Profession entertainment journalist

Entertainment journalists research and write articles about cultural and social events for newspapers, magazines, television and other media. They conduct interviews with artists and celebrities and attend events.

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Personality Type

• Artistic / Enterprising

Knowledge

• Editorial standards

  The guidelines on how to deal with and report on privacy, children, and death according to impartiality, and other standards.

• Rhetoric

  The art of discourse that aims at improving the ability of writers and speakers to inform, persuade or motivate their audience.

• Spelling

  The rules concerning the way words are spelled.

• Writing techniques

  The different techniques to write a story such as the descriptive, persuasive, first person and other techniques.

• Interview techniques

  The techniques for getting information out of people by asking the right questions in the right way and to make them feel comfortable.

• Copyright legislation

  Legislation describing the protection of the rights of original authors over their work, and how others can use it.

• Grammar

  The set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language.

Skills

• Stay up to date with social media

  Keep up with the trends and people on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

• Study topics

  Carry out effective research on relevant topics to be able to produce summary information appropriate to different audiences. The research may involve looking at books, journals, the internet, and/or verbal discussions with knowledgeable persons.

• Evaluate writings in response to feedback

  Edit and adapt work in response to comments from peers and publishers.

• Follow the news

  Follow current events in politics, economics, social communities, cultural sectors, internationally, and in sports.

• Apply grammar and spelling rules

  Apply the rules of spelling and grammar and ensure consistency throughout texts.

• Participate in editorial meetings

  Participate in meetings with fellow editors and journalists to discuss possible topics and to divide the tasks and workload.

• Write to a deadline

  Schedule and respect tight deadlines, especially for theatre, screen and radio projects.

• Use specific writing techniques

  Use writing techniques depending on the type of media, the genre, and the story.

• Follow ethical code of conduct of journalists

  Follow the ethical code of conduct of journalists, such as freedom of speech, right of reply, being objective, and other rules.

• Interview people

  Interview people in a range of different circumstances.

• Build contacts to maintain news flow

  Build contacts to maintain a flow of news, for example, police and emergency services, local council, community groups, health trusts, press officers from a variety of organisations, the general public, etc.

• Develop professional network

  Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.

• Consult information sources

  Consult relevant information sources to find inspiration, to educate yourself on certain topics and to acquire background information.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB