The life I choose to lead: Journalism, the right choice?

Recently, I ran into an old friend in a supermarket. After exchanging pleasantries I discovered that he had just finished his law degree and was currently training to be a solicitor. He asked me what I was doing with my life and I answered that I had undergone a postgrad diploma designed to help me become a Journalist. The response was not what I expected. “A Journalist!?” he said, “Do you know how little they earn, how hard they work and how much they are hated?”

Although I noticed the obvious irony in this statement, since he is someone who clearly is going into a profession that is hated by all, it did make me pause for thought. Why am I going into Journalism? Will it make me happy? The whole reason I decided that I wanted to be a Journalist is because I wanted to keep abreast of current information and that I love to write. But is that enough in a society that is obsessed with material possessions and where living costs rise constantly? I have always considered myself to be a man of moral courage, but Journalism could drain it from me.

Outwardly, the number of deterrents seem to outweigh any benefits that my chosen path will lead me into. But then I think, what better jobs are there out there? There may be times in which the job seems dreadful, such as the ’death knock’ that is so often mentioned in Journalistic circles.

But most of my friends, though slowly getting more money, do not seem content with their jobs. Many modern jobs are boring and repetative. “Another day another dollar,” said my friend the other week when I asked him how work was treating him. Journalism, though hard work, does not seem like it will be dull. In my eyes, money is less important than job satisfacton. A senior lecturer who teaches me said when I first started this course that, “this job is not well payed, but there certainly is no other profession that is so rewarding, but there you go I would say that.”

Overall, I think I am satisfied that when I am a Journalist, it will be worth the time I have dedicated to becoming one. Whether I am right or just fooling myself is yet to be seen.

News websites: the simple touch

The best thing about news writing is that it is simple. It not only helps the writer to fire out stories quicker, but it helps the reader to digest the information more easily.

The same is true of the design.

In order keep people interested there has to be simple layout with easy navigation. In this ‘digital’ era it is important for news websites to adhere to this rule.

Perhaps there is a reason why the BBC news website is so universal. It’s Sans Serif font at a reasonable large size makes it easy to read.

The whole site, excluding pictures, is made up of only three colours which are used to show the difference between links, headings and copy. It is very easy to navigate around, being split up regionally and different types of news.

In addition to written news and features which are easy to find, there are recent news videos available to view. This compact easy to use website is a gift to news hungry web users.

A close rival to the BBC, but by no means as user friendly, is the media guardian website. Again, a simple layout, but the site, in comparison the BBC, seems too ‘busy’.

In addition, it is not quite as easy to navigate. Perhaps it is the fact that the site does not seem as compact that gives this impression.

As our Senior Journalism lecturer, Delwyn Swingwood, always says ‘keep it simple’. But, these are small points, and to compare it just to the BBC seems quite unfair.

The reason it is important to make this point is because it’s identity is actually quite distinctive.

The colour code is consistent and fixed. The content is also quite extensive with a mass of features, but lacking in video and interactive qualities.

Regular readers will be pleased with the content of this site, but people who do not know the site very well could turn to other sources of news.

Simplicity is the key to good news sites. This is evident in perusing them. Perhaps our simple minds cannot deal with an abundance of colour and choice.

Restaurants that offer a lot of meals with complicated names, for example, confuses me. Give me some pub food any day - simple meals, that you know taste great. The same is true of news sources.