Online Journalism News

Editors reveal recruitment secrets

Core journalism skills are more important than technical know-how even for aspiring online journalists, according to senior figures who attended the Online News Association conference in Hollywood at the weekend.

Robert Basler, executive producer at reuters.com, told students and professionals at the meeting that he did not look for applicants with a detailed knowledge of the internet. Instead he looks for instinctive journalism skills and the ability to think textually and visually.

Janice Castro, assistant dean at Northwestern University's Medill school of journalism, said that she looked for self-starters with an ethical and responsible approach as well as a passion for the subject.

"You need journalistic skills to get in the door, but passion will set you apart," she said.

However, some employers' wish-lists did highlight a reasonable grasp of technology and an enthusiasm for new media. Fred Mann, general manager of philly.com, a US news site that covers the Philadephia region, said that he expects job applicants to show knowledge of his site, and also likes CVs in electronic form with links to work online.

More news from dotJournalism:
Web news only gets tougher
ONA plugs cyber debate
Q&A: Tom Regan, executive director of the Online News Association
ONA announces conference speakers

ONA conference coverage:
http://journalist.org/2004conference/archives/000094.php

Tags (click tag to find related articles; click icon for feed):
recruitment |

Sign up here for our free, daily email newsletter to get all the latest stories, jobs, tips and more.

Got a story? Email our news team: Laura Oliver; Judith Townend or telephone +44 (0)1273 384290. You can also follow us on Twitter: @journalismnews / @LauraOliver / @JTownend.