Unit 2. Journalism as a Career

Vocabulary

Exercise 1. Make sure that you remember the following words and expressions.

On air – в эфире; эфирный

Becoming an on-air personality will depend on a combination of talent, formal education and persistence in this prestigious but highly competitive field.

Newsroom – отдел новостей

Newsroom is the department in newspaper responsible for receiving news and preparing it for publication.

Staffer – сотрудник

There are so many staffers working in our organization that I don’t know them all.

Feature staffer – сотрудник, отвечающий за тематические статьи

Feature staffer is a skilled reporter with many career opportunities in printed papers, TV and radio programs, websites, and social media.

Wire – провод, телеграф, связь; сообщать, посылать

She wired home for some money, and we wired the money to her.

To file stories – выбирать статьи (создавать файл, картотеку)

The whole team is busy now filing stories for tomorrow’s paper.

Editor – редактор

An associate editor typically assists a senior editor in tasks such as writing, editing and selecting content for a publication.

Editor-in-chief – главный редактор

An editor-in-chief can work for any type of publication, such as newspapers or magazines. He is in charge of creating editorial boards and overseeing all department editors.

Editorial Assistant – помощник редактора

Magazine editorial assistants are responsible for many editorial and administrative tasks at a magazine.

Anchor (anchorman) – ведущий телепрограммы

The late- night current affairs show has a new anchor.

News anchor – ведущий новостей

As a rule, news anchors are well-remembered by the audience.

Broadcast News Analyst – ведущий или комментатор новостей

A broadcast news analyst can also be referred to as a reporter, newscaster or news anchor.

Newscaster – ведущий новостей

Newscasters work in a television or broadcast studio and are responsible for reporting news to the public. While off air, newscasters correspond with various sources in order to verify information and ensure the accuracy of any news reports.

Broadcasting – телевещание

Several careers are related to TV broadcasting. There are opportunities to produce, shoot or edit programs that will be aired throughout the region or nationwide, reaching thousands of households.

Reporter – репортер, журналист

Public reporters use various forms of transcription to create a written record of meetings, hearings, seminars and other public forums.

Sports Commentator – спортивный комментатор

Dmitry Guberniev is a Russian TV presenter, sports commentator and the main voice of Russian biathlon.

Advertising Manager – менеджер по рекламе

The growth of global media has led both to the increasing homogenization of consumer tastes around the world, and the increasing demand for global advertising managers who can do the same job in many different countries.

Audio Engineer – звукорежиссер

If you have ever been at a concert and were blown away by the clarity and overall quality of the music you heard, chances are that there was a very talented audio engineer controlling the sound you heard.

Audio Visual Technician – оператор аудио- и видеомонтажа

Audio visual technicians operate and maintain equipment used to amplify, record and display sound and images at live events.

Broadcast Technician – звукооператор

Broadcasting or sound engineering technicians use their knowledge of computers and electronics to operate equipment during concert, radio, television or other related productions.

Camera Operator – оператор камеры

Camera operators use camera and recording equipment to capture events and scenes as they unfold. Among many other things, they can be involved in the filming aspects of the next big summer blockbuster or popular television series.

Camera Technician – механик камеры

Camera technicians work with various types of camera equipment and must know the processes of film and photo captures.

Cameraman – фоторепортер

This gallery is filled with amazing images that were caught by accident by cameraman across the globe: awkward, funny, jaw-dropping and breath-taking.

Digital Editor – редактор цифровых материалов

Digital editors get to be on the front line of new media production on items ranging from films, videos and music from the entertainment industry, to the latest in online corporate, government or educational media.

Print Designer (page designer) – графический дизайнер

Print designers combine images and text to create the layouts for advertising and marketing campaigns.

Exercise 2. Match the words in Column A with their definitions in Column B. Make up your own sentences with these words.

 

A	B
Editor	To read articles again in order to edit them
Newsroom	A host of a TV program
Cameraman	Transmission or program on TV or radio
Story	Employees, personnel
Reporter	A staff member
Broadcasting	Newsfeed
Wire	Promote in mass media
Advertise	Job, occupation
Anchor	An aim or target set be a person or group
Staff	A person who operates a film or television camera
Print Designer	A newspaper article, feature
Review stories	A person who corrects pieces of text before they are printed, or is in charge of a newspaper or magazine
Staffer	A persons who combines pictures and words
Career	Team making decisions about the content of a publication
Editorial Board	An office at a newspaper where news is collected and reports are prepared

 

Exercise 3. Match the words in Column A with the words in Column B to make up word combinations. Use them in your own sentences.

 

A	B
To file	commentator
Editorial	operator
Audio	manager
To edit	designer
Sports	analyst
Cartoon	board
Camera	staffer
To wire	camera or sound equipment
Print	engineer
News	technician
Newsroom	stories
To operate	engineer
To review	the news
To report	animator

 

Reading 1

In the Newsroom

It’s like an assembly line where workers race the clock to produce a new product each day.

Editors call it “the daily miracle.” And it does seem miraculous that despite blizzards, computer meltdowns, power outages and press jams, the newspaper gets printed and delivered day after day, year after year — sometimes century after century.

Large newsrooms operate like clockwork, and the key word is clock. Timing is everything in news production, whether you’re posting stories online or prepping them for printing. Newsrooms streamline the work flow so staffers can produce the best possible stories in the fastest, most efficient way.

Here’s a look at a typical day in the life of a big city newsroom as dozens of editors, reporters, photographers and designers race the clock.

6 A.M. The first editor arrives and begins moving stories onto the paper’s website. (Traffic on news sites is often highest early in the morning.)

7 A.M. Reporters start filing online material, too: breaking news, obituaries and updates to stories that ran yesterday.

8 A.M. More staffers arrive. Editors check wires for stories and photos. Police reporters check sources for overnight news.

9 A.M. News teams gather to plan the day’s news coverage. Meanwhile, the editorial board meets to discuss the day’s issues.

10 A.M. Top newsroom editors meet to assess the day’s news and begin planning Page One. Reporters call sources and head out into the field to cover stories.

11 A.M. Wire editors begin choosing the top national and world news stories. Feature staffers hold planning sessions to develop future projects.

NOON Reporting continues. Many reporters are off on their beats; others remain in the newsroom to make phone calls or finish writing stories they’ve previously researched.

1 P.M. Graphic artists build maps and charts for both news stories and special projects. In the features section, page designers work days in advance on section fronts.

2 P.M. Reporters update their editors and team leaders, who compile summaries (called “budgets”) of stories planned for the website and tomorrow morning’s paper.

3 P.M. The newsroom’s top editors meet again to review the day’s news and discuss how to treat

(and where to run) the day’s biggest stories. Copy and layout editors begin editing stories and designing news pages.

4 P.M. Most reporters are now back in the newsroom, writing to meet the deadline for tomorrow’s printed paper. Top editors meet one last time to solve last minute problems and make their final front-page story selections.

5 P.M. Photographers make final decisions on photos and videos. Reporters continue turning in their stories. The copy desk edits all stories and either posts them online or forwards them to layout editors.

6 P.M. This is the deadline for reporters to file stories for tomorrow’s paper (though breaking frontpage news may wait another hour). It’s also the deadline for sending photos to page designers for layout.

7 P.M. Copy editors continue to review stories for accuracy, grammar and style, then add headlines and cut lines. Except for last minute stories, most editing is finished by 7:45.

8 P.M. Page designers send the last of their pages to composing for the first edition. The presses start rolling at 8:30. Big metro dailies may print later editions, as well.

9 P.M. If the paper prints a second or third edition, reporters and editors will be scrambling to assemble that material now.

10 P.M. Most reporters are done for the day, though a few remain to update their blogs or file stories online.

11 P.M. All the editors and reporters have headed home. One makeup editor remains until 1a.m., checking the wires for late breaking news.

Exercise 1. Answer the questions:

1. Why is the newsroom at a newspaper similar to an assembly line?

2. The keyword for the newsroom staffers is clock, isn’t it?

3. How do you understand the phrase, “race the clock”?

4. When is the busiest traffic on the news websites?

5. How often do the staffers meet during the day?

6. Do reporters have regular working hours?

7. When is the deadline for tomorrow’s paper?

8. Do newspapers usually print only one edition?

9. Who reviews the stories for a paper?

10. Would you like to be a newsroom staffer?

Exercise 2. Agree or disagree using quotations from the text:

1. Daily work of a newspaper team is a miracle.

2. Every staffer does his bit, and together they make the newspaper.

3. There is no coordination between different staffers.

4. They all work together and do the same tasks.

5. The main person is a copy editor.

6. Online reports come before the printed publication.

7. The work of a newsroom is boring and not very exciting.

 

Exercise 3. Choose the expression that best completes the sentence:

News production, to check wires, the day issues, to post online, a front-page story, to finish editing, to print several editions, to update a blog, breaking news.

1. The book was so successful that the publishers had to _____________ of it.

2. When I have some free time I usually use it in order to_____________ that I run about a TV show.

3. _____________ is a very tough industry; you have to work under pressure most of the time.

4. At the beginning of the day news reporters _____________ for interesting stories and pictures.

5. Some stories are not printed, but it’s possible to _____________ the most interesting of them.

6. At a newspaper there is always a person whose job is to follow and immediately report _____________.

7. The editorial board fixed a meeting in order to _____________ of tomorrow’s paper.

8. A daily newspaper always tries to cover _____________.

9. Usually _____________ is an article about big national or global events.

Reading 2

TV News Careers

On-air personalities like anchors, reporters and meteorologists are the most visible members of television news teams, but TV newsrooms are filled with many more people. Without them our nightly or 24-hour broadcasts would cease to exist. Life in the newsroom is fast-paced, competitive, exciting and stressful. Since news happens around-the-clock, the staffing of newsrooms usually follows suit. Don't expect a 9 to 5 job. A career in TV news can mean irregular schedules, long hours and meeting tight deadlines.

News Anchor

To viewers, the news anchor is the face of the newsroom. Although he or she is just one member of the team, it is this person whom the public identifies with the broadcast. Securing an audience's trust and loyalty is important because once that relationship is established, viewers will continue to turn to that channel to get the day's news. The news anchor introduces stories, interacts with reporters, interviews experts and sometimes provides analysis of, and commentary on, stories.

News anchors usually have a background in journalism. Many work as reporters early in their careers. They work their way up through the ranks, sometimes anchoring weekend broadcasts or filling in during vacations. Those who work on national broadcasts or on shows in big cities, usually began their careers in smaller markets.

Reporter

Almost as visible as news anchors, are reporters. They are usually in the midst of all the action, delivering news straight from the field. For some this means going out into communities to interview sources on camera. Others report from war zones and storm-ravaged areas. Some conduct "man on the street" interviews with passersby.

Those who want to become reporters generally major in journalism or communications in college. Like anchors they often begin their careers in small markets. Some end up in large cities or reporting for national news shows. Others become anchors.

Broadcast Meteorologist

The TV weatherman is the reason many viewers tune into the news in the first place. How else would we know what to wear the next day? The meteorologist's forecasts sometimes give us hope about upcoming days, and other times, quite literally, dampen our spirits.

Some meteorologists are scientists by training, having earned degrees in atmospheric science or in a related discipline. Many, however, have degrees in broadcast journalism or communications. While meteorologists generally report from the newsroom, they sometimes go to the story, visiting storm-ravaged locales or places where environmental disasters have struck.