What it means to be a journalist

Written by Tayla Rose

Being a Journalist is a huge responsibility, in the world of media. Existing as a journalist is more than writing and taking pictures; its bringing stories to life, expressing feelings through photos and articles that are engaging. It is a rather difficult job, that can be taken on by those who enjoy the challenge in adventure and the unity we as journalists can bring to those around us.

This past weekend on October 20th our schools Journalism class attended an event, known as: CSUN J-Day. Attending this event was a great way to be more aware of the different tasks a journalist should be experienced in and how what we do makes a difference to our readers.

While attending the Photojournalism workshop led by Raul Roa, I had noticed that his photography skills seemed to be self taught, more than learned from others. Listening to him speak of his work and the risky steps he had taken, trekking through mountains to catch action shots of firefighters or tailgating police cars on the way to catch a criminal. He was always first to the scene, which is highly important in the line of photojournalism. “You are the keepers of your communities. As photojournalists, you nurture your communities with positive stories, stories of joy and success and you also protect your communities from injustice and abuse with your work,” Raul had passionately spoke these words to all those attending,  and it really resonated with me to believe that my fellow journalists and I can hold that much power at such a young age; getting older would only cause us to grow stronger in this area or all areas of being a journalist.

In addition, a journalist must be familiar with all equipment and consistent with social media posts, as well as what other journalists may be putting out there. Most journalists should be well informed with the different camera types, and accessories to cameras they should use. Being active on social media is a big deal, because it is what the world is so attached to, one click and anything you wish to know is at your fingertips. Posting things constantly on instagram, twitter, or facebook help your viewers determine who they wish to go to for their news feed first. Understanding and learning these tactics now will benefit us for when we get older, of course that's if you still decide to continue being a journalist after high school.

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