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Find Your Dream Job In Media

Report. Shoot. Edit. Print. Do you have it in you to take on multifaceted challenges that journalism throws at you? If the answer is 'yes', don't wait...

By Team Career Today

Mass Communication

It is important for the aspirants to develop a habit of reading newspapers, books, watching business news and current affairs. When it comes to working in the field of journalism, professionalism and working under tough deadlines across areas and sectors are similar, only the medium changes and it is same for Advertising and Public Relations fields as well.

Mass Communication is the process by which a communicator communicates a message to a large group of people using mass media which includes print, broadcast and digital media. News organizations use newspapers, magazines, television, radio stations and websites to disseminate news and information. On the other hand, advertisers also use the same medium plus more to present promotional messages to reach the target audiences. Of late, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkdhin have become popular mass communication channels for individuals and targeted businesses.

What is Journalism?

When you break it down to its basics, the field of journalism involves gathering, interpretation and presentation of news and other information of current interest. The information gathered is disseminated through various arms of media like print, broadcast and web.

Print Media

Print media presents information or news through newspapers, magazines and journals. A print Journalist’s daily routine often includes submitting story ideas, researching facts, travelling to event sites, working on assigned stories, fixing up interviews, taking notes or recording information, discussing work with superiors, keying in stories and following up on publication, besides sometimes also taking photographs. While one starts out as a trainee in this sphere, Print correspondents are employed by newspaper houses in varied capacities from that of a correspondent, Journalist, Reporter, Feature Writer to a Copy Editor.

Attributes

Good analytical skills, researching abilities, general awareness about national and world affairs, the ability to work under deadlines, a competitive spirit, accuracy, and the ability to take constructive criticism are much needed attributes in Print Journalism. These apart, indispensable qualities like excellent written and oral communication skills, creativity, curiosity, persistence, pertinence, integrity, confidence, powers of observation and an interest in people and events make one a complete Journalist.

Broadcast Journalism

In this domain, journalists produce radio and television news, Broadcast journalism programmes in various journalism schools prepare and train students for reporting and editing tasks of the electronic media, relating to all aspects and stages of new production. Some of the popular profiles in this field are editor, reporter, presenter, news anchore, producer, correspondent, etc. The skill-sets needed to get into this field are excellence in written and oral communication, confidence in front of a camera and ‘on air’ presence, nose for news and keen interest in people, news, current affairs and the ability to work under pressure.

Job Prospects

The job is a multidimensional one. When in sight of news, most Television Journalists work through the day and night to complete a host of activities. Theses range from collecting information by pursuing news tips/leads, examining documents to verify facts, observing news scenes as they happen, interviewing people, taking notes and shooting videos with the cameraman. This followed by organizing the material, determining what constitutes the central point of the news story, editing the accompanying video and finally preparing the news clip, all within a given time frame. Like Print Journalists. Television Reporters also cover a variety of issues. These include news on subjects like politics, events of the day, sports, lifestyle and entertainment of international, national, regional and local importance.

Attributes

Having an ear for news, a good command over languages, ability to write tight scripts, enthusiasm and presence of kind are some of the essential attributes. Besides these, being able to coordinate news, visuals and script effectively is extremely essential for a Broadcast Journalist. Stamina, willingness to work long hours, self confidence, determination, a photogenic face, clear diction, resilience, risk taking ability and general awareness are other essential traits.

New Media

The new media or web journalism has redefined journalism all over the world. Now people have access to information in any part of the world at any point by accessing internet. New media is all about instant reporting, offering multimedia content which is extremely customized.

Public Relation

Public Relation is the practice of creating and maintain goodwill of an organization’s various policies through publicity and other non-paid forms of communication. PR in India is a fast emerging field, especially with its growing acceptance as a skilled and specialized profession. Public Relations is a career avenue for those who have excellent communication skills. In PR, there are different verticals or specialization which has emerged like Film PR, Technology PR, Lifestyle PR, Sports PR, Financial PR, Political PR etc. Public Relations is a career avenue for those who have excellent communication skills.

Advertising

Advertising plays a critical role in marketing various types of products. Media plays a supporting role in advertising products through TV, Radio, Websites, Newspapers, Magazines, Hoardings etc. Advertising industry has opportunities today for people in creative strategy, brand planning, consumer insight mining, big data analytics, social media listing and so on. Advertising is all about creating communication that connects with people. It will come only if you understand your audience and their world. Anybody aiming for a career in advertising should read across genres, observe people and their lifestyle, see all kinds of films and commercials, consumer content of all types, understand research and its importance and above all develop skill sets required to know the brands target audience.

More Opportunities

A Mass comm degree offers plenty of other opportunities like photography- it is one of the highest paying jobs and requires top skills to succeed. Radio Jockey is another job profile in demand with many new FM stations coming up across the country. It requires excellent communication skills, enthusiasm, creativity, good sense of humour and an appealing voice. There is also great demand for graduate in event management industry. It is a very dynamic, fast- paced sector offering opportunities to work on anything from organizing small institution-level events to festivals, wedding and charity fund- raisers, conferences, etc.

Entering the Field

After 10+2

You could be from any stream to opt for a 3 year Bachelor Journalism & Mass Communication. Certain colleges/institutions call it BA Journalism & Mass Communication.There is also great demand for graduate in event management industry. It is a very dynamic, fast- paced sector offering opportunities to work on anything from organizing small institution-level events to festivals, wedding and charity fund- raisers, conferences, etc.

After Graduation

A student from any stream can opt for 2 year Master’s in Journalism and Mass communication or 12 months PG Diploma in Journalism and Mass communication.

Select Institutions Offering Programmes in Mass Communication

1. Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi

2. Asian College of Journalism, Chennai

3. Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune

4. Xavier Institute of Communication, Mumbai

5. Manorama School of Communication, Kerela

6. Indraprastha University, Delhi

7. Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi

8. Delhi University, Delhi

9. Manipal University, Karnataka

10. Tezpur University, Assam

11.Gauhati University, Assam

12. Dibrugarh University, Assam

13. Cotton University, Assam

14. Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad

15. AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, New Delhi

16. The Times School of Journalism

17. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Sardar Patel College of Communication & Management

18. NDTV Media Institute

19. Whistling Woods International Institute of Film, Media, Animations and Media Arts

20. Express Institute of Media Studies

21. TV Today Media Institute

22. Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media

23. New Delhi YMCA Institute for Media Studies and Information Technology

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