Journalism

Running Head: JOURNALISM TAKING YOU INSIDE THE STORY

Journalism: Taking you Inside the Story

Trent Burden
Salt Lake Community College

Journalism

Journalism: Taking You Inside the Story

The career field I have chosen to research is Broadcast Journalism, specifically a News
Anchor Person. As a news anchor, there are several tasks to be completed before you go live on
the television broadcast presenting the news to the viewers. Along with these tasks there are
values, ethics, and rules about what you can and cannot do or say while presenting the news.
Broadcast Journalism is good storytelling, which has been going on since the cavemen have been
sitting around campfires telling stories about what they saw on the hunt earlier in the day.
(Passante 2007, p.XIX). Journalist are trained to report fairly, accurately and timely (Passante,
2007, p. XIX). Broadcast Journalism would not have been invented if it werent for the invention
of television by Philo T. Farnsworth (side note I am related to Philo). The first patent for the
television was back in 1927.
Today going into Broadcast Journalism is very difficult, and it takes time and
experience. It can sometimes take 10 or more years before you begin rising to the top of the
career field. The first step would be to get your foot in the door as an intern. Education is another
important part of landing a career in Broadcast Journalism. Completing your schooling is very
important. Some stations require an Associates degree to start as an intern. However, dont
expect greatness as you go into the career field at entry level most likely you will be working for
an affiliate of ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS. In an article written in the Deseret News about
Fox 13 News anchorwoman Hope Woodside, before she moved to Salt Lake to become an
anchorwoman she was working 70 or more hours a week. The times Hope worked was 2 a.m.
until noon. While working these unusual hours she commented on the sleep deprivation. When

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JOURNALISM TAKING YOU INSIDE THE STORY

she moved to Salt Lake after working in Chicago and in Texas, her career began to take off. She
has now been working for Fox 13 News for 20 Years.
There are several educational requirements you must have before entering the career
field. According to Fox 13 Newss website you must have a 4 year degree for most anchor
positions. Most of the reporters who have degrees majored in communication with an emphasis
in television, journalism, or public relations. There are other degrees you can get to help narrow
down the type of reporting you would like to do. According to the Fox 13 News webpage under
people, news anchor Max Roth is a perfect example of what you can study to become a
Broadcast Journalist. It is stated studying random stuff called, seminary where he spent three
years learning more history, psychology, theology and no longer spoken languages, is what they
call Journalism. If you would like to start in a newsroom before getting your degree, you could
apply as a studio technician. When I personally applied for the studio technician position they
only require a high school diploma. If you find you love working in the news you have your foot
in the door and are ready to move up.
Though you see several journalist who appear to have it all it didnt come without really
hard work. In the same article about Hope Woodside she mentions working 70- hours a week and
making 12,000 dollars a year. What a journalist makes per year can depend on what kind of
journalist they are, such as Freelance or Salaried. Another journalist, who no longer works for a
local station here in Utah, told me she had a hard time trying to live on a $12,000 salary for the
first few years of her career. This journalist was Karen Carlson who used to anchor for ABC 4
New at 10 p.m. According to the New York Film Academy website journalist can make as low

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JOURNALISM TAKING YOU INSIDE THE STORY

as $20,000 a year and could reach number like $80,000 a year. Most journalist average about
$40,000 a year (New York Film Academy, 2016).
A journalism career takes massive amounts of work. You also really have to love and
enjoy this type of career. Personal charisma is important. The public is your critic. Hope
Woodside said in the Deseret News article, while producing the newscast in Ohio after a tornado
hit, the public called the news station. Hope thought it was to thank her about the weather report,
but found out it was for what color of lipstick she was wearing. (Lythgoe, 2009). If you are not
willing to move at a fast pace and expect the unexpected you wont stand a chance in the career.
You must be willing to relocate, sometimes often.
This job is a very competitive and cutthroat business (Hope Woodside, Personal
Conversation, October 23, 2013 ). One of the things about being a broadcast journalist is you
dont always get recognized for all of your work. While I was conducting an interview with Fox
13 News anchorwoman Hope Woodside she mentioned her story. While serving as an intern
Hope wrote a heartwarming story about Vietnam vets who suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), which was nominated for an Emmy. Hope did not receive the award because
she was an intern, so the producer received the Emmy.
Another famous broadcast journalist is Walter Cronkite. In the book Conkite it mentions
after he retired he was offered a once a year show which paid him 1 million dollars for the show.
According to the April 10, 2016 issue of Parade Magazine TV host, News Anchor, and Author
Robin Roberts brought home a measly 14 million last year (2015).

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JOURNALISM TAKING YOU INSIDE THE STORY

The pros of becoming a broadcast journalist are greater than becoming a newspaper
journalist. The reason behind this is because television and radio have the ability to break into
programming. Newspaper will sit on the desk or table until you read it. A lot of people turn
television on when they come in the door. Another great thing about broadcast journalism is 99%
of Americans have at least one television in their home. (Passante, 2007, p. 162) When it comes
to the written form of journalism you face more cons because you will have to wait until the next
day to get the story which is essentially old news tomorrow. According to Julie Bologna a
morning meteorologist at KTVT-TV in Dallas Fortworth Texas says,
I dont think TV news will ever go away. It will just continue to alter its format. You will
see more local news stations adding newscasts trying to compete with 24-hour news
channels. You may notice more 24-hour news channels popping up too. (Passante, 2007)

I believe I have what it takes to be a broadcast journalist, because I have done several
things in front of a camera, plus I like to tell stories which have a purpose and heartfelt meaning.
I have been studying journalism and English since I was in high school, which has led me to my
college career path majoring in all of the sections of the Communications degree at Salt Lake
Community College. I used to do the video announcements for my middle school and received
many compliments on how well I ga.ve the information. While I was one of the anchors I
would write the announcements for the day of what needed to be presented. If there were
mistakes I would try to help who had to read them say the correct thing. There were several times
when certain words would sound like a joke and I would make sure to keep my composure,

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JOURNALISM TAKING YOU INSIDE THE STORY

because I didnt want to give in to the childish word games some students would write in the
announcements. I have done video editing and graphic design while I was in High School. I also
took every kind of photography class I needed to understand the types of angles and shots you
need for photography.
All of my schooling should lead me right into the career path I have dreamed of being in
since the time I met my first broadcast journalist. When I finish at Salt Lake Community College
I will have a degree in communication with emphasis in television, radio, public relations,
journalism, and producing. I will have a business degree, and I am also working on a political
science degree. All of these as Fox put it random stuff I should be able to be an anchor one day
after I get the experience in the field.

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References

Brinkley, D. (2012). Cronkite. New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Grant, A. E., & Meadows, J. H. (2010). Communication technology update and fundamentals.
Amsterdam: Focal Press/Elsevier.
Hope Woodside [Telephone interview]. (2013, March).
Lythgoe, D. (1999, April 29). Female TV anchors: Hope Woodside Self-described ham likes
stories that 'reach out and touch you' Retrieved April 10, 2016, from
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/694141/Female-TV-anchors--Hope-Woodside.html?
pg=all

Max Roth. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2016, from http://fox13now.com/author/kstumaxroth/

Passante, C. K. (2007). The complete idiot's guide to journalism. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha.
Z. (2014, December 12). Jobs in TV and Broadcast Journalism: Average Salary & Career Paths.
Retrieved April 10, 2016, from https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/jobs-tv-broadcastjournalism-average-salary-career-paths/