Being a journalist for us at FirstStep.co.za is a very romantic idea. The thought of visiting foreign countries, meeting new and exciting people and covering wars in far out places is a pretty cool one. The thing is, only the best get these sort of exciting assignment so unless you want to be reporting on firemen saving kittens from tree’s you need to work really hard to prove yourself.

The basics you require are a decent grasp of the English language. Being able to string a sentence together is a must and if your friends call you the “Human thesaurus” then you’ll probably be pretty decent as a journalist.

It’s important to remember that being a journalist is not limited to only print media. Opportunities exist in the TV, radio and online arenas. Getting your foot in the door is the hardest part but most reputable universities or colleges will help you gain valuable contacts and give you a start.
 
The films and books: to check out!

All the President's Men: A president named Nixon, a massive scandal and top journalism!

The Devil Wears Prada : An extremely cute straight out of varsity journalism student goes to work in a massive fashion magazine and learns more about life than writing

27 Dresses: That girl from Greys Anatomy plays the perpetual bridesmaid who is never a bride until a nosy journalist finds out about this.

Spider-Man: Peter Parker is a mild mannered journalist who happens to have an issue with webs and spiders.