Basic fact: journalists need to know what is happening in the news, right? But this knowledge doesn’t magically just appear in their brains. Like with most things, journalists have to work hard to make sure they know what’s happening around them.
Across the world, newsrooms start their day with news conference: a meeting where everybody chats about what is in the news, events that are coming up, and the team discusses how to cover these stories. It is the most important part of the day and it determines the stories and the news agenda that particular media outlet will cover.
At the Centre for Journalism we also start every day with conference at 9.30am, like in real life! If you’re a new student don’t be afraid. Getting into the habit of knowing what’s in the news takes practice and a bit of hard work. Here’s a helpful video explaining some basic things you can read, watch or listen to in order to prepare for morning news conference.
Consuming different types of journalism (Tv, radio, print and online) will make you a better journalist.Without trying you will start to understand and know better how journalists write, what kind of pictures they use and how they interview someone live on air. Monkey see, monkey do right? The idea is that you get to know the style well enough that you can later break all the rules and come up with your own. For now, here’s7 ideas for things to do over the summer to get ready for J-school.
