Careers in Journalism on a Boom

Sheetal Patel - Televisionpoint.com | New Delhi
Being a news anchor is more about being on top of things in current affairs than being presentable. "Apart from general awareness, other essential and inherent traits are curiosity, skills of comprehension and the ability to explain in simple terms," says Shankar.

The entry path
Reporters can work for either the print or electronic media. In broadcast media, they can either get into production or into the editorial team. "For a broadcast journalist, perseverance, consistency with the story and thought and an amiable presentation of a news story is crucial," says Prasad.

Further, one can choose beats based on one's interest and caliber in mainly three areas: hardcore news, business, sports and entertainment. Print media: in a newspaper house, fresher's usually join as trainees reporting to the news desk or editing/ desk-oriented work. Working for a news agency involves tougher deadlines, not at the end of the day but right away. The format of writing is focused leaving no scope for further speculation within the story. Reporting for television involves more on field work. Often, the distinction between reporting, camera work and desk work gets blurred with a reporter doing most of the work.

Radio
The radio is back in vogue. Today FM Radio is a burgeoning industry with limitless scope and opportunity. "The number of bulletins and coverage required for local news from various parts of the country has opened up avenues for aspirants," says P. K. Bandopadhyay.

There are four key areas of work: creative, marketing, sales and activation. The job requires a basic knowledge of how a radio station works and a proclivity to learn the specifics. Under the creative wing, aspirants can find jobs as radio jockeys (RJ's), producers, scriptwriters, music managers, sound engineers, or schedulers.

Web world
Online journalism is all about reporting the news on the Internet. Even though Internet penetration in India is still at a nascent stage, there is enough scope in online journalism already. Says Ravi Shankar, "One can go for content writing where technological know-how is important. In India, online journalism has not replaced broadcast and print journalism because net connectivity is far from ubiquitous."

Many newspapers have utilised the Internet, making 'e-newspapers,' available which have accentuated news accessibility. Blogs are a popular source for news and opinion as well.

Salary and scope
"The remuneration varies. Initially a journalist may expect somewhere near 10,000-15,000 and even 20,000. This may not be true for fresher's working with regional newspapers," says Ravi Shankar.

In radio, the compensation is around Rs 9,000-10,000 a month depending on the grades, says Bandopadhyay. RJ's, VJ's, anchors and newscasters may begin with somewhere between Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month depending on the nature of the organisation. Event organisers and script writers can expect between Rs 8,000 and Rs 15,000 at the entry level. Salaries for online editors range from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000 per month. Special effects editors start with Rs 15,000.

Says Hasan Suroor, "The prospects are far better now than they were 10 or 15 years ago. While the print media is in decline in the West, in India it is actually expanding along with television. So, there are huge opportunities and if what I hear is true, the kind of money that is being paid is something we could not dream about even a decade ago. At the same time, there seems to be a lot of mediocrity around especially in television."

Ravi Shankar believes that the progress has been moderate but with the emergence of strong regional newspapers, opportunities have only increased. From just a 30-minute news bulletin a day on Doordarshan, we now have 24-hour channels, not just reporting news but also hosting talk shows and debates, opening up a plethora of job avenues.

Parting words
To sum up, anyone can become a journalist as long as he/she has a knack for presenting the news, has the perseverance and is somewhat tech savvy. Some advice for aspirants: Be up to date with the news and read the newspapers regularly. Remember, there is no good or bad journalism; only good or bad journalists.

So, why not plunge in for a worthy dive?