The Essential Qualities of A Successful Journalist

A journalist is someone who is capable of using the power of media and the power of his or her words in order to spread information about things that are happening all around us. There have been many prolific journalists who have changed the course of history, having written about some of the most contentious issues that people were not aware of. Michael Ray Smith, an experienced journalist who specializes in trans-journalism is also a professor, author, speaker, and of course, an award-winning journalist. He teaches at Regent University, Virginia Beach, and was the chair of the journalism program until 2003. If you want to become a journalist, you need to have a few essential qualities.

The following list will allow you to identify the major qualities that you need to have if you want to succeed as a journalist.

1. Curiosity

It is the journalist's fuel. Curiosity will prompt you to want to know more and seek the truth behind each story. In addition, it will be useful to be alert to everything that happens around you and detects the issues that may be of general interest to the public.

2. Love for Words

The journalist must be able to create precise, concise and attractive articles for the public. Writing skills can make the difference between an average article and an extraordinary one, so it is essential to use all the creativity when writing a topic.

3. Eager to know more

A potential journalist must be willing to read any material that reaches their hands: from a flyer to a thousand-page book. This will give you an accurate knowledge of current events and allow you to expand your horizons.

4. Ethics

The intrinsically competitive nature of journalism means that many professionals are willing to put aside their ethics by revealing a secret first. You must learn to maintain the accuracy of your articles, even at the cost of losing a scoop. Michael Ray Smith believes that ethical journalism is of the utmost importance, and

5. Punctuality

It is important that you learn to organize your time since you study journalism: remember that no matter how many cover the news, the merit will always be given to whoever publishes it first. In addition, you must learn to meet deadlines, adapt to irregular work schedules and accept criticism from editors.

6. Persistence

The good news almost never appears by magic. The good journalist must invest months - and even years of his professional career - in perfecting his skills and getting good contacts. Only then will success occur.

7. Confidence and Dissatisfaction

They work like two sides of the same coin: the journalist needs to have confidence in himself to put his work in the public eye, but at the same time he must have the humility to recognize his shortcomings and always seek improvement. These are a few essential traits that you need to have if you want to become a successful journalist.