'Learn how to code' — the editor-in-chief of one of the biggest newspapers in the US shares her best advice on going into journalism
Joanne Lipman
The journalism job market looks downright gloomy.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of reporter, correspondent, and broadcast news analyst jobs will decline by 9% between 2014 and 2024.
So how can young people make it in this increasingly competitive field?
Joanne Lipman, the editor-in-chief of USA Today, a newspaper with a daily reach of 110 million readers across print and digital, suggests aspiring journalists build their tech chops.
"Learn how to code," Lipman tells Business Insider. "Make sure that you take some classes. Not heavy-duty computer science necessarily, but learn development and programming. Learn to work with data and data visualization."
Lipman says that, in some cases, newsroom veterans may lack the "valuable" technical skills that young journalists can bring to the table.
In addition to coding, she says that it's crucial to master other programs and tools that can help you tell a better story.
"We're always looking for people who are talented and creative across multiple platforms," Lipman says. "All great journalists share one quality, which is they are great conceptualizers and they've a great nose for finding stories. Increasingly, what we look for, are people who can tell those stories across different platforms."
So, for aspiring journalists, that means it's imperative to learn the basics of video programs, photography, and social media, too.
"There are many different ways to convey stories," Lipman says.