Author Barbara Ehrenreich moderates a press conference on the effects of the economic crisis in April 2009 Americans working in these low paying jobs had to have two or three jobs to survive Ehrenreich did not simply want to describe the plight of the working poor She wanted to help improve their working conditions and pay She said As a journalist I search for the truth But as a moral person I am also obliged to do something about it CAN ANYONE BE A JOURNALIST Journalists gather information create a story about it and share that story with the public Some journalists write stories for people to read in newspapers or magazines or on the Internet Others record audio
or video reports for people to listen to on the radio or watch on television Journalists go by different names including reporters and correspondents Anyone can gather THE DOWNFALL OF A PRESIDENT On August 9 1974 the front page headline of the Washington Post said simply Nixon Resigns Richard Nixon was president of the United States He was forced to give up his job He had been part of the Watergate scandal He knew about a plot to break into his political opponents offices in the Watergate building in Washington DC Journalists found out what happened They wrote stories about it Citizens read newspaper articles and watched television reports about what had happened The public believed Nixon lied Nixon became very unpopular and decided to resign information and share it with the world People can write articles and publish their work on blogs People can take photos and videos on smartphones and post them online But there are differences between journalists and citizens acting as journalists The job of journalists is to report news stories They are paid to do it
Journalists must get the facts straight IN THE REAL WORLD Editors check their work before it's published Journalists can lose their jobs if they make mistakes Citizens acting CITIZENS GET THE WORD OUT FIRST On September 17 2011 citizens gathered in Zuccotti Park in New York City They were there to protest They were upset about the gap between rich people and poor people in the United States Their protest was called Occupy Wall Street Wall Street is part of New York City's main financial district The protesters themselves posted messages online The protesters shared news from the site before journalists did as journalists are not being paid to report stories No one reviews their work or makes sure they get the facts right They most likely do not have the same education and training that a journalist does Their contributions can be valuable however They might be on the scene of a newsworthy event before reporters can arrive In those cases citizens
In 2011 protesters marched in New York City for Occupy Wall Street can provide the first reports to help tell a story from another perspective BECOMING A JOURNALIST Journalists usually graduate from a four year college program While in college students might study journalism communications English or political science Students are also encouraged to get real world experience College students might work for a news organization in a position called an internship After the
