Sponsored: We put your questions to… William Reed

Journalism.co.uk asked its Twitter followers to put questions about business journalism in the digital age to publisher William Reed Business Media.

The following is an edited version of questions that were submitted and replies from Samantha Cloke, HR Advisor with William Reed, and senior members of the editorial staff…

Question: Does the need for modern journalists to learn code/HTML detract from the fundamental skills of wordcraft and perspicacity? (Submitted by @ChrisTheDJ)

Answer: The core skills need to remain sharp, they’re the fundamental tenets of the trade. Everything else sits on top. There’s no point in being highly skilled in code if you can’t string a sentence together, or are unable to sniff out a good story. So, no they shouldn’t. We would look for the core skills and consider the other areas as things that lie on top. I’m not overly aware of any great demand among editors for journalist to ‘code’ either.

Q: What skills do you look for in a journalist today? (@jeannkhoo)

A: Tenacity, good language skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to interact well with people from all walks of life. Those are the fundamental skills required, everything else on top is window dressing – get these right and the rest flows.

Obviously, these days, having technical skills is also useful, such as the ability to get to grips with modern systems and technologies, as well as being able to multi-task – i.e.: write a story while editing a video – is great, but those skills really are the cream on top.

Q: How important are ethics skills for journalists in this fast time? (@HeikovD)

A: They’re always important – always have been and always will be. You only have to look at the fallout from the hacking scandal to see the damage disregarding ethics can cause.

Not only do you have to behave in an ethical way, but you also have to be able to understand and identify the concept of ethics in others. This can help improve your nose for a good story.

Q: How easy is it for a journalist with dyslexia to get a job and progress? (@Specodi)

A: Employers can’t discriminate against an applicant due to their dyslexia; therefore it shouldn't prevent you from getting a job.

Employers also have a responsibility to make reasonable adjustment to ensure you are able to perform successfully in your role despite suffering from dyslexia.

With the increase in other forms of media - such as radio and television - the need to express yourself in written form is becoming less important, what is important is having a nose for a good story.

Q: What duty does an employer have to provide ongoing training, particularly in digital? (@Clairywoowoo)

A: A good employer should provide training to its employees to ensure they develop the skills required to meet the demands of their role. Digital skills are particularly important in order to evolve with the changing nature of journalism.

There is, however, some responsibility on the employee to invest in their own personal development by learning new skills outside of work hours and by bringing training needs to the attention of their manager.

Q: Why are employers not willing to train graduates? Entry-level journalism positions often demand 2+ years of experience. (@jadeyandcoke)

A: I can’t comment on behalf of other organisations but at William Reed we often recruit graduates for our entry-level reporter roles. On occasion we do receive applications from graduates for editor roles, but this is more of an issue with graduates’ expectations than the organisations unwillingness to train them.

The key to standing out when applying for a job after graduating is to get involved in internships, even if unpaid, while you study. This will give you a portfolio of work so you can demonstrate your ability to prospective employers.

Q: How do you decide what terms/concepts you explain when publishing for a knowledgeable audience? (@JaspJackson)

Style Guides dictate most of this kind of thing, but if you have a highly-specialised audience the usual rules of assuming the audience knows nothing doesn’t really work.

You need to strike a balance between being accessible, but not too simplistic. Every case/title is different. Generally that’s what your Style Guide should help with. If, for example, you’re writing a story about breaking down a carcase to an audience of butchers, you don’t need to go into great detail to explain some of the technicalities, but you do need to bear in mind that some of the audience may be new to the subject and learning. Strike a balance.

‏Q: How should international students approach job hunting in the UK, considering most don't have UK work permits? (@jaideepjourno)

A: It is not easy for international students to find jobs; most organisations won’t consider applicants who are not eligible to work in UK. The reason for this is that companies are legally required to satisfy a resident labour market test, as the government wants to ensure that settled workers are given jobs as a priority over migrants. Also, it’s a time consuming process and there is no guarantee a visa will be granted. There is also the cost of the visa for companies to consider.

My advice would be to try and get some work experience whilst you are studying if your student visa permits it. When you graduate, assuming you have done a good job, the company may be more inclined to go through the lengthy legal process to try and obtain a full visa for you.

Q: How much does university ranking count vs. work experience when considering candidates? ‏(@madalinacrc)

A: In my opinion, work experience and specialist journalism courses carry a lot more weight. It shows you’re keen and also gives you material to showcase during an interview.

A candidate coming to interview from a good university with no work experience stands less of a chance than someone who might have done a short course, such as the PPA, but who has thrown themselves into a number of work experience opportunities.

The short intense three-month courses, I think, are more effective at training good journalists than any of the three-year degree courses.
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Q: Do publishers realise that online archives are journalists' portfolios? Radio Netherlands took theirs offline! (@radioAugias)

More fool you for not keeping your own cuttings then! An employer isn’t responsible for showcasing your talents to your next employer! That’s your job. If you’re proud of your work, archive it yourself, or take the old fashioned approach and print it off and keep a cuttings file.

Q: How much longer do you think the print industry will survive in this digital era of multimedia journalism? (@MoFarooq9)

A: When radio was launched, they announced the death of newspapers. When television was launched, they announced the death of radio. Strangely, we still have newspapers, radio and television.

I don’t have a crystal ball, but I’d say there’s still a lot of life in the old dog yet. We are seeing increasing changes to consumption methods though, so while the medium may change in terms of people shifting from a printed page to words on a screen, the craft of creating those words will remain.

We’ve had multimedia for years - TV, radio, print - the digital age just brings all those things together into one package. The fundamental journalism skills remain unchanged.

Q: Would you recommended doing a degree in Journalism or an English/History (etc) if you know you want to go have a career in journo? (@A_May132)

A: Broader skills are never a bad thing – as I said earlier, a broad degree with plenty of work experience can work better than a three year course in journalism.

I’ve known people complete a degree in journalism with no ability to construct a news story! Really, I think it depends on the aptitude of the individual and how keen they are to get into the trade. A broader degree, followed by a short, intense journalism-training course often produces better results. And make sure you throw in plenty of work experience.

Q: Would you recommend journalism as a career to your own sons/daughters? (@finance_LL)

A: An editor once told me their first ever boss said to them: ‘Journalism is not glamorous, it’s not well paid, and it’s very hard work; but, if you still want the job…’

Twenty years later he still loves it. So yes, I would recommend it to anyone. I think, however, you’ve got to have the right kind of personality, and also not expect to be rivalling Richard Branson for the top of the UK rich list.

Q: How can you go about transferring between broadcast and print? Is it easy to make the switch? (@StephBrawny)

A: Learn shorthand! And get used to writing more! The forms are very different but, fortunately, in this digital multimedia world the transition is less painful. Traditional print journalists are often required to produce video for websites. The core skills of presentation and even editing remain key.

Moving from print to radio then back to print was a culture shock both ways for me; the lack of writing in radio was difficult and the demand for words upon my return was also a shock.

You need to have those core abilities, though. If you do, the rest will flow. But seriously, learn shorthand.

‏Q: How are you pushing the business side to be creative in the way it raises revenue? It seems newsroom bears burden to cut costs only. (@AndrewC_Nelson)

A: It depends on your area of publishing. The days of journalists operating in their own little silo and not bearing responsibility for the commercial success of a title are long gone.

We’re not talking editorial being in the pocket of commercial clients, but there is a growing expectation for journalists to be thinking about content that can provide opportunities for commercial exploration. That means sponsored features, events and activities.

Creating content that has strong readership values, but also provides opportunity for a commercial spin-off, is key.

We may like to think that in editorial we’re above the mucky, money stuff, but ultimately, if your title isn’t making money, you’re not going to have a job.

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