Characteristics of an Effective Journalist
A journalist is a person who anchors news to the community. For you to be a valid news anchor, you need to possess the following characteristics. You should be curious. Curiosity will help you know more about a particular incident within your locality. You will know the inner and the hidden agenda in every situation. After collecting the information he/she needs, he/she should present the news to the multitude with honesty to the people. He/she should not add salt to the injury and exaggerate the information. Being honest will make the multitude love listening to the news that is broadcasted daily without questioning the anchor.
On the other hand, he/she should be able to present the news without fear. No matter how bad or secretive the I information is, the news anchor should not fear as he/she is doing his/her job. Some info concerning prominent people in the country is hard to relay to the citizens, and the life of the presenter might be in danger. In that case, the journalist should not fear in conveying the information as long as the information is accurate. People understand that it is hazardous to get information on risky people, such as drug dealers. Still, if the information is affecting the citizens, therefore, the citizens have a right to know what is happening. In that case, the journalist must practice loyalty as the citizens expect of him/her because they rely on you as their whistleblower.
A good journalist should be kind. You should not harass people when you want to get information. You should be kind and let the information flow from the concerned people. Remember that some people are hard to deal with, and some are short-tempered such that when you approach them, they may be aggressive and hostile. Know how to use your learned skills and knowledge to get full information from such people without attracting people’s attention. Another characteristic is trust. You should be trustworthy in your news. Whatever you present to the multitude should be reliable. When people make others suffer, they always look for journalists to help them with their problems. Some information given is essential, and the person who is giving you the report is expecting you to relay the same information to the people without erasing or adding anything. The people will develop trust in you when you present the news as they expect.
You should also be passionate. When people call for your help, you should be excited about their problems and be ready to help them solve their problems. You should put yourself in their shoes and be prepared to assist in any way you can. You should also love your work. Whatever duty you have, you should do it passionately and let the people be satisfied with the outcomes, whether negative or positive. You should also have a tenacity. Other people should not discourage your work, and they should also not affect the way you are supposed to present your outcomes. You should stand firm with the decisions and issues you find.