Who is a journalist

The word “journalism” is derived from the French “journal” (newspaper, magazine). Journalism is a type of social activity that consists of collecting, processing, and disseminating information through the media (newspapers and magazines, radio, television, and the Internet).

Journalism originated in ancient Rome. Archaeologists “unearthed” clay tablets on which the decisions of the senate and city news were carved. After engraving, the plaques were hung in crowded places at the behest of Julius Caesar.

Journalism did not become a separate field until the 17th century. Divided into several different directions, it almost immediately became a tool to influence society. Printed media, namely newspapers, played a significant role in the propaganda of revolutionary ideas in Europe.

The first successful publication was the English newspaper The Daily Courant. Its first issue was printed in 1702, and then it came out daily for 33 years. It was not published so often, but it existed for more than 200 years – until 1917.
The proliferation of printed publications and their popularity led to the need for specialists who would gather information, process and organize it, and then turn it into a printed text. This is how the first journalists came into being.

Now, of course, journalists have much more responsibilities than before, because the media in the modern world includes not only newspapers, but also radio, television and the Internet. The media these days is not just a source of some informational data, but a tool that shapes public opinion and sometimes even manipulates it. Therefore, journalists now have a great responsibility: the interpretation of events often depends on their personal qualities and beliefs.

At first glance, the job of a journalist seems interesting and simple. Visiting events and places, communicating with interesting people, and then telling everyone about it – what’s so hard? But it may seem so only to someone who hasn’t yet gotten to know the profession better. Activity – yes, in most cases it is really interesting, but simple journalistic work can not be called.

Working as a journalist, you need to think about a lot of details: choose reliable sources of information and arrange meetings, communicate with a variety of people and find each of them an individual approach, because not everyone will come into contact with a journalist. Finally, you have to present your material with dignity, so that the editor, and then the reader, becomes interested and reads to the end. At the same time, you must write truthfully, without embellishing or exaggerating.

Journalists do not spend the whole day in an editorial office-a lot of time is spent on meetings, interviews, conferences, and presentations. Only after these events does it come down to reading documents, reports and press releases.

Besides, in journalism it is important to be able to dive deep into the subject matter, to have good contacts with information sources and to always be in touch and visible, and often not only during working hours.
The profession of journalism is perfect for active, inquisitive and communicative people. Those who have a broad outlook and strive to keep abreast of the latest developments. However, you need to understand that such work combines creativity with a high level of responsibility. A professional journalist is responsible for every word written or spoken in a story and must be able to convey information objectively to an audience.