What it takes to be a journalist

I wish I could tell everyone all that goes into journalism. For me it’s not only a career, it’s a skill, a passion, a lifestyle.

I started working as a journalist when I was 15. I’ve spent the majority of my life as a journalist. I have a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

I am also a professor of journalism, and I mentor younger journalists in my free time.

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Here’s what it takes to be a journalist:

Rules, ethics, understanding, compassion, open-mindedness, stamina, accuracy, speed, grit, and so much more.

What surprises me most is how many people don’t seem to understand how journalism entirely works. There is a process of vetting, approvals, interviewing, fact-checking, writing, revising and thorough scrutiny.

All facts must be checked, all details defended with a purpose for existing in the completed work. There are rules, protocols and procedures before anything is published or aired.

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And on top of that, journalists must be skilled at building relationships and versed in multitasking.

There is so much that goes into this profession, it is literally impossible to list it all here.

There will be stories that make you want to quit, news that can break any human at their very core. And other times there will be stories that give purpose and meaning to life, ones that do incredible good for the very world in which we live.

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I came across this post and I think it speaks volumes to the work journalists do:

Don’t underestimate journalists. We know how to get the job done. And perhaps most importantly, there is no democracy without journalism.

Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together.

Joseph Pulitzer