Journalism

Career and Major Information
Related Career Titles
Web Sites
Salary Information

 

The Associate of Arts degree in Journalism at Walters State Community College is designed to transfer and meet the freshman and sophomore year requirements of a four-year bachelor’s degree.  Students will need to consult with a faculty advisor to select courses for a particular college or university.  The departmental link is: http://www.ws.edu/humanities/default.asp

 

 

Career and Major Information:

 

The field of journalism includes news analysts and reporters.  News analysts may present news stories that have been prepared by reporters who have investigated leads and news tips, looked at documents, observed events at the scene, and interviewed people.  Reporters may also shoot videos.  Reporters will organize material, write copy, and edit photographs or video footage.  Stories may be entered by laptop computers and submitted electronically to the office from remote locations.  Radio and television reporters may compose and transmit stories “live” from the scene.  General assignment reporters cover many topics; large newspaper or radio and television stations may employ reporters assigned to specific areas of news coverage, such as politics, crime, and human interest.  The work is usually hectic, may involve long and irregular hours, and can be stressful due to deadlines.  Most employers prefer to hire applicants with a bachelor’s degree.  Experience in a part-time or summer job is a plus.  The number of jobs in this area is expected to grow more slowly than average through the year 2010.

 

 

Related Career Titles:

 

Writers

Editors

Public Relations Specialists

Announcers

Interpreters

Salesmen

Teachers

 

Web Sites:

 

Radio and Television News Directors Foundation

http://www.rtndf.org

 

National Association of Broadcasters

http://www.nab.org

 

 

Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Inc.

http://www.dowjones.com

 

National Newspaper Association

http://www.nnafoundation.org

 

 

Salary Information: 

 

Salaries for news analysts, reporters, and correspondents vary widely. Median annual earnings of news analysts, reporters, and correspondents were $30,510 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $22,350 and $47,170.

 

Salary figures quoted are based on national figures.  Local or regional salaries may be lower.

 

 

 

Citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, News Analysts, Reporters, and Correspondents, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos088.htm