R 23: Questions for journalist and answers

BBC Journalist, Josie Verghese.

1)      What have you learnt about yourself from your time of being a journalist?

I've reiterated to myself how nosey and inquisitive I am - key skills as you always need to be asking questions and wanting to know more as a journalist!

That I am resilient and can work under pressure and to a deadline, and that I love the unknown and unpredictable opportunities and meeting different people that the job involves.

2)      What other career opportunities open up through journalism?

Managing other journalists, being a Media or Press Officer or PR (as you have a really good understanding of how to pitch or promote an event, research a product to get broadcast coverage for it).

Being a journalist is a lot about communication and creativity so any jobs where this is integral, for example I know former journalists who are now teachers, an actor, an events organizer, a freelance photographer, a writer...

3)      How has being a journalist changed your perspective of how news is delivered to the public?

I've learnt to really understand how different programmes or publications really need to know and understand their audience to successfully report, i.e. the same story might be reported on Newsround, Radio 5 Live, the BBC News website and the 6 o'clock news but the way the story is told needs to be different. Until I worked for BBC News I hadn't ever really thought about this. Now the first question I ask myself is "who is my audience?"

4)      How do you deal with criticisms of being a journalist?

I always try to listen to what people have to say as being a journalist understanding different people's opinions is really important!

I might not always agree but it is useful to hear people's criticism to try and see how you might improve in the future - journalists aren't always right!

5)      How do you feel knowing that news you collect or broadcast can change a person’s opinion for the better or for the worse e.g. creating prejudice or stereotypes?

This makes me feel really responsible and committed to what I do - understanding this is possible should be something you've always got at the back of your mind as a reminder your reporting needs to always be true, factually correct and balanced.