What does a Journalist actually do?

The short version

Journalists find and report stories — news, features, investigations — for an industry whose business model has been broken for twenty years. Regional reporters file several stories a day on modest pay; national and broadcast roles pay better but are far fewer and far more competed for.

The pitch: when it works it's genuinely meaningful — scoops, accountability, a front page with your name on it — and distinctive original reporting may matter more now that commodity content is machine-made. The catch: entry pay is poor by graduate standards, newsrooms keep shrinking, a large slice of the workforce is freelance on uneven rates, and many talented journalists eventually move to better-paid comms roles.

Entry routes that actually work

• NCTJ diploma — accredited degree or fast-track course; still the qualification most employers ask for.
• Journalism apprenticeship / trainee scheme — paid routes into broadcasters and publishers, no debt.
• Local paper → bigger titles — the old ladder still works: learn everything on a regional, then move.