How to Become a News Reporter?

Did you know that the annual turnover for the Indian newspaper industry is over 300 billion rupees or that there are over 800 news channels in India? At the helm of this industry are news reporters, journalists, photographers, editors, cinematographers, researchers, and technicians. News reporters are responsible for collecting news around the world through mediums of personal interviews, questioning, briefings, research, etc. From working in stressful conditions to meeting deadlines, news reporters and journalists are often called information heroes for fighting against all odds to provide news to the general public. Keep reading to know how to build a career as a news reporter.

Qualifications Required to be News Reporter

• Reporters, journalists and correspondents require a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications.
• Additional or specialised courses in the area of journalism in sports, fashion, TV, movies, photo, press law etc
• A person should know how to write appealing stories 
• Should be good in research and investigation work.
• Courses in multimedia, programming, coding and design can be beneficial .
• News reporters should know how to create stories with graphics, audios, visuals and data
• A news reporter should have good verbal, interview skills and written skills.

Also Read: Boost Your Career with Internships for Journalism

Top Courses for News Reporters 

Students can easily find numerous journalism courses after the 12th grade. They can either opt for a bachelor’s degree or do a professional course or even get a diploma in mass media and communication courses. Some of the top journalism courses are:

• BA in Journalism (3 years)
• BA in Mass Media (3 years)
• Bachelor in Journalism (3 years)
• Bachelor in Journalism and Mass Communication (3 years)
• BA in Script Writing
• BA in Journalism and Communication Studies
• Bachelor in Media Science
• BSc in Journalism and Mass Communication
• BSc in Mass Communication, Journalism and Advertising
• BA in Convergent Journalism
• Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (2 years)
• Diploma in Journalism (1 year)

Here are some masters programs in journalism after completing your bachelors:

• MA in Convergent Journalism
• MA in Broadcast Journalism
• MA in Journalism and Mass Media
• MA in Journalism
• MSc in Mass Media, Journalism and Advertising

Top Journalism Colleges in the World

To pursue a career as a news reporter there are various countries that provide some of the best courses for journalism. Some of the top universities are:

1. London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
2. University of California, Berkeley, USA
3. Northwestern University, USA
4. University of London, UK
5. University of Minnesota, USA
6. University of Mississippi, USA
7. University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
8. Columbia University, USA
9. Harvard University, USA
10. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

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Top Indian Universities for Studying Journalism 

Here are the top colleges for studying to become a news reporter in India:

1. Delhi University, New Delhi
2. Jamia Islamia Milia, New Delhi
3. Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi
4. Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune
5. Sri Aurobindo institute of mass communication, Pondicherry
6. Xavier’s Institute of Mass Communication, Mumbai
7. Indian Academy of Mass Communication, Chennai
8. Times School of Media, Bennett University, Noida

Skills Required to Become a News Reporter

The skills required for the role of a news reporter are:

• A news reporter must dig out the news that his viewer wants to listen to and which will bring TRP to their respected channels.
• A news reporter must be creative,intuitive,sensitive,articulate and expressive.
• Should be camera friendly and should possess good communication skills.
• A news reporter should be informative and alert  about the happenings around the world at all times.
• News reporters’ research should be authentic and should not have any fake information.

Must Read: How to Become a Travel Writer?

Types of Jobs for News Reporters

The main job of a news reporter is to report the news as objectively as possible. The main sector or the area where a news reporter can thrive are youtube channels or internet organizations. News reporters often work with major newspapers, news channels, and media houses as either freelancers or full-time employees. Here are the best types of news reporters in the media industry:

• Stringer/Freelancer: They provide news stories on a contractual basis and get paid on the number of stores brought or published.
• Reporter: This person works on a permanent basis and gets a fixed salary with benefits of appraisals, bonus, etc. He works and pitches ideology for the stories and gives them to a higher desk.
• Bureau Head: Bureau reporters are the head of the reporting department. S/he either gives specific stories to the reporters to work on or assesses the stories brought in by the reporters and approves of what will be published.
• Assignment Head: Assignment head is the main head of the department and proceeds over the department meetings and approves of the final stories brought in by stringers and reporters.
• Entertainment Reporter: Entertainment reporter is a person who works in the popular culture and the entertainment business.They cover industry related news while targeting the general audience.
• Crime Reporter: Crime journalists majorly conduct interviews and attend court hearings ,write and research about all news about criminal events for magazines,television and other media.
• Business Reporter: Business reporters collect information about all things business like processes,trends,consequences , important people in business ,etc.

Also Read: How to Become a News Anchor?

Salary of a News Reporter

Job profile	Salary
Top-level news reporter earnings begin at	$23.99/per hour (INR 17000)$49,891/per year (INR 36 Lakh)
Senior-level news reporter earnings begin at:	$16.79/per hour (INR 1200)$34,921/per year (INR 25 Lakh)
Mid-level news reporter earnings begin at:	$13.01/per hour (INR 1000)$27,070/per year (INR 20 Lakh)
Junior-level news reporter earnings begin at:	$11.15/per hour (INR 900)$23,202/per year (INR 17 Lakh)
Starting level news reporter earnings begin at:	$10.40/per hour (INR 800)$21,627/per year (INR 16 Lakh)

Must Read: Types of Journalism

Top Recruiting Companies

1. Hindustan Times
2. The Indian Express
3. The Washington Post
4. New York Times
5. NBC Universal
6. Bloomberg L.P.
7. The E.W. Scripps Company
8. CNN
9. CNBC TV18
10. HBN News

Must Read: How to build a Career in Travel Journalism?

This is all the information you need on how to become a news reporter. If you want any further guidance you can contact us at Leverage Edu and book your free session today!