Coming from the uninitiated

So much has happened lately. And perhaps not surprisingly, it has made me stop and reflect for a while.

The world of journalism is complex. And varied. Now being a journalist means many different things!

In BRATs (a workshop for aspiring young journalists), we learned (in a really fun way! :D) about the basics of newsmaking. News content are typically divided into hard news and soft news.

For someone who steers away from (not very fond of) serious, hard-core issues (such as politics and law), writing for soft news was more relaxing although it requires more effort put into writing.

You see, reporting for hard news is usually laying out the facts 5W+1H in a straightforward manner, whereas in soft news, you need to determine a good angle and present the story interestingly, usually with a sense of humour/storytelling/informal tone to it.

When I think about it, both are equally hard, but it seems quite clear that soft news would the one with a lower stress level! Not to mention, quite possibly, a chance to rub shoulders with high-profile people. To add on, less risks of being injured/killed as well.

Of needs and wants:

So I formed a thought that people, in general need hard news but want soft news.

But I think age is a factor too. Most youngsters would head straight for the pullout containing leisure, celebrity and gossip news, events, premieres, concerts, but others would feel the necessary need to find out what (elections/politicking/war/development/current affairs) is going on.

Which is easier to write? Which is easier to interview? Which is easier to report?

Well, I know there is unlikely ever to be an easy way out, as much depends on your own skills, but with guidance/experience etc, everything can be clear-cut. (At least I hope so!)

I'm sure that everything we do/experience, no matter how insignificant, is no doubt a start (and a good way) to learn!

Wait, it is somehow strange that some news contains the writer's byline while some news don't. Without the byline, is it worth the effort?

Hmm.

But for any profession, work is still work.

Challenges included.