This article was originally published in July 2014 and updated in November 2022.
Some lessons learned on a journalism course this year might be out-of-date by the next, and a course that teaches you one essential skill might not necessarily teach you another.
Constantly learning new skills is important to succeeding in the fast-paced world of digital journalism today.
Here, then, is a crowdsourced list of the most useful skills current journalists believe you should learn for yourself.
Creating video and audio stories
Whether you use studio equipment or a smartphone, offering your reader a richer experience with audio and video will help you stand out.
@journalismnews Learn to record basic sound or video interview.
— Andrew Hennigan (@andrewhennigan) July 2, 2014
Advice on choosing the right tech can be found on many sites, while extras, like tripod stands, allow you to take notes or edit points while you record. Editing the recording down to an appropriate length and removing unnecessary digressions is by far the most time-consuming part of the process, and one that you can only learn through practice.
Read more
@journalismnews Do short video stories w/ phone or other simple vid capture device + simple editing tool (eg iMovie) then post to web
— Jack Rosenberry (@JackRosenberry) July 2, 2014
Not every story will need a video or audio component. Deciding which stories would most benefit from one is another essential skill for a modern journalist.
Mobile journalism is a cost effective way of producing more videos and multimedia stories, embraced by online news outlets and broadcasters alike. Here is a list of mobile journalism experts and practitioners to follow.
Crowdsourcing
Social media is an immensely powerful tool for discovering and curating stories, but the process can be fraught with the dangers of copyright law. Reading up on how best to engage with online communities to source stories is a great way to learn the theory, but identifying superusers and community nodes is a skill that requires practical experience.
Social media newsgathering
Eyewitness media sourced from social networks is often a key part of news reports, and newsrooms are increasingly alerted to stories by Twitter or Facebook posts from eyewitnesses to the scene.
Being able to source reliable information from social media, as well as verify photos and videos from eyewitnesses is a skill all online journalists should have.
Learning more about ways to approach eyewitnesses on social networks and request their permission to use their images should also be a consideration. Bad social media newsgathering practices do not only lead to a loss of reputation when false stories are published, they can also cause your audience to resent you if they see you contacting eyewitnesses in an inappropriate manner.
Thankfully, there are plenty of free resources available to help journalists learn more about verification and the etiquette of the digital door-knock – check out First Draft News to get started.
Deep listening
Really listening to people, especially if they have opposite views to yours, allows you to be fully present and make your interviewee feel more comfortable. Journalists often miss subtle cues because they are thinking about their next question or simply do not listen because they have an agenda. But when you fully listen, the other person will feel heard and may even be less defensive which is important if you are covering controversial subjects.
Read more: What can deep listening do for journalism?
Freedom of Information requests
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a powerful tool in trained hands. Learning to navigate the exemptions and rejections is essential for anyone seeking to obtain information through FOI requests, and there are many options available for those looking to increase their knowledge.
Sites like What Do They Know offer help and advice to their users, thousands of example requests and maintain an exhaustive database of all the bodies to which FOI requests can be made. Since the Government's own FOIA page is sprawling and complicated, books like Heather Brooke's "Your Right To Know" can also help you understand why a request has been denied and how best to appeal.
Basic coding
A journalist who can write both engaging copy and working code has significant value in a modern newsroom.
Basic knowledge of how to edit HTML and CSS means a journalist can make their story look slick and is almost always required for subbing copy online.
Beyond that, knowledge of other advanced programming languages allow a journalist to create infographics which are very different from those created using old standards like Infogr.am or Datawrapper.
Codecademy is one of many free resources that can help get you started with coding. Check out more platforms to help you learn how to code.
You do not have to become a programmer, but starting to learn how to code will help you understand what is possible to create and in what time frame, putting you in a better position to communicate with your organisation's developers and come up with feasible ideas for interactive storytelling.
Content management and search engine optimisation (SEO)
There is no use in publishing to a void; attracting readers to an article through effective use of content management systems and search engine optimisation (SEO) are vital skills in a modern newsroom and one that is often neglected by journalism courses.
Knowledge of SEO!
— Laura Sanders (@laurathejourno) November 3, 2022
Many content management systems offer SEO checkers, but the knowledge of how search engines pick up and promote stories is a valuable thing to gain for yourself.
Read more: How can journalists learn SEO and why do they need to?
Journalism.co.uk also runs SEO training course.
Numeracy, statistics and data
Data stories are increasingly making the front pages because they can communicate heavy subject in an accessible way.
Interpreting the regular releases of data and creating a story from them is a skill in itself, but cleaning and organising huge spreadsheets into easily parsable segments is well within the capabilities of a modern journalist.
Read more: Tool for journalists: Omni Calculator, for fact-checking your maths
Scraping
For when data is not readily available, or is spread over a variety of locations, learning to 'scrape' that information from relevant sources is an especially useful tool for a data journalist.
Sometimes called web harvesting, the process involves creating a formula that grabs the relevant information from each each source you specify.
Thankfully, there are a number of free tools and guides available, like the Google Chrome app Web Scraper, this guide from School of Data, and services like Import.io.
Once you have learned the basic techniques, or how to use scraping tools like Outwit Hub, a competent scraper saves a tremendous amount of time.
Data visualisation
It is one thing to have discovered a story in a data release and quite another to effectively communicate it. Great data visualisations immediately translate the facts in a way that plain text could not.
.@journalismnews Basics of data analysis & visual presentation of data using simple tools such as Infogr.am
— Jack Rosenberry (@JackRosenberry) August 30, 2016
Beyond the basics of Datawrapper or Infogr.am, tools like Tableau Public, Quartz's Chartbuilder or Raw are hugely flexible ways of creating those immediately arresting infographics, and mapping software such as Carto or Google's Fusion Tables allow for the creation of striking point- and heat-maps.
Since each tool has a different back-end and a variety of options, it takes practice to learn how to use them all effectively and choose the most appropriate one for your data.
Gaining and maintaining contacts
Less of an academic endeavour but just as important, gaining contacts within the industry is paramount for an ambitious journalist.
@journalismnews Networking - Already knowing someone when you apply for a job *obviously* makes you stand out, as does a good contacts book
— Coral Williamson (@coralamberrr) July 2, 2014
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There are regular socials organised by journalists for this express purpose, such as own Journalism.co.uk socials, and learning to mingle and begin lasting relationships at these events is as essential as it is extra-curricular.
Read more: Advice for getting the most out of your next media networking event
Shorthand
The jury is out on whether shorthand is still an essential skill for journalits. It requires a lot of practice and patience but it eventually helps you take swift and accurate notation during an interview and significantly lowers the chances of accidental libel.
There are NCTJ-accredited textbooks available that allow you to learn in your own time, in addition to courses that provide a certificate upon completion. You can also check out this online tool to test your knowledge.
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