Section 2 – What type of journalist do I want to be?

There are so many different types of journalism that one can consider when trying to get a career in this field. As I mentioned previously in section 1 that I want to work at Vogue magazine, this, therefore, means I’m interested more in service journalism and entertainment. Service journalism mainly focuses on consumer-oriented features and advice that ranges from serious to light-minded and whimsical. Once again in section 1, I was leaning more toward the creative side e.g. magazines,  but I also do like a little bit of investigative journalism; a hint of seriousness. 

Although staff journalism sounds interesting, sitting comfortably in a toasty warm office all day, I prefer to go out and about and retrieve stories myself because personally, I feel that’s where all the fun is. It’s also better because it is as if you’ve achieved more by physically going out and getting the story yourself before finally writing it up. Much like the movie True Story, Jonah Hill plays a journalist who goes to Africa and interviews young boys who have been abused and beaten by others in their community. Seeing him take out his notepad and scribble down things as he quizzed the interviewees instantly caught my attention because it showed him taking those people out of the unknown and into the known. Immediately, I knew, I wanted to do something just like that; looking at both entertainment purposes and serious issues out there too.

Linking this to Matt Thompson’s 4 types of journalists, I would consider myself the Storyteller with a touch of newshound. Being a storyteller means that I would be able to bridge the gap between people and the issues that matter in their lives as well as adding climax, drama and depth into colourless and drudging material, transforming it into something eloquent. I’d say I’m also a newshound because I love the idea of getting a story first before anyone else as well as broadening my knowledge by finding out new facts and information and getting an audience. I think both storyteller and newshound complement each other because they both involve getting the story yourself and that’s what its all about when you’re trying to write a good story, you need something that gives it a little edge, that moves the reader in an unexpected way, making their emotions go berserk (all in a good way of course) and makes them challenge their own thoughts. You need original, you need pristine. Oh and yes, I refer to films quite a lot in these blog posts and how they’ve inspired me because what better way to get interested in something then seeing it with your own eyes and allowing it to enliven you, making you think “that’s what I want to do,” picturing yourself in their position, doing that specific thing. Of course, I talk about movies that portray the specific role as realistically as they can or movies that are based on true, real-life stories.

Overall, I could say that I see myself working in service journalism and entertainment, offering features and advice as a generalist – writing about a mélage of things for amusement such as lifestyle, fashion and travel; a place like Vogue would allow me to flourish in these categories and even though I’m leaning more towards this I am also interested in looking at more in-depth things such as drama, human angle and some of the more austere things that are circulating in our society; adding depth and drama to something that’s typically not that captivating to write about. I see myself as a keen and curious journalist, getting the most culminating stories before anyone else as well as sharing people’s experiences and realities and, I know it sounds cheesy…making a difference to the world with my writing.