How a degree in journalism would benefit in a fast-changing media scenario

The media landscape is ever-evolving and rapidly changing, thanks to the multifarious technological advancements, evolving industry standards, and changing consumer behavioral trends. The advent and growth of social media platforms, coupled with the hogging of the digital space by Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics, has helped reshape the media scenario completely. In this ever-changing landscape, the one thing that continues to hold strong ground is a degree in Journalism. A professional qualification helps keep in tune with the skills required for continual advancement in the field and also allows for quick adaptability to the changing domain. This blog highlights the top benefits of getting a journalism degree online.

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Understanding the Modern Media Landscape

Let us take a minute to understand how exactly the modern media landscape is changing by the day:

• Technological Advancements: Technology has transformed media consumption and production considerably. There has been a steady rise in digital media, social platforms, and multimedia storytelling, marking a shift from traditional print and broadcast media to online platforms. 

• Changing Audience Preferences: The audience is also gradually shifting toward personalized and interactive content. Streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, on-demand audio podcasts, and interactive social media platforms have enabled real-time interactions between content creators and their respective target audiences.

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Core Skills Developed through a Journalism Degree:

Considering the ever-changing media landscape, a journalism degree tends to stay constant in terms of equipping students with a wide array of core skills that prepare them for varied roles in the fields of public relations, communications, digital media, and marketing. 

Given below is a list of some of the key skills that can help improve your employability for career opportunities after a Journalism degree:

• Research and Analytical Skills: Journalism programs teach students to conduct thorough research, analyze data, and verify information, which are critical in producing accurate and credible news. Students learn the key fundamentals of research, identify credible information sources, and conduct interviews to gather information.

• Writing and Communication: Strong writing and communication skills, such as storytelling techniques that help engage diverse audiences, are equally important and taught in journalism courses. The program imparts learning in linguistic precision and clear articulation, professionalism and credibility, and cultural sensitivity and inclusivity.

Adaptability and Versatility

These are the two other core skills developed through a journalism degree. Here’s what the program imparts:

• Multimedia proficiency: Students of journalism learn to create content over varied media formats and channels. A fine blend of theory and practice helps students gain the desired experience in the domain.

• Adaptability to change: Students are equipped with adaptability skills to new tools and technologies in the media industry, which is reflected in the evolving curriculum, and the desire to make students technically proficient in video editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, CMS WordPress, and Google Analytics evaluation platforms.

Check out the article on the impact of AI in the media industry.

Ethics and Credibility  

Along with proficiency in various other skills, students of online journalism degrees are taught the valued skills of ethics, trust, and integrity:

• Journalistic ethics: The special focus is on covering topics like media ethics, accuracy, honesty, objectivity in reporting, transparency, legal compliance, and ethical practice. 

• Building trust: A strong ethical foundation can help journalists build trust with their audience, which is crucial in an era of misinformation. The students’ commitment to checking factual accuracy, ensuring source credibility, fair and unbiased reporting, and accountability to their target audience keeps them grounded and ethical in day-to-day activities.

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Career Opportunities in the Evolving Media Industry

We took a closer look at the modern media landscape and the journalism degree’s contribution to its ever-evolving structure. Let us now review some of the top career prospects in this booming sector:

• Traditional roles: Listed below are some of the conventional roles found in this industry:

Job role	Average annual salary (approx)
Broadcaster	INR 16,64,410 per annum
Editor	INR 6.15 lakh per annum
Reporter	INR 4,20,800 per annum

• Emerging roles: As the above roles continue to evolve to keep pace with the changing media landscape, some of the new and emerging career paths are tabulated below:

Job role	Average annual salary (approx)
Digital Content Creator	INR 4 lakh per annum
Social Media Manager	INR 4,50,000 per annum
Data Journalist	INR 8,25,000 per annum

Networking and Professional Growth

Like any other industry, it is important to network for professional growth and career development. Making the right industry connections and continual learning to upskill yourself is key to keeping pace with the rapidly evolving media industry.

Online journalism programs provide ample opportunities for networking via internships, workshops, and alumni networks. In addition to this, the importance of lifelong learning and professional development in staying relevant in the fast-changing media landscape must be underlined here. This helps adapt to technological advancements in the domain and helps stay relevant to industry trends. Upskilling also enables gaining specialization in a specific domain area which in turn facilitates career advancement. 

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Take your career forward with Online Manipal

Ready to take the first step in the rewarding media industry? An online MA in Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) from Manipal University Jaipur can help you take your career forward in the domain. 

The two-year program is designed to create leaders in the field of journalism and mass communication by equipping skills that provide learners with hands-on experience in scriptwriting, screenwriting, photography, mobile editing software, and writing for new media.

The Master of Arts degree can be pursued in 100% online mode on the Online Manipal platform without disturbing your continuing work commitments and other engagements.

Conclusion

This blog stresses how a degree in journalism can help students keep pace with the fast-changing and ever-evolving media landscape in India. Additionally, pursuing the degree online is equally beneficial in imparting the required skills and enabling students to study and work alongside others. 

If you’re looking for a viable and rewarding career option in today’s fast-paced media world, an online MA-JMC from Manipal University Jaipur can be the perfect answer. The degree lends a strong foundation in establishing research and investigative skills, enabling students to unearth and factually report complex stories that inform and influence public opinion and policy. 

The program also facilitates a deeper understanding of media laws and ethics, ensuring that students always uphold integrity and accountability in their work. It also provides hands-on experience with the latest digital tools and multimedia, preparing students for excellence in roles that require technical proficiency.