by Leo Wiles
15 May 2015
In terms of skills, I’ve come a long way from my first gig on Fleet Street. For even though I believe storytelling remains at the heart of good journalism, the ways in which we deliver our articles and tell our stories is incredibly different. Here’s what you now need:
1. Good iphone skills. Once upon a time shorthand, interviewing prowess and the ability to turn in sparkling copy were pretty much the cornerstones of your arsenal. Now, you need a good eye for a picture, the ability to tape audio and record transmittable footage as well. Most likely from your iPhone.
2. Good producing skills. Many journos are finding they’re being asked to do on-the-spot editing and uploading of packaged material – so essentially they’re putting the story together and producing it as well (be it for print, web or broadcast). That’s a far cry from calling in a news story from a public phone to a down table sub.
3. Being visible online. Tweeting about your work in various social media channels is just as if not more important as networking in person used to be. Being visible adds credence and relativity to you as a writer, not only with employees but with your audience.
4. Knowing SEO. Writing for digital markets? As well as a good turn of phrase you’ll also need to know about keywords and how they increase the reach of your work. You’ll also need considerable skill in shoehorning SEO keywords into your writing in a way that’s not noticeable.
5. A willingness to interact. Before, it used to be that your involvement with a piece ended when you handed it your copy. Now, more often than not, you’re expected to interact with the once nameless and voiceless audience – be it on social media or via answering comments.
6. A digital footprint. Forget licking a stamp to send cuttings. Creating and regularly updating an online portfolio is essential when striking out in new markets. This week alone I had three would be clients request my URL.
7. The ability to cover a larger patch. Knowing a little about a lot has always been an essential part of journalism but these days with so many redundancies you could easily be writing about paint colours one week, and parenting hacks the next.
8. Finding stories in new ways. Because the news cycle is now 24 hours, it’s not enough to read the early editions, watch breakfast news and listen to the ABC on the way to work. Journos these days also have to have a handle on collating and monitoring data driven information from digital platforms.
What skills are you using that you could never have imagined needing when you began?
