Introduction
The news is one form of entertainment that people cannot live without. People may want an easy read type of news or hardcore, hard-hitting news that tackle subjects such as politics, economics, terrorism, and world news, among others. But what is "news" per se? News is about events, occurrences, people, and places. It is anything that happens everywhere, although not all news finds its way to television, radio, print, or any other media. It does not matter whatever medium is used to deliver news as long as it is objectively presented, current, controversial, informational, timely, and has direct impact on people's lives, then readers are more likely to digest the information. However, what people enjoy reading takes so much effort and time completing. Becoming a newspaper reporter is one of the most difficult jobs around the world.
Newspaper reporters are often stressed out and are under paid. They put their lives in line when they have to and spend long hours at work. Rarely do they spend enough time with their families. Once considered a glamorous profession, the job of a news writer already made the list of worst jobs due to the stress that comes with performing the occupation. Because news is everywhere, reporters must always be on the lookout for scoops about what is happening in the community as well as nationally. Current events is a high priority, thus, reporters must know where and how to look for news.
Despite the dangers and stresses of the job, reporters earn an average of $50,000 per year, while those with lesser experience earn around $25,000 per year. Topnotch reporters receive more than $100,000 annually (BLS). Job opportunities for news reporters are on the decline because news is available anywhere, including online newspapers, blogs, and social networking sites. Because of this, the news reporter profession has not seen any significant growth in employment in recent years (Brienza, n.d.).
The Industry
Founding of the Newspapers
The first newspapers were "handwritten newsletters circulated privately among merchants, passing along information about everything from wars and economic conditions to social customs and human interest features" (Barber). Then came the news pamphlets produced in Germany in the 1400s that talked mostly about the violence committed against Germans in Transylvania. As years passed, the perpetrator of such violent acts was known as Count Dracula, who was Vlad Tsepes Drakul in real life (Barber).
Later on, other forms of news pamphlets, called corantos, became available and were produced only when important news occurred. In later years, another version of the corantos emerged in news book format (Barber).
The first newspaper began its circulation in the 17th century, although the term was used only in 1670 (Lambert). It was initially called a broadsheet, a "single sheet of paper that responded to unusual events" (The Development of the Modern Newspaper). The old newspaper versions as well as the modern newspapers share many similar qualities; although a lot has changed over the years in terms of content. Timeliness of news was not an issue before whereas now, timeliness and content are the main reasons people read newspapers.
Initially, newspapers were made from cotton and linen, but with the invention of the paper from wood pulp, it became easier to produce newspapers using low-cost quality paper. As the paper industry rose, the more news became available at a larger scale. Technology also played a hand in the production of the newspaper because instead of writing the news by hand, printing presses made it easier and faster to produce newspapers. As technological advances made its way into the newspaper industry, manual labor decreased as machines began printing news in bulks of paper (Development of the Modern Newspaper).
With the development of railroad systems and other forms of infrastructure, newspapers further improved its content as reporters were able to travel to gather news from various locations. Alongside this development, newspapers were no longer limited to text as photographic technology made news content more pleasurable to read (Development of Modern Newspaper). From this point onwards, news reporting, content, and look became almost uniform across the globe. Thus, people reading the newspapers could easily recognize the types of news they were reading.
How Reporters Get their Information
News reporters employ various methods in gathering news, which includes interviews on people, actual research, and through observation (Hall). The more reporters are adept at these three techniques, the better news features they can get because their job consists of conducting investigations and reporting on certain events, trends, and issues occurring within the country or in another part of the globe (Curtis). It means they have to write for the general audience and ensure that the news they gathered are timely, current, accurate, and objectively written.
The interviews are conducted professionally depending on the topic for discussion. Hard news facts must be gathered from interviews with experts and witnesses, social scientists, politicians, managers, or leaders, among others. It may be done through correspondence by letters or emails (Curtis). Some interviews may be informal particularly when the news is a light feature story.
Reporters also base their news articles on actual research, which they can glean from the Internet. Because the Internet is a huge database of information, reporters simply need to search academic search engines, web magazines, news web sites, home pages, web journals, and discussion groups, among others, for information that are significant to their subject. They may also go to libraries to look for scholarly books and journals for their research, including general books, other periodicals, press releases, scientific papers, archives, and more. These days, reporters also base their researches on videos they locate on the web as well as television programs and documentaries (Curtis).
Finally, reporters make use of their observation skills when coming up with their news stories. They do this by attending public addresses and lectures, including "conducting [their own] experiments and tests" (Curtis).
In all these, what is important is that they check their facts for accuracy and credibility. In fact, some newspaper and magazine publications even hire fact-checkers in order to verify and establish the veracity of the information (Curtis). Thus, when performing any of the three methods, it is crucial that writers employ an attitude of skepticism (Hall) to ensure that the information they gathered are correct. As what the former president Ronald Reagan used to say about the Russians, "Trust but verify" (Hall).
Newspaper Editing and Distribution
After writing the news, the next important step to do is to perform editing. The writer may perform initial self-editing tasks to ensure that the facts are straight and grammar and vocabulary are perfect. The main reason for editing is to "remove, replace, and improve a draft before it appears in print or online" (Belena). Primarily, editing is not only about avoiding grammatical mistakes, but also ensuring that the news article has been carefully proofread. This ensures that the piece of writing is free from "unintentional omissions, inconsistencies, over-repetitive use or misuse of words, [including] incorrect grammar, poor punctuation, [and] bad sentence structure" (Belena).
After editing and printing the newspaper, the next phase that publishers need to consider is how to distribute the newspaper. In some instances, publishers distribute several editions of a newspaper that goes out depending on the route that is the farthest from the area. Typically, the first edition goes to the "outer limits of the newspaper's circulation area" (Wilson), which could be distribution to nearby countries. The limitation is that because it is among the first versions of the newspaper for the following day, it may not contain the latest news that could occur before the final printing. The final edition that is printed at midnight includes all the latest news and covers the nearby areas for distribution (Wilson). Knowing the range of circulation is important because it determines how much advertising it could get and the number of subscribers that the paper reaches after printing.
The Profession
Working in the newspaper industry may be a challenge. However, it is a profession that many people who are interested in the fast-paced and exciting world of information dissemination look for. Aside from newspaper reporters, following are other jobs that perform similar functions in the industry.
News Anchor
A news anchor is the one who delivers the news on television. The job is also known as a television reporter. Part of the job is to introduce the news segments, including video casts coming from reporters from other parts of the world, deliver the news on air, analyze and interpret the news coming from various sources, and editing the news material for presentation, among others. Those who are interested in this profession are expected to have completed Bachelor's degrees in Mass Communications, Journalism, or English, and have undergone internship programs in similar work environments (McKay).
Editors (Newspapers and Television)
A news editor, who works on print or in television, oversees the whole publication process, including assigning writing assignments to writers. An editor's main responsibility is to read and revise "specific articles, while checking facts and references during the review process" (Testa). If there is nothing to update, then the article is clear for publication. Apart from this, the editor conceptualizes ideas that can be further explored for future stories. To become an editor, one has to complete a Bachelor's degree in Communications or Journalism, and must have had previous experience as a journalist. It is also highly important that editors are knowledgeable in the use of computer applications (Testa).
Publishers
The role of the publisher is as important as the others because it is the publisher who decides the volume of newspapers for publishing and when the process takes place. The publisher also decides how much advertisements go into the newspaper that is why it is important that the publisher realize that people buy and read the newspaper for its informative content and not the advertisements (Definition of Newspaper Publisher).
Benefits and Education
Becoming a news reporter has always been seen as a glamorous job considering some reporters are seen delivering the news on television. Reporters often work in fast-paced working environments that require them to spend more time in the field gathering newsworthy materials or conducting news interviews. The demands of the work are tough, including deadlines and the ability to be the first to report breaking news. When needed, reporters are required to work long hours, change their shift schedules, and work at nights and on weekends. Whether one appears on television or has his or her name on the by-line, individuals who intend to pursue this career path have years to prepare themselves for an informative, challenging, and enriching future.
Educational Requirement
A bachelor's degree in Journalism, Broadcasting, or Communications is required of applicants; while completing a degree in a related field can help prospective news reporters enter the field. This includes degrees in English, Economics, History, and Political Science (BLS). Students of Journalism courses are taught about "journalistic ethics and how to research stories and conduct interviews" (BLS), including handling various writing assignments as part of their training. This prepares them for actual job assignments that would require reporters to cover various topics.
Generally, employers prefer applicants who already have skills in publications and broadcasting. Otherwise, new graduates who have internship experience with leading newspapers and magazines have a higher chance of being hired. More so, those with specialized experience in the field are likely to be assigned to more challenging news features. Because of this, most Journalism students work for their school newspapers to gain the needed actual experience as well as become more familiar with the various tasks news reporters perform.
Salary
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, reporters and broadcasters receive an annual salary of around $54,000. Those who have been in the news and broadcast industry for a long time earn as much as $100,000 or more per annum, while those with less experience earn around $27,000 yearly (BLS). Because competition is stiff in bigger cities than in small town areas, reporters working in New York City or Chicago earn bigger than those in smaller markets considering that bigger companies would prefer to hire more experienced writers and thus, expect higher pay as well (Rogers).
Job Outlook
The BLS reports that "employment of reporters and correspondents is expected [to go down] by 8 percent from 2010 to 2020" (BLS). This is primarily due to global mergers occurring all over the world where bigger companies acquire the smaller publications firms. Because of such mergers, companies tend to relieve their employees due to redundancy of work. Thus, the need for reporters and journalists has steadily declined over the years.
In addition, this is also a result of the emergence of various online news sources and social networking sites, which oftentimes, are able to spread the news faster than how newspapers can disseminate information. This makes it complicated for news agencies to sell advertising space in their publication, thus, further reducing their income potential. Moreover, a steady decrease in newspaper readership has been apparent over the past couple of years due to the availability of news everywhere. Because of this, big name news agencies are keener at hiring news analysts than news reporters (BLS).
However, for those who have been in the news writing industry for years and have strong and lengthy experience as reporters and news correspondents, advancement comes in the form of editorship or news directorship. They may also opt to work in bigger news organizations for higher pay and more challenging job responsibilities, but hiring will be tough (BLS). If one is more interested in finding opportunities but on small-scale only, then there will probably be more job prospects in small newspaper agencies.
Reporter and the Digital Age
Because of the digital age, the traditional method of acquiring news as well as delivering news has changed. Thus, reporters now adhere to what the common practices are considering that the requirement for the reporters on the job has decreased tremendously. With the emergence of the Internet and social networking sites, the profession is at risk of becoming obsolete in the future.
Newspapers Now
Although there are still newspaper publications that operate on a daily basis, reports about the industry dying a slow death are rampant. In fact, in the past 10 years, it is said that the "U.S. newspaper industry has lost more than $40 billion in ad revenue" (Ingram). Because of this, publishers are now considering printing newspapers only a few times a week, instead of the regular daily newspaper publishing. In addition, with the emergence of online newspaper sites and social networking sites, the more the newspaper industry's supporters are dwindling in number.
This is a clear resolve on the decline of newspaper readership, which also contributes to less demand for news reporters. Because anyone can now write pieces of news and post online using various social media, the more the newspaper industry suffers in terms of employment and readership as news becomes available online and even on mobile devices, specifically, the smart phones (Edmonds).
If the newspaper industry is suffering from declines in advertising, where did all the advertisements go?
Advertisements
As readership and the need for newspapers begin to decline considering the availability of news online, the one that is set to benefit from it all is Google, with its ad revenues picking up in number and value (Ingram). It all began in 2009 as print advertising began to decline, which meant a reduction in the newspaper industry's advertising revenue, and an increase in Google's ad revenues.
Conclusion
Becoming a news reporter is a tough job in a tough working environment. With fluctuations in economy and as Google retains its stake as the premiere advertisement provider, the newspaper industry is poised to lose out when it comes to print advertising. The need for legitimate news writers will continue to decline as more self-proclaimed writers dominate the online print industry. Therefore, what the fledgling newspaper industry must do is go with the flow as the dawn of the digital age continues to develop.
As a result, newspaper reporters and publishers must take into account the technological advances occurring in the publishing industry and if need be, change their strategies to stay up-to-date with the trend. Even though the need for news reporters is on the decline, there are still a lot of opportunities for reporters in smaller publishing firms or even in the creation of their own news blogs using various social networking sites. Therefore, news reporters must learn to go with the flow and take advantage of innovative ways to news reporting.
References
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Ingram, Mathew. (2013). Two charts that tell you everything you need to know about the future of newspapers. Retrieved from http://paidcontent.org/2013/04/11/two-charts-that-tell-you-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-future-of-newspapers/
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