Writing still a top skill in a digital world - survey

Photo: Byteback.org

People seeking jobs in the media must have solid abilities as writers and editors even while eyeing video and emerging technologies that could change their industry, a survey of a LinkedIn media group shows.

And the survey of more than 200 content creators and editors from news and public relations depicts a growing interest in data journalism, coding and content management systems.

“Learn how to shoot and edit video -- the media industry is increasingly incorporating video into its storytelling, so that's a valuable skill,” said one member of the LinkedIn group Online Reporters and Editors, where the online survey was based.

“Also, develop your writing skills for both digital and broadcast. By that, I mean, don't just be a writer -- be a GOOD writer. Learn how to use words creatively and actively and learn how to establish and sustain a point or an argument.”

Those primarily in online media accounted for 62 percent of the respondents. Print accounted for 24 percent; 9 percent were from broadcast and 5 percent not in media.

Also from the survey, among those who work in media:

- 56 percent were content creators

- 39 percent edit the work of others

- 42 percent were managers

- 53 percent not managers

- 82 percent said their primary skill was in writing or editing

- 5 percent cited, video

- 2 percent, audio

- 2 percent, still photography

- 9 percent said they were not content creators.

- 74 percent work n news

- 11 percent PR

- 15 percent neither

Asked how they would rank media skills in importance for job seekers, 95 percent said writing and editing were top skills; 82 percent listed video; 48 percent said design and 43 percent, audio.

The survey showed 68 percent said it was very important to learn video skills; 30 percent said somewhat important.

Despite the strong showing for emerging media and online abilities, many respondents said jobseekers should emphasize the basics as well:

“Be hungry. One of the things that really makes candidates stand apart is their passion to tell stories or do good work,” one group member said. “I want reporters to be good researchers and writers, but the most important quality is that strong desire to dig, learn and discover new angles and stories.
Also, look for new ways to tell stories, whether it's through multimedia, podcasts, Facebook Live...anything.”

From another member: “Proof of ability to write and/or edit is paramount. Video, social, etc., are all bonus points, but writing skills trump all.”

And: “Learn the (AP) Stylebook inside and out. Come armed with good story ideas. If you can't find a job in media, keep freelancing, someone will notice and hire you eventually.”

Other respondents urged newcomers – and veterans – to understand search-engine optimization, social media skills, content management systems, and be versatile, in other words.

The final question in the survey asked for any advice that group members might want to pass along. Here’s a selection of those comments:

- Editors, colleagues and institutes like Poynter can help you discover new skills. Always look for classes or people who can help you.

- Students need to know what's happening in the news, so they have to read, watch and listen to news daily. They need to be able to write a coherent sentence. And they need to know how to verify a fact.

- Learn as wide of a variety of skills as you can. Wear many hats, and don't be afraid to raise your hand to learn new things. Always be forward-thinking and innovative.

- Learn media ethics. no matter what medium, you need ethical standards. your credibility is all you have.

- Look for a job in another industry.

- Go into print to learn the basics and then leave after five or so years and go to electronic media.

- Experience outside of media is a plus (in addition to media), and strong writing and editing skills are crucial as well as a willingness to learn and adapt to an ever-changing work environment.

- They should focus on video journalism (shooting, write a script, editing, publishing) and they should know more about web videos and storytelling.

- Become an expert in some area rather than attempting to be a master of all.

- Learn analytics, video and audio editing skills, and data visualization too

- It's a very tough industry to get into and stay in, but keep updating your skills and on top of the latest technologies and trends to keep yourself relevant to your current and future employers.

- Reporting, writing and the ability to find good stories is No. 1. Period. Also, read NYT, WaPo, LAT and study how stories are put together. Look at structure. Understand the importance of the interview. Know how to get the "get." After that, they need visual skills, especially video. If they understand their way around data, database reporting also is important. Also, they have to understand the cadence and tempo of a newsroom. They have to be able to multi-task. The nimble reporter who can pivot is extremely valuable. In a way, it's about being a generalist, but highly competent in everything they do not just good at a lot of things.

- Please make sure you find employers that will give you opportunities to take classes to improve or upgrade any knowledge you already possess. Too many employers expect candidates to know software and do not look at the person who has the experience in the field and the right attitude about work.

- I would add data visualization and the combination of the above-mentioned skills for multimedia storytelling. I think digital media job seekers should be more open to innovation, embracing new technology, and be better at creative problem-solving. While hard skills are still needed, soft skills are equally important.

- Put yourself out there! Be on social media, network and talk to people. Make connections. Take chances, but also remember what you're worth. It's difficult to find a great job with benefits, but it's possible.

- I'm old school, but today's students need to become excellent at multi-media approaches to their work - audio, video in addition to their writing abilities. They must have curious minds and be thorough in their approaches to stories, looking to check as many sources as possible to get it right even it means not getting it first.

- In my opinion hard-nose reporting is vital. So is stylebook knowledge. I ran a daily online newspaper in Costa Rica for 17 years and have just retired. I hired a lot of interns. The job was not beaches and frosty drinks. Nearly all of my interns faced armed robbers. Communicating to English speakers there and in the States is a challenge. I also think new hires shoujld have guts and know a little about advertising, enough so that advertisers do not affect the news report.

- Learn coding skills

- You have to be curious, not just when you're being paid to be but all of the time. You have to sweat every tiny detail. You have to respect your audience or they will drive you crazy (and vice-versa). "Sacred trust" might seem strong words, but if you go into this profession just because you think you are a good writer, or because you like attention, you will be miserable. If you go into it thinking you can glide through and get your stories "mostly right", please stop right now. Because we've all worked with that guy or woman and they don't just produce sloppy work, they make it that much harder for the rest of us to do our jobs. But if you really feel called to do this work, there has never been a better, more exciting time to be a journalist. Tools are changing, expectations have never been higher, the need for accurate information has never been more acute. If you love it and you work hard you can make a real difference. We need smart young journalists more than ever before.

- The fact that unpaid internships are standard in our industry is unfortunate--however, i think they can be more important learning experiences than J-school. (Cheaper, too.)

- They have to be Multimedia storytellers and engage more on Data and Geo-Journalism because are trending stuff where media industry is going in terms of technological agility. Specialization is also important to build credibility and uniqueness in the employment market

- First of all -- guys, wear a dress shirt and tie; ladies, a dress, nice skirt and blouse or equivalent. Over the last 10-15 years, the professionalism of reporter and editor candidates has fallen precipitously.

In 2004, the first year I was responsible for hiring news staff at the newspaper I worked at, about 80-90 percent of candidates came dressed professionally. Today I'm lucky if I get 30 percent. I know times have changed and we're all generally a bit more casual in the workplace, but look at it this way. You wear a dress shirt and tie and everyone's in jeans and polo shirts, so what? If anything, they'll appreciate the effort. You wear jeans and a polo shirt and everyone is in business dress, you can pretty much kiss that job goodbye.

Second, if you are in J-school, you should insist the department offers a class in basic reporting skills and a class in basic writing/grammar/story structure skills. Again, in the last 15 years, the "test" stories I get back from applicants today have dropped to where 90 percent would make the cut back in 2004, to literally 15-20 percent. Same story, same test, graded the same way, so it's not like I've become inflexible and hard-nosed with impossible expectations in my "old age" (I'm 51.)

And even some of those we do hire have no idea how to report a story, much less report it aggressively. J-schools are teaching students all about "content" for the web, social media, multi-media, video, audio, slideshows, analytics, metrics and on and on. All that is great -- I'm all for it. Unfortunately, they haven't continued to teach the fundamentals (high schools and middle schools have slacked off on this as well, but that's a different story.

            All the web and social media skills in the world won't mean a thing if you can't put two sentences together and write a compelling news story or feature. And believe me, many, many J-school grads I see cannot do either. Seriously.

The best candidates today are the ones who come in with a sound education in writing and reporting fundamentals, hopefully experience at a college paper, weekly or small daily, PLUS all the digital and new media skills.

If you have all that, dress professionally, address the interviewer by "Mr." or "Ms.", answer their questions honestly and openly and make sure YOU have questions of your own -- the best are those that ask about the interviewer (how long have you worked here, what do you like about it, what's your career been like, where'd you go to school, etc. -- you'll be in good shape.

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Any surprises? What has been your experience, either in hiring or in job searches? Tell us what you’ve seen, what it was like and what you’ve learned.

John Strauss is the founder and moderator of Online Reporters and Editors, a LinkedIn group for people who create and edit online content and are interested in media convergence and related topics. He is a former newspaper reporter, university journalism instructor and student media adviser who has managed public broadcasting facilities, produced public media programming and was a correspondent and manager for The Associated Press. He has presented to news and public relations groups across the country on mobile video and content creation strategies, and currently works in strategic communications in Indianapolis. Contact: johncstrauss@gmail.com/.