Profession sports journalist

Sports journalists research and write articles about sport events and athletes for newspapers, magazines, television and other media. They conduct interviews and attend events.

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Personality Type

Knowledge

  • Copyright legislation

    Legislation describing the protection of the rights of original authors over their work, and how others can use it.

  • Sport games rules

    The rules and regulations of sport games such as football, soccer, tennis, and others.

  • Writing techniques

    The different techniques to write a story such as the descriptive, persuasive, first person and other techniques.

  • Interview techniques

    The techniques for getting information out of people by asking the right questions in the right way and to make them feel comfortable.

  • Sporting events

    Possess an understanding of different sporting events and conditions that can affect a result.

  • Grammar

    The set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language.

  • Sports competition information

    The information regarding latest results, competitions and events in the sporting industry.

  • Editorial standards

    The guidelines on how to deal with and report on privacy, children, and death according to impartiality, and other standards.

  • Spelling

    The rules concerning the way words are spelled.

Skills

  • Stay up to date with social media

    Keep up with the trends and people on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • Evaluate writings in response to feedback

    Edit and adapt work in response to comments from peers and publishers.

  • Build contacts to maintain news flow

    Build contacts to maintain a flow of news, for example, police and emergency services, local council, community groups, health trusts, press officers from a variety of organisations, the general public, etc.

  • Study topics

    Carry out effective research on relevant topics to be able to produce summary information appropriate to different audiences. The research may involve looking at books, journals, the internet, and/or verbal discussions with knowledgeable persons.

  • Follow ethical code of conduct of journalists

    Follow the ethical code of conduct of journalists, such as freedom of speech, right of reply, being objective, and other rules.

  • Apply grammar and spelling rules

    Apply the rules of spelling and grammar and ensure consistency throughout texts.

  • Use specific writing techniques

    Use writing techniques depending on the type of media, the genre, and the story.

  • Develop professional network

    Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.

  • Participate in editorial meetings

    Participate in meetings with fellow editors and journalists to discuss possible topics and to divide the tasks and workload.

  • Consult information sources

    Consult relevant information sources to find inspiration, to educate yourself on certain topics and to acquire background information.

  • Write to a deadline

    Schedule and respect tight deadlines, especially for theatre, screen and radio projects.

  • Follow the news

    Follow current events in politics, economics, social communities, cultural sectors, internationally, and in sports.

  • Interview people

    Interview people in a range of different circumstances.

Optional knowledge and skills

apply desktop publishing techniques desktop publishing audio editing software present during live broadcasts manage writing administration edit digital moving images follow directions of on-site director perform image editing multimedia systems promote your writings edit recorded sound adapt to type of media write captions write headlines pronunciation techniques adapt to changing situations perform video editing communicate by telephone manage personal finances check correctness of information sport history rewrite articles press law provide written content edit negatives create online news content ict software specifications document interviews ask questions at events edit photographs proofread text

Source: Sisyphus ODB