Journalism in general refers to writing for print or electronic media which includes newspapers or magazines or television. Journalism is sharing an information through writing in magazines, newspapers, etc. It is an occupation reporting, writing, editing and broadcasting of news or information. The word "Journalism" is derived from the word "Journal" which means a daily register of an events. When a person writes for a newspaper, magazine such writing is called journalism which means communication of information about daily events.

Mass communication means messages that are transmitted or sent to large number of people living at a different place. It helps in connecting people and other entities for disseminating information through newspapers, magazines and book, radio, television, films and internet.

Imagine a scenario where you don’t get any updates from any news source; where radio, TV, magazines and blogs stop existing. Sounds mind-boggling, doesn’t it?

Visualising this somewhat scary picture would give you an idea about how important mass communication and journalism are as an industry. If professionals in these fields were not spontaneous, responsive and enthusiastic enough, it’s hard to imagine how people would have gotten entertained, gathered knowledge or merely survived, for that matter.

Having said that, most of us still don’t have a deep understanding of both these areas. A lot of people talk about Mass Communication and Journalism in the same breath, failing to understand that the two, while closely related, are not the same.

If you too have wondered about the difference between Mass Communication and Journalism, then this article is for you.

Here I shall talk about the major differences between mass communication and journalism on the basic tenets of course structure, colleges, degrees and career opportunities.

Let’s dive right in!

What are Mass Communication and Journalism all about?

Mass Communication, just as the name implies, impacts masses. How? Starting from radio, TV, news, magazines to the Internet, social media, films; any platform that is used to spread messages, opinions, news and entertainment to the masses (a large group of people) comes under the purview of Mass Communication.

It is a broad field, and includes a fusion of photography, filmmaking, journalism, advertisement, public relations, content writing, etc.

Journalism, on the other hand, revolves mainly around communicating news to people, be it any strata – politics, economics, business, science, sports or entertainment news.

Journalism works in three simple steps: Gathering data or news; Editing it and validating it with facts and pictures; Broadcasting it to the masses through both print and electronic media. Print media includes newspapers and magazines, and electronic media includes TV, Radio, and these days, even the Internet.

What is the Difference between Mass Communication and Journalism?

Mass Communication and Journalism are two different aspects of the same thing, to quite an extent. Let’s take an analogy to understand better: If Mass Communication is Italian cuisine, Journalism can be thought of as pasta(one of the dishes in Italian cuisine).

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See, Mass Communication, or Mass Comm, refers to the study and use of various mediums to communicate any information to a larger group of audiences (masses). It includes the use of media, such as print, broadcast, radio and even advertising for similar purposes. This includes,

Radio, Films, Television production, Animation, Digital media houses, Public Relations, Advertising, and at times Marketing.

Now Journalism seems like a part of Mass Communication, but it differs slightly. There is a fine line of difference. It is a specialisation in itself, which specifically deals with gathering, investigating, packaging and disseminating only news through two major platforms (media)- Print (newspaper and magazine) and Electronic (television). This broadly includes News anchoring, reporting, Writing/Editing, News producer, Desk reporter (print and TV).

In the current trends, mass command journalism is further divided into further domains and specialisations. Many institutes nowadays offer general degree including Journalism and Mass Comm, at both UG and PG levels. Some also offer specialisations under the arrays of both the fields.

Some such institutes are Delhi University, GGSIP University, Jamia Millia Islamia, IIMC, ACJ, Amity, Symbiosis, Mumbai and Pune University, Xavier College, etc.

If you need any further clarification or a list of some specific courses, plz ask your question right away!

Hope this helps!