It seems like everybody these days has access to the internet and a smart phone, so it’s not surprising that the field of news technology is expanding as well. The news business is no different, and you might think that all journalists would be journalists, but that’s simply not true. While you won’t see many graduates heading up the newsroom of a major cable news network, you will find plenty of newsroom jobs available on the internet. You just need to know how to find them.
The traditional newsroom is a very visible part of American society, and it’s an extremely important business segment. Many newspapers, magazines, and television stations are going to call on a news tech reporter, and they have all sorts of responsibilities in this capacity. But the field of news technology is much more open than the newsroom is, and you’ll find a large number of newsroom jobs in the information technology industry. You’ll be doing everything from speaking with customers and press to reporting news stories, among other things.
If you enjoy writing, you may want to consider a career in news technology. A lot of people go on to become journalists or reporters because they enjoy writing and getting their words out to the public, but news reporting can also be a fulfilling career field for you. A news tech career will require you to research stories, write reports based on your findings, and then turn the material in to another form, such as a blog post, a news story, or even a small newspaper column. While the requirements for a job in news technology are not exceptionally high, they are still quite high considering that the field is growing and that there are plenty of jobs available.
If you are thinking about breaking into the news tech field, you are going to need to get a lot of hands on experience. This means being in a similar position to a news editor, which usually means working first in the newsroom before moving into news tech. You’ll also need to have some computer skills. Most newsrooms have their own system for clipping and printing pictures. You won’t have to learn these skills by reading an instruction manual, but you will have to either know how to use a software package to do it, or have someone on staff who does. Most newsrooms now days also have their own software to manage the newsroom, and you should definitely have some basic familiarity with this software.
While the field of newsrooms is growing, the pay is not. There are currently only a small handful of newsrooms that pay very well, and those pay on the basis of how many stories a newsroom has published or how many editors it has employed. In order to break into news tech employment, you’re going to need to submit your resume to dozens of newsroom employers. Although some news offices are happy to offer positions to young reporters, most will require at least a two-year degree in a field that is related to the position you’re applying for.
Because of the nature of news technology jobs, these jobs are difficult to find. You can typically find news tech positions through colleges that teach news technology skills, or you can look for news positions at major newspapers and magazines. However, this profession is not well represented in the media. The few regular news publications have no shortage of news technology positions, but they hardly ever advertise or list them. This means that if you want to break into the field, you are going to have to be creative about finding news tech positions. This can be done, but it’s not easy.