Cathleen Black - Which skills are important in journalism?

Cathleen Black, considered "The First Lady of American Magazines" and "one of the leading figures in American publishing over the past two decades" by the Fi...

If one wants to be on the editorial side...a passion for writing, a passion for photography, a passion for great storytelling is really at the essence of being a journalist. I mean, you could become a newspaper journalist, you could become a television broadcaster, but it really is about loving the opportunity to tell a story. And that means those entry-level jobs can be a lot of "grunt work." They don't have to be fancy. It's gonna take a lot of time to get that job. You can't expect to get it right away. But I personally believe - and I've been in this business for a very long time - you can get a job. It takes persistence. It takes follow up. It takes courage. It takes using every contact that you have. You just cannot take no for an answer. You might have to start in a smaller city. You might have to start at a smaller newspaper, or television station, or magazine, but eventually you can really move ahead. It's possible.