News Reporter

News reporters gather information about newsworthy events in order to write stories for publication or broadcast.

News media broadly fall into two categories and reporters generally specialise in one or the other:

Print media; which includes newspapers and magazines
Digital publishing on the World Wide Web and broadcast media; which covers radio and television

Reporters usually start out by reporting on general news, such as court cases or crime. As experience is gained they move on to specialised areas such as sport or politics. News reporting offers a wide range of possibilities, depending on the individual’s temperament. One option is the high pressure ‘buzz’ of a daily newspaper, or feature writing for magazines; alternatively sub-editing and layout or even broadcast reporting from war zones (if action is what you really want).

Personal Requirements

a ‘nose for news’
enthusiastic curiosity about people and events
well-developed writing and communication skills
objective
persistent
initiative
creative and resourceful
good memory
physical stamina and emotional stability
at ease on camera, for a broadcast reporter
at ease in unfamiliar places with all kinds of people

How to Enter

Schooling & School Subjects

National Senior Certificate meeting degree requirements for a degree course
National Senior Certificate meeting diploma requirements for a diploma course

Each institution has its own entry requirements.

What to Study

Degree: BA Journalism or Journalism and Media Studies or Communication Studies / Science - UJ, NWU, UZ, UFS, UFH, UCT, US, RU, UZ, Monash, UKZN, NMMU, UNISA, UP, Wits.

Diploma: N.Dip: Journalism - CUT, TUT, CPUT.
An academic background is preferred but is not essential. The training of a journalist can be divided into two categories: career orientated programmes and broad communication courses. A tertiary student is trained within the career-orientated programmes where theoretical training is combined with practical training.

In-service training is also offered by some employers

Employment