The Hindu Business Line : Good journalists are badly needed

Interviewing effectively, reporting accurately, and writing in a manner that is not only truthful but also attractive to read or listen to. All this is difficult, yet "journalists love what they do," says Helen Sissons in Practical Journalism, from Sage (www.sagepublications.com).

"Good journalists shine lights where the public cannot see, they bring knowledge where there was ignorance and, if they are very good, empathy where there was antipathy and action where there was inertia."

Sissons interviews practising journalists to find what makes a good journalist. `Being a people person' is the first quality. Journalists should be good listeners and also "good communicators, able to deal with a wide variety of people and situations, from cabinet ministers to homeless people." They should recognise the news angle and pursue it, but at the same time, "they should be sensitive to people's feelings and able to win their confidence."

Other qualities are: "Being a questioner, a verifier, accurate, persevering, courageous, a good judge of news, curious, an able writer, creative, competitive, ethical, fair, balanced, objective, cultivating of contacts, and well informed."

Words are the journalist's tools, whether the medium is television, radio, print or online. Which is why "a clear, grammatically correct writing style is a basic requirement." Sissons is of the view that `a journalistic style can be taught,' but `good spelling and punctuation' are a prerequisite. "Any mistakes in an application form will result in it going straight in the bin."

The book cites the view of Gillian Hargreaves, a reporter with BBC Radio, on how the journalist has to love language: "Your writing skills have to be lyrical. You don't need to use big words but you need to be able to explain the complicated simply and to convey the story whether it is the drama or the enormity."

A direct question from the author is, "Is journalism for you?" You may respond, "Oh, yes, you see, I'm good at English and I like writing!" That's fine, but it's not enough, quips Sissons. "You need to have a love of current events."

Ian Lockwood, editor of the Craven Herald, describes `a simple test' to identify people who do not need spoon-feeding: "I look for an enquiring mind and someone who can come up with ideas. They have to be interested in what's going on and have the ability to supply us with stories. We give interviewees a simple test to see if they can recognise a story. We present them with some facts and see if they choose the correct angle. The worst kind of applicants are the ones that sit there and say they like writing. They might be able to write a beautiful 2,500 essay on The Tempest but can they write four paragraphs on a charity race?"

Good journalists are badly needed especially when public confidence is at rock bottom, says Sissons. "Journalists need the public to trust them, otherwise the very reason for their existence — to inform — is negated," she cautions. "Fortunately, despite poor pay, long hours and often difficult working conditions, there are excellent journalists doing sterling work." Why so? "Most would not want to do any other job, because for anyone who wants to be where the action is, it is the best work going."

Reassuring read.

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