A chef is able to fulfill his work if he has served a good meal, while a surgeon can say that he accomplished his job if he was able to save the patient’s life. But what does determine the success of work done by media writers? What is considered a win to media writing? To answer these questions, we must begin within ourselves and assess the qualities and skills a media writer should possess.
| QUALITIES OF MEDIA WRITER | RATING | SKILLS OF MEDIA WRITER | RATING |
| 1. Curious or Inquisitive | 4 | 1. Gathering Data | 3 |
| 2. Intelligent | 3 | 2. Validating and Clarifying Information | 2 |
| 3. Industrious | 4 | 3. Organizing Information | 2 |
| 4. Resourceful | 4 | 4. Writing Clearly and Effectively | 3 |
| 5. Persevering | 3 | 5. Proficiency in the Operation of Communication Tools/Devices | 4 |
| 6. Imaginative | 2 | ||
| 7. Puts Premium on Accuracy and Truth (facts) | 1 | ||
| 8. Loves to Read | 1 | ||
| 9. Interested In and Loves People | 4 | ||
| 10. Service-oriented | 2 |
To begin, there are 10 key qualities of a media writer including curious or inquisitive, intelligent, industrious, resourceful, and persevering. The other half consists of imaginative, puts a premium on accuracy and truth, loves to read, interested in and loves people, and service oriented. Among the given qualities, I chose resourceful, puts premium on accuracy and truth, and service oriented as the most important ones. As media writers being resourceful is your edge to work flexible on an innovative nature. To deliver a more valuable article, the one who scratches the surface the most are able to mine diamonds in a news report. Resourcefulness mentions the ability to view necessary perspectives to cover the highlights of information. In addition, putting premium on accuracy and truth is a rare skill nowadays in a platform full of opinionated contents. Across the endless channels that come up with different versions of truth it is hard to identify which one delivers the original one. As esteemed journalists, being media literate is a defining quality that should not just end within you but should be reciprocated within your readers. Speaking of audience, media writers should always be service oriented. Having the platform to write holds a great responsibility and power that can influence and transform individuals. This platform should be utilized to widen the access of citizens for reliable and valid information.
On the other hand, there are 5 essential skills for media writers the comprises of gathering data, validating and clarifying information, organizing information, writing clearly and effectively and proficiency in the operation of communication tool/devices. Here, I picked the 2 most essential skills. First, writing clearly and effectively, is the key to effective communication. Cementing this in mind means you have reviewed the information needs of your audience. As media writers, the last thing we need to think when writing is to impress, rather, publishing an article that can satisfy the information needs of the audience congruent to the level of their perception. Second, is proficiency in the operation of communication tool/devices. Exposure and competence to various platforms and applications showcases your professionalism ang high level of literacy. This skill is also necessary to catch up on the exponential progression of a media-saturated world. Moreover, it will also enable media writers to shift with applicable formats when producing materials that will cater the information needs of readers.
The work of a media writer is pretty much subjective on multifaceted nature of writing. From the qualities and skills of a media writer, I saw a common ground that would summarize its shared context. That is the power of discernment. Discerning that is not limited to one sense, but to the multidimensions of media writing. So, I would say that a media writer accomplished his job if his work is discerning. His works does not only deliver necessary information but have the capacity to influence his readers’ mind to make an informed decision. Nevertheless, as practicing professionals, as much as we are expected to possess all these skills and qualities, we should also bare in mind that good writers are made and not born. Just like other profession, it takes thousands of hours of practice before fully mastering the field.
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