It’s not like anyone can be a freelance reporter, because, unlike a poet, a story writer or a play writer, a news journalist requires vast knowledge on the happenings that take place around them.
A freelance news reporter should have an interest in all popular reporting areas including sports, politics, economy, government etc. You must also have the knack or zeal to find and investigate people, facts and incidents and develop your own stories. The basics like being able to read a lot, write, punctuate and spell, and internet research shouldn’t be difficult either.
If you have all of these qualities in you, then you should not hesitate to consider becoming a freelance news reporter. We have, in this blog provided necessary step by step information for newbies to become an independent news journalist.
Freelance reporter news must be business minded and should possess the ability to find work regularly. You may have to travel to other cities, countries and even across the continent to cover news. Sometimes news reporting may turn dangerous especially when covering wars and natural disasters.
The basic educational qualification for freelance news reporting required is a Bachelor degree in Journalism.
Most employers prefer candidates who have a degree in Mass Communication or Journalism or any English related field. Your coursework should include subjects like reporting techniques, journalism ethics, editing, visual communication and print media.
How Can You Enhance Your Skills?
Other key skills required to become a freelance news reporters are reading and listening skills, analytical and critical thinking ability, creativity, word processing knowledge, videography and photography skills and use of social media software.
If you want to venture out there as a Freelance News Reporter, you need to have a business plan which will serve as a research and planning document. When you know what you are getting into (research) and where you are getting into (planning) you will be easily able to organize and run your career effectively.
What should be a news reporter’s business plan look like? –information about marketing, services offered, job description, and financial plan. A strong business plan will help you identify existing working opportunities, discover medium to market your skills, and plan out your finances and salary expectations.
According to Careerlancer.net, news reporting today is one of the most demanding and interesting jobs, thanks to the immense opportunities the internet is introducing, unlike the yester years where TV and Newspaper were the only two options.
You have to find agencies or potential buyers to whom you can sell or report stories to. You can find buyers in local, state and national news channels (Times Now, BBC etc.), magazines, regional and national newspapers; e-magazines, news websites and other organizations that provide news to the public.
You have to continually market or promote yourself in such organizations or companies. In fact you can also get associated with news agencies who share news to big TV channels.
Working for them for a lower Freelance salary will help you understand how the business runs and how you can connect with big broadcasting agencies with your work.
Your job search may involve travelling to other cities, working for long hours, non-stop and at times reporting without getting any payments.
A graduation degree is always not enough to become a successful freelance reporter. Since the competition has seriously stretched, we need a little push up through our qualifications.
Although a part-time course or a journalism program can help you secure a good job as a freelance news reporter, you can take up a master or advanced degree in journalism, to add further experience and credentials to your portfolio or biodata.
Also, master’s programs help students to choose a specialization such a politics, business, cinema or crime, which a bachelor’s degree doesn’t provide, as it focuses more on teaching the fundamentals or the basics of the subject.
A master degree will teach you each specialization in depth. Internships, projects, and case studies are often part of the curricula of a Master’s Degree.