How to Become a Good Journalist

Journalist is a person whose job is to collect and write news stories for newspapers, magazines, radio or television. Becoming a good journalist is the dream of a large number of aspirants who want to make a mark in this highly rewarding field. There is a dearth of quality books on journalism. Among the few available books in the market some are cluttered with redundant details on professional journalism while others contain elaborate descriptions of a particular journalist’s professional journey providing little valuable substance for the readers. How to Become a Good Journalist ably fulfils the needs of budding journalists as it presents the entire process of making of a newspaper/magazine in a succinct and interesting way. It explains the entire working of the editorial side of a newspaper popularly known as the desk jobs which gives a lot of exposure to reading, developing and abstracting various types of written reports. The book explains all the important aspects of journalism, viz. the role of a sub-editor, news desk operations, what constitutes news, how to distinguish between various types of news and decide about their priority and place in the columns of newspaper. It not only explains the finer points of editing but also tells a lot about news selection, news writing, playing with words to create crisp headlines, avoiding and detecting errors and coping with deadline pressures. The basics of grammar have also been included as they are a sine qua non for all reporters, feature writers and desk persons. In addition, different aspects of freelance journalism and page-making tips have been provided. The book has been written in a simple language and lucid style. The approach is not exhaustive but all the important features of journalism have been covered to make it a complete package on the subject. It will prove immensely helpful to students in their goal of becoming good journalists. It will also strengthen the skill-set of those already in the profession.