Mass Communication & Media

As a TV journalist, you're responsible for reporting on the news to your viewers. Your main focus is to research news events in order to compile presentable stories. This may include traveling to the scene of events and interviewing those involved, like bystanders or police officers. You may also conduct research in order to provide a more accurate and complete story. When covering a scheduled event, you might spend time observing the occasion and then have the opportunity to complete interviews in a more controlled environment.
Once you have the material gathered for a story, you'll need to write your script, produce the piece and complete any necessary editing. In some cases, you'll report from a scene while incorporating pre-recorded elements into your story; this may require a mixture of live reporting and previously edited material. Throughout all of your work as a TV journalist, you'll work closely with producers, camera operators and technical crew members.
In some cases, you may work as a commentator. This is a specialized field within TV journalism in which you offer opinions on the news rather than reporting. This work typically involves much less production. Instead, you'll observe the news, write your opinions and then present them on the air.
Where Might you Work?
With the exception of commentating, which is primarily traditional, office-based work, TV journalism will require long, uneven hours in what can often be a variety of settings. You may be asked to respond to events as they occur, which may result in unexpected travel; you may not have a clear understanding of how long you'll be working on a given story.
Sometimes you'll report from events that are benign in nature, such as parades or festivals. You may also report from areas that involve threatening circumstances, such as wars, natural disasters or terrorism-related situations. While some TV journalists complete production and editing work using field equipment, you may also complete this type of work at your television studio's offices. You'll often be working under tight deadlines, so even when you're working from the relative comfort of the studio, your pace may be frenzied.