Fundamentals of Journalism Courses

All journalism courses equip the students with the ability to collect news and information from different sources and effectively present it to the public. A journalism qualification is worthwhile because it not only presents varied job opportunities but also keeps the professional informed about the events happening across the nation.

Moreover, all the job profiles keep the Journalists engaged and active throughout their duty. Hence, it constantly encourages them while working.

Journalism graduates can explore their careers in various areas, including newspaper and Magazine publishing houses, Web distributing houses, Television/Radio stations, NGOs, and Corporate Sector (PR). Completing an online certificate course in journalism or part-time journalism courses can also help graduate students to learn journalism and continue their job simultaneously.

The below list of job opportunities and profiles justifies the worth of this qualification:

• Photojournalist
• News Presenter
• Translator
• Creative Designer
• Camera Manager
• Researcher
• Set Manager
• TV News Reporter
• Newspaper Reporter News Editor
• News Director
• Content Developer
• Proofreader
• Digital Media Journalist
• Columnist
• Print Media Work Profiles
• Correspondent
• Promoting authority
• Specialised essayist/author
• Editorial manager
• Independent Correspondent
• Investigator
• Partner Editor
• Picture taker
• Electronic Media work profiles
• News Anchor
• Television Producer
• Magazine Editor (E-Magazines)
• Picture taker
• Storyteller
• Grapple
• News analyst
• Correspondent
• Radio/Television Announcer
• Creation Assistant
• Station Manager (Radio and TV

The following section highlights the fundamentals of journalism:

1. Editing and publishing:

People are unaware of the significance of news editing. Laymen may consider that newspaper reports may have to collect enough news material to fill up their newspaper columns. Good editing is crucial for a good report. Generally, knowledgeable editors try their best to enhance the effort made by their reporters. They provide a good headline and enhance the report’s phraseology to make it impressive.

A good sub-editor or copy editor can improve the phrasing of the stories. With editing skills, they can make the stories read better by shortening or lengthening the sentences, improving the vocabulary, or rearranging the paragraphs.

Once the piece is edited, the next important task is to publish it. Publishing provides visibility in the field. It ensures the prepared content can easily reach the general public, and they can easily understand it.

Most journalism programs have a module on editing and publishing in Journalism.

2. Writing articles:

Unlike writing an essay, writing for a magazine, newspaper, or online publication is way different. Thorough research is the key requirement for writing articles. Journalists need to be clear with their points and then follow with details. The readers may get bored if they save all the interesting information for a climax at the end.

Writing Journalistic articles has a prime purpose, i.e., attracting readers to a print media, website, or broadcaster. It allows the owners to earn money, typically by selling the advertising space. Writing interesting news and stories hooks up the readers and also keeps advertisers satisfied. Therefore, Journalists are skilled at recognising good stories and telling the stories in a way that fascinates readers.

The steps Journalists follow while writing articles:

(i) Collection of all required information-

This is the first step in writing the story. It is necessary to be familiar with all the facts from various angles. Usually, Journalists spend time ‘on site’ interviewing people to know what happened and how the events impacted them.

(ii) Verification of all sources used-

It is imperative to establish your information's value, i.e., whether it’s true or not.

(iii) Setup your angle-

The next step is to establish your story ‘angle’ to make it easy to understand.

(iv)Writing an impressive opening paragraph-

The article’s opening paragraph informs readers about why they must read on. It should summarise the five Ws of the story: who, why, what, where, and when.

(v) Writing the headline-

It is essential to summarise the article in a few words to ensure that you are clear about the story.

(vi) The ‘inverted pyramid’ structure-

Journalists begin writing their articles with the most important information (in the opening paragraph) and then move on with more detail. The last section conveys more information for anybody interested.

(vii) Editing

The journalistic writing process’ last step is to edit the work before sending it for publishing meticulously. Generally, media outlets and newsrooms hire professional editors to check all copies before submission. Journalists are also tasked with checking their work before submission to ensure zero errors.

3. Law and ethics:

Journalism Law and ethics focus on responsible journalism. They strongly bias the argument that the media doesn’t violate, and doesn’t abuse individuals or groups of society.

The key topics addressed by Ethics in Journalism are fundamental principles of ethics, fairness and accuracy, diversity, conflict of interest, relations with the sources, fraud, privacy, photojournalism, etc.

Journalism Ethics defines what is correct. It sets the norms, regulations, codes, and orientations that guide the journalists to work humanly. By defending ethics, self-regulation must define a set of rules. These rules are almost identical across various parts of the world. Journalists are required to meticulously work in conformity with the set rules and agree with the freedom of media.

The Journalism laws provide guidance and a reference when making ethical decisions. So, it is essential to note that there is no moral principle that fulfils “one size fits all.” Occasionally, situations that need decisions that drive the standard ethical responses to the other side may arise.

4. Reporting

Depending on the topic and nature of news, Journalists work on any of the following types of reporting:

• Objective Reporting
• Interpretative Reporting
• Investigative Reporting
• Crime Reporting

Objective Reporting:

The reporting without purpose is meaningless. Reporters must be a storyteller. They should tell the story objectively and reliably, without mixing it with comments or personal opinions. They should be impartial and fair in presenting the story.

Some people claim that it is impossible to achieve complete objectivity. The reporters are human beings with certain feelings, ideas, opinions, attitudes, and prejudices. All these characteristics are revealed in the news story. Objective Reporting implies that the report must try to rise above all these characteristics and tell the facts they collected.

The reporter should remember that facts are sacred. They should check and cross-check the collected facts from various sources until they are verified. Subsequently, they can write the story. Objective reporting implies reporting free from prejudice or personal bias. The top journalism courses include training on reporting and its types.

Interpretative Reporting:

This form of reporting interprets facts. The reporters try to balance the writing with the causes and meanings of development. They provide the information as well as an interpretation of its importance. They use their understanding and experience to give the reader an idea of an event’s background and the possible outcomes. Apart from their knowledge and research, they also consider the opinions of specialists to support the report effectively.

Investigative Reporting:

All types of reporting demand investigation. In this form of reporting, the reporter dives deep into the investigation. They conduct exhaustive research beyond the facts mentioned in the hard news. Investigative reporting ensures the integrity of society is free from corruption.

Investigative reporters must base their report on incontrovertible facts instead of lies and half-truths. They should be cautious of lobbies and lobbyists-political or commercial attempting to misguide them. Moreover, they should not work like a prosecutor. The best investigative reporting is the one that focuses on the public interest. For that, it may highlight an injustice, corrupt practices, or dishonest politicians and administrators.

Three components of investigating reporting:

• The report has to be the original work of the reporter. Under no circumstance should it be derived from others.
• The reporter must never try t to conceal the truth from the people.
• The subject should be important for the readers to know.

Crime Reporting:

General reporters or Journalists are not suitable for crime reporting. Special reporters are required to report crimes. Crime reporting is the subset of objective, investigative and interpretative reporting. Usually, the public is greatly interested in crime stories, and the newspapers can’t ignore them without damaging their credibility and circulation. Certain newspapers had tried to discard crime reporting from their columns. However, that proved disadvantageous, and they soon included crime reporting.

Crime Reporting requires a code of conduct to be followed. It should avoid resorting to sensationalism to gain the readers’ attention. Moreover, it should neither overwhelm news of public interest nor should try to settle personal scores with lawyers or police officers, or judges. Crime reporting should be carried out such that it doesn’t pointlessly assault a person’s privacy.

Crime news includes accidents, fires, burglaries, robberies, murders, fraud, blackmail, rape, and kidnapping.

It is essential to comprehend education for journalists to pave a career in journalism. The following section highlights all the important courses prevalent in Journalism.

1. Bachelor’s degree in journalism:

The typical duration of a bachelor’s level degree in journalism programs is three years. A bachelor's degree in journalism trains students for roles like broadcasters, reporters, and media production professionals. The programs include introductory coursework in communication, English, and storytelling. In these programs, students learn online, visual, and written media while improving their hard and soft skills required to flourish in the field.

While studying for a bachelor's degree in journalism, students learn topics like multiculturalism and the media, interviewing techniques, and communication ethics. Some of these programs also teach copy editing, media relations, and advertising. Furthermore, these degree programs also cover experiential learning opportunities, including internships, to provide graduates with a competitive edge in the existing job market.

List of key skills aspirants should have to pursue Bachelor’s degree course in journalism:

• Keen observation
• Discipline
• Inquisitiveness
• Good perception
• Intellectually curious
• General Awareness
• Self-motivated
• Fluent in language
• Good writing skills
• Good judgmental skills
• Good time management
• Logical
• Clear-headed
• Organised
• Confident
• Alert
• Creative

1.1 BA (Hons) Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies:

BA (Hons) Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies is a 3-year bachelor’s level program in Journalism.

In the first year of this program, students are introduced to the key themes in media, culture, and journalism using the in-depth study of the practices and theory of cinema, newspapers, television, popular music, the Internet, and other media practices. Moreover, in the first year of this program, students are engaged in workshops and discussions. A module is dedicated to introducing students to the essential skills of Journalism.

In the second year, students explore the relationship between audiences and media, the reach of international media, the power of media institutions, and the significance of digital media. Specialist training in media research skills is also provided. Students can choose from work experience or optional modules in journalism.

In their final year, students will have to complete an obligatory dissertation on a topic of their choice. Moreover, they need to choose multiple modules that reveal the expertise they have attained.

The list of subjects covered in all three years of this degree program:

First Year - BA (Hons) Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies degree:

• Journalism Practice
• Journalism Studies
• Contemporary Popular Television
• Musical Cultures
• Introduction to Media Theory
• Understanding Communication in the Creative and Cultural Industries

Second Year - BA (Hons) Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies degree:

• Media Audiences & Fandom
• Researching Media, Culture & Communication
• Journalism & Society
• Digital Media & Society
• Consumer Cultures
• Social, Digital, Mobile Story Production (Optional)
• Broadcast Journalism (Optional)
• Work Experience (Optional)

Third Year - BA (Hons) Journalism, Media, and Cultural Studies degree:

• Media & Culture
• Gender and the Media
• International Media
• TV Drama
• Creative Industries Professional Practice
• Dissertation

Note that the syllabus may differ somewhat when you pursue this program via the journalism courses online option.

1.2 BA (Hons) Journalism and Communication:

For pursuing this 3-year undergraduate journalism and mass communication course, the minimum eligibility is the 12th class from a recognized school board or the equivalent exam. Admission to this degree program depends on the candidate’s performance in a relevant entrance exam and a round of counselling.

This mass media and communication course covers the study and analysis of the constituents of mass media, including newspapers, magazines, television, radio, cinema films, etc., to convey information to the people. Also, it incorporates the study of techniques to collect and distribute the news and spread general awareness among the public via print and electronic media. Generally, this program deals with teaching and photographing in the context of writing, editing, reporting, etc. You can also pick one of the online mass communication courses to benefit from convenience and flexibility.

The Bachelor’s degree course unlocks employment opportunities in journalism and other fields, including TV and films, publishing, public relations, editing, direction, filmmaking, advertising, scriptwriting, etc. Career opportunities after completing this program are high paying and ensure better job satisfaction. These graduates can get a chance to work in the Press Information Bureau, Broadcasting Corporations, Legal Affairs Department, Advertising Agencies, Photography Companies, Central Information Service, etc.

1.3 BSc (Hons) Sports Broadcast Journalism:

This degree program imparts the latest techniques in video, digital, and broadcast sports journalism. After completing it, you can embark on your career as a sports journalist for leading multimedia sports platforms like BBC Sport, Sky Sports News, or national newspapers. Moreover, you can join the media teams of Formula One teams, Premier League clubs, or golf's European Tour. To save time and benefit from flexibility, you can choose one of the online broadcast journalism courses.

2. Master’s degree in journalism:

A full-time student can usually earn a master's degree in journalism in two years. Part-time learners usually earn this degree in 3-4 years. You can pursue these journalism courses after graduation.

The curriculum of a Master's degree in journalism covers more complex journalism topics than a bachelor's degree program. Consequently, it helps journalism professionals to develop specialities. Moreover, these Master’s degree programs in journalism impart practical experiences and project learning to help students build a professional portfolio.

Students are taught business reporting, public relations, and emerging media technologies. Hence, they can focus on explicit media formats, learn various types of journalism, or work towards becoming journalism instructors.

2.1 MA Multimedia Journalism:

This course is created to equip students with all the essential skills and knowledge required to work in the varied and fast-changing environment of modern journalism and media.

Its core units provide a robust foundation in the practice and principles of good journalism. Students are taught how to cover stories for the Web, print, radio, and TV. Also, they are taught how to adjust a story from one medium to another.

This Master’s degree program also offers an option to graduate with a specialisation in broadcast journalism. This option is for people who want to take the relevant broadcast journalism optional units and generate a final project in broadcast journalism.

Talented media professionals with connections and backgrounds in radio and BBC TV, local/regional/national newspapers, and online news teach the curriculum of this course. Hence, students are assured of learning at the frontiers of industry philosophy and practice. With the outstanding placement opportunities, students have the chance to develop their industry connections. As a result, it introduces them to a practical working environment and enhances their employability.

3 Ph.D. program in journalism:

A doctorate in journalism highlights the multidisciplinary facets of people, media, and communication. Its coursework emphasises the relationships between media and people, how media works in social and political contexts, and the role of journalism in history and current culture. Students also do research work for presenting a dissertation.

Usually, the Ph.D. program in journalism can last up to three years. However, certain students may take up four years or more. Ph.D. holders in this field can pursue careers as entrepreneurs, journalism professors, and multimedia company executives.

The key emphasis of the program is to research the selected topic and to equip students with teaching skills. It is essential to note that for eligibility, the candidates must possess a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with an aggregate of 55%. Certain colleges may demand candidates to appear for entrance exams. In that case, candidates may be invited for group discussions or personal interviews. Some famous entrance exams for getting into a Ph.D. program in journalism include NET, LPU NEST, SEAT, and more.

This program covers some basic subjects like Theory of Culture and Media, Freedom of Expression Theory, Law and Ethics of Telecommunication, etc. Note that each college provides its own electives to the students. Moreover, the students are also provided research training during the course.

Completing the course presents employment opportunities in journalism, media, education, and the writing industry. With the completion of this course, students can go for post-doctoral fellowships.

Various job profiles for graduates of the Ph.D. program in journalism include Writer, Professor, Editor, Reporter, Public Relations Executive, Communication Executive, Researcher, etc. Generally, the average salary of these job roles can vary from 4-6 lac per annum.

The following points justify the benefits of pursuing online journalism courses compared to offline courses:

Flexibility:

Several bloggers and content marketers specialise in a specific subject or industry. However, those who have established a journalistic approach to writing know how to switch gears rapidly. This means that well-versed journalists are flexible in their job roles. It is quite common to find journalists who are generalists who can cover a broad range of topics. They can delve deep into any topic and gather all essential information.

If you pursue one of the journalism courses online, you will effectively develop flexibility. You become familiar and experienced with writing and developing pitches and story ideas. Furthermore, you will outshine at ideation, a skill that all content strategy teams must own.

Continuing to develop a reporting resume:

One of the crucial benefits of online journalism training is that the degree allows the students to continue developing their reporting resumes. The reason is that online education doesn’t mandate students to attend any on-campus activities. As an alternative, that time they can dedicate to a full-time job that can enhance the resume and the reporter’s marketability. Subsequently, they would be able to graduate with equally remarkable educational credentials and experience. Hence, a digital journalism course saves time as well as helps you build your reporting resume simultaneously.

Helps in covering costs:

The first thing many interested candidates think about before enrolling in any course is the course fees. The price of offline Journalism courses is high. But pursuing a Journalism course through online journalism classes will allow students to generate income simultaneously. Although their job may not be related to the reporting, the fact that they can put up with a consistent level of earnings will make it easier to pay the fees. Furthermore, it will also equip them with transferable skills in the context of budgeting and expenditure prioritisation.

Equal Recognition

The best journalism course in online mode can provide equal recognition as that of an offline course. One of the most prevalent misconceptions is whether an online Journalism degree will be equally reputed as the offline one. Many students who are doubtful about earning their journalism certification degree on the Internet are concerned about the recognition of such programs. However, many employers view the online journalism degree as more challenging than the offline one.

Accessibility:

Unlike the offline Journalism college programs, journalism free courses help save all your materials and performance records on the Internet. Choosing reliable free online journalism courses with certificate will provide you accessibility to your material and also reward you with a certification at the course completion.

Students seldom need to carry physical copies of textbooks and other essential materials. They will only require Internet-enabled gadgets to get into the journalism classes.

• Fundamentals of Journalism
• History of Journalism
• Art of Writing & Editing
• Writing for Media
• Editing Techniques
• Reporting Methods
• Introduction to Mass Communication
• Mobile & Data Journalism
• Media Laws & Indian Constitution
• Media Management
• Advertising & Public Relations
• Basic Audio-Visual Media
• Radio Journalism & Production
• Radio Broadcasting
• Television Journalism & Production
• Media, Society & Development Environment & Media
• Media Criticism
• Internet & New Media Magazine Journalism
• TV Broadcasting
• Radio Jockeying & Program Production - Vocational Minor
• Visual Design, Animation & Multimedia
• Radio Program Production
• Global Media Management
• Project on Mobile Journalism (MOJO)
• Media Research Methods & Tools
• Communication Skills & Personality Development
• Socio-Economic & Political Scenario
• Basics of Design & Graphics
• Media Laws & Ethics
• Print Journalism
• Magazine Journalism
• Basics of Camera, Lights & Sound
• New Media
• Public Relations
• Media Research
• Advertising Practices
• Media Organisation & Management
• Global Media Scenario

Controversial opinions are trendy and impartial reporting has now become more important. Since the academics perform a vital role as media spokespeople, providing unbiased commentary targeted on fact-based analysis, the partnerships with journalists will build up trust in journalism. Pursuing a degree or certificate course in journalism will impart you how to have unbiased reporting.

By the time your position escalates to a permanent executive in any of the leading media houses, we can expect artificial intelligence to become prevalent in the journalism industry. You can’t stop machines from working on the available; however, you can beat them where they can’t compete. The future of the journalism industry will focus more on creativity.

Podcasts are the impeccable combination of the audience’s demand for in-depth news and knowledge on the go. The curve of podcasting is gradually moving upward, and the industry experts consider that soon this rate will become exponential. In the near future, the existing journalism houses will set up their podcast wing, or certain dedicated brands will be established to fulfil the current demand.

Currently, Twitter is the most significant social platform for journalists. They are not fond of Facebook because only 40% state that they use it for audience engagement. In its place, Twitter proved to be the greatest valuable social platform to them because 83% of journalists cited Twitter as an essential social platform in developing a readership.

AI powers robots like drones that are used by several media outlets, first responders, and insurance companies. They use AI power robots to obtain images from difficult-to-reach locations on the ground. In the future, AI and robots can be incorporated into news organisations' production and distribution processes to boost the efficiency of publishing news articles and a medium’s reach.

As per a timeline presented by the World Economic Forum,we may be reading a New York Times best-seller created by AI by 2049. But, there are still, various challenges to be conquered in the extensive use of robotics and algorithms in media companies. The dearth of rich data that enables machines to define patterns and derive precise conclusions is another significant challenge.

Another challenge is confirming the reliability of machine-generated conclusions and the upfront financial investment. Technological advancement contributed to the expansion of communication networks like televisions, e-magazines, social media, newspapers, and radio. Therefore, the scope of journalism has also risen. Consequently, it allowed journalism to obtain a massive global audience for even small events. The news reporting’ broadcasting is not restricted to local/regional/national ranges anymore; the coverage of events is worldwide.

India requires more skilled journalists who can effectively cover the story. Journalists who are trained in digital reporting are in demand. It implies a significantly wider mission for the journalism colleges to fulfil that need.

In this media environment, ambitious journalists will benefit the most from training in a hands-on, concentrated curriculum designed to impart training on all aspects of Journalism, including theoretical, technical, and practical.

These days, Journalism in India has significant employment scope. The media houses are constantly launching newspapers or news channels. Although salaries are shooting up, the pool of qualified and adroit journalists is not keeping pace. Due to an insufficient number of skilled editors and reports, the challenge this profession faces is imposing more rigorous professional standards. This implies that there is rising demand for pursuing journalism courses online or offline. These courses train the candidates so well that they can mitigate the aforementioned challenges.

In recent times, the media has become an essential part of the country in various ways, including radio, newspapers, televisions, etc. It is also a job-oriented course offering you a broad range of opportunities. If you possess a Master’s degree in Journalism, you can get relevant jobs with high salaries and perks. Therefore, there is a rising demand for pursuing undergraduate and graduate courses in India.

Many courses in Journalism depend on the program’s objective and the university which provides the program. Before selecting any program, you can be familiar with the curriculum and credits opted for by the corresponding institute. You can pursue trending careers like Television, Print, or Digital Journalism based on your interest. Moreover, there are ample opportunities to explore mass communication, Film, and radio production too. So, this increases the demand for courses like BA (Hons) in Journalism and Communication, BA (Hons) in Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, and MA in Multimedia Journalism.

In the past ten years, the process of news collection and news presentation has evolved a lot. These days, journalists publish content on different media platforms differently by considering the demand of each media platform. Hence, there is an increasing need for in-demand journalism courses that impart the teaching of producing content and publishing it.

After completing any of the Journalism courses, professionals are eligible to get reputed job positions, including Columnists, Editors, Reporters, Journalists, Correspondents, Communications Specialists, Content Writers, News Editors, and Researchers, etc. All these job roles offer admirable pay to the professionals if they have completed the related undergraduate or postgraduate Journalism courses. This is another reason behind the rising demand for pursuing Journalism courses in the country.

Apart from the offline courses, the students can choose one of the short-term journalism courses or get certificates for journalism courses via online websites like Coursera, Udemy, Edx, Alison, etc. Therefore, choosing the best journalism course becomes inevitable for those aspiring for a bright career in this field.

Pursuing Journalism courses not just unlocks opportunities for basic jobs (like writers, reporters, etc.), but various other job opportunities as listed below:

• Editor
• Proof-Reader/ Sub-editor
• Critic
• Researcher
• Photojournalist
• Illustrator
• Cartoonist

The salary of Journalism Specialists in India is INR 382,618/year.

The salary of a Journalism Specialist in India can vary based on several factors. The following section outlines a few factors:

i. Salary based on the job location

ii. Salary based on job titles

i. Salary based on job location:

Highest paying cities in India for Journalism Specialists:

Source: Indeed

ii. Salary based on job titles:

Journalism job titles offering admirable salaries are:

Source: Indeed