Communications
Journalism/Mass Media/Public Relations
Did you know...
It is estimated that 75% of a person's day is spent communicating in some way. As a college student, 69% of your communication time is spent on speaking and listening. You spend 17% of your communication time on reading and 14% writing. To put it in another perspective: We listen a book a day, speak a book a week, read the equivalent of a book a month, and write the equivalent of a book a year.
Journalist
A journalist's main purpose is to research, document, write, and present the news in an honest and unbiased way. Although the method for reporting the news may be constantly changing, the need for talented, qualified and educated journalists isn’t. The job description still calls for hard work, ethics, quality writing, and, at its heart, the desire to tell the truth. Job details include:
- Interviewing people in a wide range of circumstances
- Writing copy for publication on a tight deadline
- Building contacts and sources for use in future stories
- Creating and maintaining blog publications
- Fact-checking the information given to you by a source
Broadcast News Analyst
- Deliver the news via broadcast radio or television
- Introduce stories from reporters
- Study and interpret information that can help their audiences' understanding of news events
- Report breaking news as it occurs
- Provide additional commentary and insight regarding news events
Public Relations Specialist
Public Relations Specialists, also called media or communication specialists, oversee the bridge between an organization and the general public. They help clients develop and maintain a public image and cultivate a target audience that can include customers, investors, members of the press, and, in the case of non-profits, potential donors and funding sources. Along with traditional media, public relations specialists utilize the Internet and social media to communicate a client's image and mission. Some of the job responsibilities of public relations specialists include:
- Help clients develop and maintain a public image and identity
- Compose press releases and respond to media questions
- Identify target audiences and determine how to reach those audiences effectively
- Draft speeches for a business or organization's top managers and executives