Despite this limitation, journalists in Australia take risks to ensure you and I get the correct information that will help us take adequate action. As a profession, journalism is an evergreen field as the need to spread the right information remains constant. So, this article has been written to help you learn how to become a journalist in Australia. According to Wikipedia, journalism in Australia is an industry with an extensive history. Reporters Without Borders placed Australia 26th on a list of 180 countries ranked by press freedom in 2022, ahead of both the United Kingdom and the United States. While we will basically talk about How to Become a Journalist in Australia, we will list key things that will help you achieve your goal. The table of content clearly spells out all you’ll learn from this article.
Why Study Journalism in Australia?
Journalism is a very vital profession. As much as social media has helped increase the speed at which information travels, there are still limitations that it cannot breach. In a time where explosions, wars, and pandemics occur simultaneously, people don’t really know where to focus. In fact, there’s such an overload of information that can cause stagnancy. As a journalist, you don’t only gather accurate information based on data, you align it in such a manner where you treat the most important down to the least. Hence, this thread introduces a level of guidance to listeners and citizens especially when they need to take action. Indeed, journalism bridges the gap between news and organized useable news.
What is the Salary and Job Outlook of Journalists in Australia?
Due to the level of complexity and risk involved in journalism, journalists in Australia greatly benefit financially from performing their duties optimally. Of course, good work deserves good pay as well. According to Payscale, the average salary of a journalist in Australia is AU$53,645 per year. This salary doesn’t involve all the extra bonuses they receive on the job.
How Long Does it take to Become a Journalist in Australia?
Journalism is a very important career path in the field of media and communications. Due to the level of expertise involved, every journalist is a product of special and careful training. While a bachelor’s degree in journalism in Australia takes a minimum of 4 years to complete, the licensing training takes about a year as well. Generally, it takes within 4-5 years to become a journalist in Australia.
What are the Requirements to Become a Journalist in Australia?
Before you choose journalism in Australia, you must know how to become a journalist. Becoming a journalist means that you have to fulfill all the requirements to help you perform well in the role. These requirements include; Read more: How to Become a Journalist in 2022: Schools, Salary, Cost
How to Become a Journalist in Australia | 2022
Having a passion for journalism is not enough. You must know how to become a journalist if you truly want to thrive in this industry. And this is what this whole section seeks to help you understand. So, if you want to become a journalist in Australia, you have to;
Get A Degree from an Australian Institute
You would be daydreaming about a fantastic career in journalism when you don’t have a bachelor’s degree – except you want to pursue without a degree which is difficult. The first critical step towards building a strong journalism career rests on your bachelor’s degree certificate. As a bachelor’s degree student of journalism, you learn foundational elements of journalism. In the long run, this becomes important as they form the base of your storytelling, writing, and communication skills.
Gain Relevant Skills
As a journalist, you must hold a key set of skills in order to thrive in your profession. Your communication of a happening must be simple, dynamic, and understandable. So, some of the core skills you need are writing, storytelling, communication, and a little bit of media technology.
Complete Internship
A core part of the beginning of a fantastic journalism career rests on a good internship program. As an intern, you learn essential journalism skills as well as effective reporting strategies. You can intern with a top media firm in order to get quality experience as you forge ahead in your journalism career.
Gather Experience
Journalism is a very practical field. The more places you visit, the more news you report, the greater your experience and income. As a journalist, you are never on a break. You steadily report events in real-time around your environment. A very good time to basically gather journalism experience is your internship.
Increase Certifications
The knowledge an academic institution offers you is never enough as long as journalism is concerned. You need to grow your understanding of many key branches of this profession. You must ensure that you attend seminars and assessments that test your journalism knowledge.
How to Become a Journalist with No Degree?
Journalism is more of a practical than a theoretical profession. Knowledge of journalism isn’t always received from academic institutions. Most times, a lot of astounding journalists today learn on the job. If you want to become a journalist with no degree, you must learn the critical skills necessary for journalism. Communication and writing skills with good knowledge of technological media can help you a long way. Furthermore, when you’re able to use your skills efficiently, you can intern for media companies after which you get into an entry-level position. When you truly want to become a journalist, your courage will do more for you than an academic certificate.
What Schools Teach You How to Become a Journalist in Australia?
A good way to learn how to become a journalist in Australia would be to complete a degree in any academic institute. While a number of schools in Australia offer journalism programs, there are some that have stood out exceptionally. Some of the best journalism schools in Australia are;
#1. University of New South Wales
A degree in journalism helps you develop concrete professional communication skills. Furthermore, you learn effective storytelling strategies no matter what you’re reporting. You don’t only rely on your skills, instead, you learn how to outline simple information in an interesting, entertaining, and simple way. In addition to fundamental courses in media theory and practice, you get to select specialist electives from a range of communication, journalism, and media courses, including public relations, writing for digital media, digital media production, and marketing.
#2. University of Canberra
The Bachelor of Communication and Media (Journalism) at the University of Canberra program creates a smooth path for your journalism career. With few similar opportunities due to their distinguished location, you’ll study the art of storytelling which will teach you to tell true, accurate, and intriguing stories about our world. Additionally, you’ll explore how to research, produce, publish and promote news in a wide range of different media outlets while developing your editorial judgement and leadership ability. In summary, at the University of Canberra, you can groom your journalism knowledge to be world-class.
#3. RMIT University
A degree in Journalism from RMIT University remains highly regarded by the local and international news media industry. The core aim of the program is to give you practical and theoretical knowledge to begin a career in journalism, in Australia and abroad, while being able to show employers evidence of your achievements and skillsets with a professional portfolio of your works. As a graduate of this department, you can work in media companies around Australia and beyond. Furthermore, considering the frequent industrial changes, you’re prepared to pursue roles such as media advisors and corporate communication specialists.
#4. University of South Australia
As a student in journalism at this university, you will develop a solid foundation in journalism theory and practice. Hence, you will seriously consider the ever-changing media and mass communication industries, so as to gain the diverse competencies needed in a multimedia environment particularly within the demands of current journalism practice. The University of Southern Australia offers students who want to learn how to become professional journalists in Australia a chance to start making the right moves towards their dreams.
#5. University of Queensland
UQ is a university with a passionate interest in improving journalism and its general practice. When you utilize UQ’s state-of-the-art production facilities, you’ll expand your theoretical knowledge by gaining highly needed skills in field recording and camera work, sound editing, vision and pictures, data analysis, publishing and entrepreneurialism, and a whole lot of others. More so, you’ll also obtain important insights into current production values and practices from the on-site Media and Production Support team, as well as industry professionals. Although journalism is a highly competitive profession, UQ graduates have experienced high success rates in securing jobs across the media in Australia and around the world, as they even occupy senior positions. Yes, journalists in Australia receive over A$52,000 per year for doing their work. If you want to become a journalist with no degree, you must learn the critical skills necessary for journalism. Communication and writing skills with good knowledge of technological media can help you a long way. Yes. Journalism is a very good career with a skillset that enables you fit into an organization easily. Yes. Anyone can become a journalist when they fulfil the requirements for a journalism degree. No. You basically need good knowledge of your language in addition to efficient writing and communication skills. Due to the demand to get on sight review, journalism is not 100% safe. You may need to be in the midst of cross fire at times reporting an incident.
Conclusion
Journalism has helped build and shape our world. It has been the core reason for the growth in our media industry as they seek to break old borders. After reading this article, you can longer say you don’t know how to become a journalist in a country like Australia. It’s all detailed and easy to read through. Always work hopefully and believe that everything is possible when pursuing a journalism career.
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