Is Social Intution Vital As A Journalist?

It's more than well known that as a Journalist it is important to harbour some form of social intelligence on finding the right stories - but is having a heightened social knowledge and interest vital for the career of a journalist? If you lack this, will you get left behind?

This can all depend on the person involved. In the modern day, if you're interested in pursuing Journalism as a career then being in the know about the world and what is affecting us on a daily basis is a vital step - don't jump into a career which depends on ice-cold precision and concentration if you're not prepared to give it your all. Your words can be read by millions of people, do you really want to get something massively wrong because you weren't fully informed? No. Commit yourself to being the best at what you do, and focus on forming a routine plan of keeping yourself informed in world affairs - get your work out, and watch yourself glide to the top.

This doesn't mean that you have to spend all your time watching the news and doing absolutely nothing but researching other stories, what it does mean is committing the time you do have to writing the best content possible and making it as fool-proof as possible, so you don't have the general public on your back. Speak to your friends, talk to anyone who you can and engage in debates with people - you will learn a lot from the wisdom and knowledge of others.

Do We Need More Serious Journalism?

There's always a place for light-hearted Journalism - I doubt we could completely survive on serious news all the time. But do we have too much light-hearted journalism than is needed? Do we need more serious journalism implemented into the news stream? A lot of people may not want to hear it, but there is a lot we need to do for the world right now, and informing the people is vital. The more we know, the more we can do, There's no time to worry about unsettling people - unsettling people is what is needed to bring about the much needed paradigm shift this world is calling out for.

Environmental damage, mental health information, war and devious forms of politics should be the news we are reporting on - when high street bankers are caught to have taken the general public's earnings and used it for themselves, should we just be angry about this? Or should we put them in prison? By changing the point of view of the news industry, we can allow the change of opinion to happen across the world. Some countries are known for their more prominent usage of 'real' media, and report on real news stories which have been proved foolproof. Nations such as Finland, Switzerland and Iceland have been commended for their ability to keep themselves not only to themselves, but to keeping themselves innocent from any form of corruption - can the UK or the US say the same about their media?

What do you think?

Clickbait - Changing Online Journalism

Online journalism is evolving everyday - however some aspects of it may not be as welcomed as others. Enter 'clickbait' journalism.

We've all come across clickbait journalism. Actually, a lot of websites now employ this tactic to get people to read their articles. It is always important to gain a reader's attention, and producing the most eye catching titles is vital. Clickbait articles can arise from anywhere - they may put a message across that the article is a must read, however when you actually view the article you realise it was merely just a rumour, or something completely different. For websites that do this, they know that it is a sure fire way to get more views on their articles and help boost their website metrics - but is it really benefiting journalists?

The use of clickbait may be lifting the number of views to an article - but it can slowly destroy the credibility of a journalist and their work. The best journalists can keep their titles to the point, short and sweet, and then deliver in the articles. In my personal opinion, I see clickbait journalism a tactic used by weaker journalists to help not only boost their metric rates but also to boost their names amongst viewers. But I see this as again counterproductive, as with more people becoming aware of clickbait journalism, people may turn away from websites that use these.

What's your opinion on it?

Does Journalism Need A Revolution?

We're living in a time where industries are evolving and old fashioned traditions are being abolished (if they're not beneficial for the society as a whole) the new generation have arrived - and wow, it's easy to see. The world is becoming more intelligent to the truth around them, and since the innovation of social media, pulling the wool over people's eyes has become a lot harder. So, does Journalism need a revolution? I believe so, and I'll explain why.

Journalism in a very important industry to every society around the world. It informs us of the world around us and can allow us to empathise and celebrate with cultures so vast and different from ours - this was always the aim of journalism - to create a 'global news network' where we can be informed of the world around us.

However, it is important to get the sharpest, more informed news source that are available to us. If media outlets are sending out news which isn't 100% completely fool-proof - how can that lead for us as the consumer to want to buy into what they're selling? We'll want to read the most informed news - with the real version of the news stories, with a form of empathy which gives humanity to the writing - which people will be able to connect with.

So how can us Journalists achieve this? It may have to begin outside of the crowded circle - independent and citizen journalism is proving to be antidote to recycled almost 'propaganda' forms of mainstream news, with news being reported on at the scene and delivered to the people as quickly and as positively as possible. There's no question that this is the mission, can it be achieved.

It's up to us journalists to make it a reality.

How Does Journalism Affect Politics?

When trying to get yourself ahead in politics, being an exceptional leader is only half the job. Having the media on your side, is the other half. So far, Jeremy Corbyn has been given the 'warm welcome' by the media that we expected - his left-wing views have been dragged into the dirt, along with the fact that he didn't sing the national anthem at the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Corbyn has made it perfectly clear that he believes in the abolition of the monarchy - and he stuck true to his guns.

Corbyn had every right not to sing the national anthem - how many of us really do anyway? But the topic I aim to discuss is how exactly journalism affects politics, and the effect it has it more than painfully evident. After all, a successful media campaign managed to bring the Conservative Party back into power in 2010, much to a lot of people's dismay. But how powerful really is journalism on politics?

To the neutral - very powerful indeed. Remember, news outlets can easily be more partisan towards a certain party, and this could influence voters to vote for a party which doesn't necessarily go along with their own situation - for example, living in a poorer area and voting conservative may be incredibly counter-productive not only for yourself, but for your community. Journalism is literally the tip of the iceberg for a cut-throat industry like politics, and one simple news story can destroy the whole career of a politician. We only need to look to the U.S, to the Watergate scandal where the career of Richard Nixon was destroyed, and journalists were first on the scene to completely tear him down.

Will the same happen to Jeremy Corbyn? In this day and age, people are a lot more smarter and well-informed, and it's more easier to determine that people will be able to tell the difference between a real news story, and something which is simply propaganda. The people are behind Corbyn, and not even the journalism industry may be able to prevent him making his way to Prime Minister.

What Makes An Exceptional Journalist?

As many of you who are reading this will probably already know, Journalism is a cut-throat business with no guarantees. There's no time to be lacking with your work, and creating top quality content is consistently vital to be considered one of the best in your industry - so what makes an exceptional journalist?

It makes little different who you work for, and even if you work freelance. You HAVE to be ready to broaden your mind amongst all walks of life. Open your perceptions to new ways of improving your work, and never rest on your laurels. There are thousands of journalists all over the world - millions if you count the citizens who find news stories for themselves. If you want to be just one of many, then just follow what you see as the basic quota for achieving a career in journalism. If you want to be exceptional - be prepared to walk grounds other's aren't prepared to. Be vivacious in your dealings with the work you do, and don't take no for an answer. Create a polarising personality in the industry and build your empire by working the way you want to. No visionary ever created their intimidating legacy by following the rules of others. They made their own.

Follow more obscure news stations where stories may have broke before the more mainstream ones and use these to your advantage. Finding a hot story can be paramount to the career of a journalist, and if you find one of the hottest scoops of the year, you're way on your way to solidifying yourself amongst the giants. Learn all different areas of journalism if you can, so this again will give you advantages over specialised journalists. How will people be able to compete with you if you're talented not only at broadcast and multimedia journalism, but also photojournalism and radio journalism, then just consider how that could help you grow in the industry - with enough clout behind your qualifications, you could even start your own company.

Journalism is an ever growing industry which will no doubt continue to evolve as technology does also. It's up to you to spot the trends - and to make yourself formidable in the journalism industry.

The Future's Bright Under Jeremy Corbyn

This past Saturday saw the end of the labour leadership battle as Jeremy Corbyn unanimously won the vote to become new labour leader - and even though he's come under intense scrutiny due to his hard-line left-wing views which seem to be opposed by a lot of the other members in the Labour party, this may incite the huge reshuffle that many politicians expected to happen if Corbyn took over.

For the first time, we have seen Corbyn create what is to be named 'Minister of Mental Health' which to say that is a long time coming would be an understatement - with this creation of Corbyn's we may finally see mainstream politics take mental health as seriously as it should have always been, and with a minister for mental health this can also help the cabinet to work alongside the NHS in providing a stronger, sturdier service on mental health issues.

Various members of the front bench of the Labour Party have stepped down - former possible candidate Chuka Umunna stepped down after him and Corbyn 'didn't share the same belief' on remaining a member nation of the EU. However with the more individuals who step down, we will see the uprising of a new Labour Party, a Labour Party designed by Jeremy Corbyn who will continue to focus on working towards a better future - not just for the country, but for the individuals and their own individual rights.

Why It's Time To Boycott Horse Racing - For Good

When you watch Horse Racing on TV, presenters make the coverage and the sport itself look as consumer friendly as possible. The horses almost look like they're having a good time racing each other, and everything appears fine - but to believe it a fair sport is a cruelly wrong belief.

Behind the scenes of the racing industry it claims thousands more victims than just the horses which die out on the track, thoroughbred horses which haven't made the cut of being good enough to race or the horses which are past their prime or even ex-race horses who suffered bad injuries on the track may be sent to the abattoir and killed. Only a few lucky ex-champions get the opportunity to live out the rest of their life in greener pastures.

In a time where a revolution is becoming apparent in the view on animal rights, is there a future for a sport as dangerous and as punishable is this? Fatal injuries are common place in a sport like this, with broken necks, backs and legs some of the most common - however if a jockey gets injured, we hear about it straight away. What about the horse? Why isn't the horse just as important as the jockey?

The focus of Horse Racing definitely isn't on welfare, the booming financial revenue of the sport means that safety will be disregarded for profit - therefore, instead of making the race safer for horses, they use the profit they get on further promoting the sport. Veterinary treatment will be available for the horses as long as they are racing and making money, however if the horse suffers a more long standing injury then the horse will be killed as it is more 'cost effective'.

As long as people continue to bet on horse races, horses will continue to die. Is it really worth seeing the death of an innocent animal just for your enjoyment? It's not an enjoyable sport for the horses, and if you care about the welfare of them - it's time to boycott the sport until the message gets through, that animals are our equals and not our subjects.