considered under entertainment reporting. An entertainment reporter reports on ongoing events such as films, parties, and gossip about celebrities. He or she covers soft news.
Crime Reporter: A crime reporter is proficient in covering crime stories. It includes crimes such as robbery, murder, violence, corruption, blackmailing and instigating to do criminal acts. A crime reporter usually visits the police station to pitch top crime stories. He or she takes bytes of police officials, eyewitnesses, victim, convict and their relatives.
Business Reporter: A business reporter covers stories on the various aspects of the business and financial market. He or she has knowledge of trading and the stock market. He or she reports on NIFTY and SENSEX. A business reporter reports on the inflation and deflation of real estate, gold, petroleum, crude oil, steel and other materials.
What is the workplace/work environment of Reporter like?
On the front, a news reporter is required to work on a story and gather information from various sources. However, there is a lot that happens before that. A news reporter has to get the story approved by the desk editor or the head reporter, contact various sources, ensure that the facts are given or correct, and talk to the stakeholders of a news story.
In a career as a news reporter, individuals who work for broadcasting platforms based on video format are provided with video journalists to capture the shots of the locations, walkthrough, one-to-one, and vox-pop taken by the reporter. Those news reporters who work with bigger news organisations are also provided with transportation including the driver to reach various locations.
Does Reporter require travelling?
Likely
A reporter is required to travel on a frequent basis. He or she is required to travel to cover news stories. A career as a reporter demands to be reached on the spot as early as possible to break the news story first. When it comes to reporting for television a reporter often requires to do live reporting from the spot and speak to various people related to the event that carries news value.
Employment Shifts
Full Time
Individuals who opt for a career as a news reporter may often be called at any hour of the day be it midnight or early morning when important news breaks. He or she is required to work on rotational shifts. The rest is dependent on the functioning of the news organisation.
Employment Nature
Contractual, Permanent
In a career as a news reporter, individuals may work with a news organisation on both contractual as well as a permanent basis. Those who work on a permanent basis are known as reporters while those who work on a contractual basis are known as stringers.
Work Place
On-Field, Office
Individuals who opt for a career as a news reporter spend his or her most hours in the field collecting information from various news sources. He or she is required to visit the office to submit the story and visuals for further editing to be published or broadcast.
Presence in Geographical Area
Semi-urban, Urban
A reporter usually has a fixed working schedule. He or she does not get off on festivals, national holidays or even on weekends as any other professional. A news reporter has one or two off in the working week schedule of seven days.
Time Pressure
Likely
In a career as a news reporter, individuals work under frequent time pressure. Reporters who work for broadcasting media are required to cover stories as early as possible and update the desk on any development in the news story. Reporters stay under pressure to break the news story first on their channels.
Overtime Details
A reporter usually requires to work overtime. Due to frequent travel to cover stories and reaching the office back and reporting the desk, his or her work hours often get stretched. A reporter also has to wait for hours for eminent personalities to take their bytes on controversial issues. He or she has to continuously research new story ideas.
Weekly Hours of Work
Min 35 Hours
A reporter usually has a fixed working schedule. He or she does not get off on festivals, national holidays or even on weekends as any other profession. Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter have one or two off in the working week schedule of seven days.
How to become a Reporter?
Steps to become a Reporter
If you are someone passionate about bringing awareness of truth among people and being a mirror for society then a career as a Reporter is the best option for you. If you are someone who wants to be the voice of your nation and looking for how to become a Reporter in India then we have mentioned below how to become a Reporter in India or how to become news reporter after 12th.
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Reporter?
When it comes to how to become a reporter in India, the first thing that they should know about is the skills required to opt for a reporter career. Some of the essential skills we have mentioned are below. Here, in this section, we have discussed how to become a news reporter in India.
Communication Skills: Communication skills are most crucial for a reporter’s role. He or she has to communicate with numerous people on a daily basis. In a career as a reporter, individuals have to take bytes from strangers and make them comfortable speaking in front of the camera and mic.
Persuasive Skills: A reporter must be persuasive in nature. Everything he or she says or reports must be authentic and people easily get persuaded by his or her facts and information. Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter must look confident on-screen while going live or taking a walk-through and interacting with people.
News Sense: A news sense is crucial for a career as a reporter. Only the stories that carry news value can be reported. Any recent event or upcoming event that carries the interest of a bigger audience can be considered news. If a dog bites a human then it is not news but if a human bites a dog then it becomes news.
Popular Online Arts And Crafts Courses and Certifications
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Reporter?
We have provided below major certification courses for aspiring individuals who want to opt for a career as news reporter. These courses may help them to upgrade their skills.
Internship Availability
After successful completion of a bachelor’s degree programme or during the semester break of the academic programme, individuals can opt for internships. Apply early for the internship is crucial to get timely opportunities for internships in a prominent news agency or news organisation. Initially, the candidates pursuing graduation or after completion of graduation are offered unpaid internships in news organisations. After a period of three months, they can ask for getting paid. Usually, the paid internship stretches for longer than six months. Candidates who have shown potential and a knack for reporting are hired on a permanent basis.
Also read: Career as news anchor
Career Path Progression for Reporter
Junior Reporter: A Junior Reporter is a professional who investigates and researches to gather information and does in-depth research and analysis of a story or event. A Junior Reporter works closely with senior Reporters and works under their supervision and guidance.
Senior Reporter: A Senior Reporter is an experienced professional who trains and guides the junior reporters and leads the team. A Senior Reporter travels frequently to the areas under purview for the news or events coverage.
Reporter Jobs and Salaries
Junior Reporter
- Average Salary 20000
Job Description
The Junior Reporter job description includes identifying newsworthy events and attending and reporting on the events. A Junior Reporter delivers the scripted, live spontaneous and already recorded reports.
Salary Description
An entry-level Junior Reporter salary in India ranges between Rs 0.5 Lakhs to Rs 3.0 Lakhs with an average annual salary of Rs 2.5 Lakhs per annum. Junior Reporter salary in India may vary depending on various job factors like the skills and experience of the candidates, job location, and others.
Salary Source: AmbitionBox
Senior Reporter
- Average Salary 33000
Job Description
Senior Reporter job description includes researching the stories and developing relationships with contacts and experts who provide them with leads. A Senior Reporter interviews the authorities, eyewitnesses and people related to and interested in news stories.
Salary Description
The estimated Senior Reporter salary in India ranges from Rs 1.9 Lakhs to Rs 7.3 Lakhs with an average annual salary of Rs 4.3 Lakhs per annum. Senior Reporter salary in India may vary depending on the various job factors.
Salary Source: AmbitionBox
What is the job outlook for Reporter?
There are limited news organisations that represent the mainstream media. There are lesser opportunities in mainstream media due to higher competition and delayed hiring. The website and youtube channel-based news organisations provide more opportunities to individuals, but pay at the initial level is also restricted to a lesser amount. There is a decline in the employment growth of reporters due to lesser advertising revenue in the media industry.
Aspiring individuals are required to start acquiring at the initial level taking up the role of intern and writing as a freelancer for local newspapers, television, and radio stations and the salary of a journalist in India is also good. It is one of the competent careers, young individuals usually aspire to be reporters to get in the public eye or have contacts with prominent personalities.
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Frequently Asked Questions for Reporter
Que. What is the average salary of a reporter in India?
Ans.The salary of reporter in India varies depending on his or her experience and size of the news organisation he or she is working with. The average salary of reporter in India is Rs. 20,000.
Que. What is the average fee of Bachelor of Journalism course?
Ans.The average fee of a Bachelor of Journalism course ranges from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 500,000.
Que. What are the top journalism colleges in Delhi?
Ans.We have provided below a list of top journalism colleges in Delhi.
Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, Delhi
University School of Mass Communication, New Delhi
Jagannath International Management School, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi
International Institute of Mass Media, New Delhi
Trinity Institute of Professional Studies, New Delhi
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
Jagannath Institute of Management Sciences, Rohini
Express Institute of Media Studies, New Delhi
Lady Shriram College for Women, New Delhi
Que. What are the other job roles one can opt for after completing a bachelor’s degree in journalism?
Ans.Besides opting for a career as a reporter, one may find numerous other career opportunities such as copywriter, content writer, content creator, video editor, graphic designer, and PR executive.
Que. What are the other undergraduate courses that one can opt to become a journalist?
Ans.There are not any specific degree requirements in a particular specialisation to become a journalist. Candidates after completing graduation in any relevant specialisation whether it is journalism, mass communication, history, economics or any other field can opt for an internship in news organisations.
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