Laura Ruel, an assistant professor of communications at North Carolina University asked media experts what are the most important skills that are in demand for the online journalism field.
Being a smart, critical thinker is pivotal for success in the profession but there is also a large emphasis on being able to apply the tools of the new media to their work.
She gathered that the ability to use:
• Flash
• Shoot and edit video
• Proficiency at HTML
She explained these and other necessary skills in broader detail
Media Editing Skills: Audio and Video
It is crucial that employees know how to edit software for effective story telling. There is no particular software that is used by everyone but it is necessary for an upstart to be familiar with any reliable video or audio editing program in order to build up on that and incorporate it in their profession.
Web Site Development Skills: HTML, CSS
Understanding basic HTML is an online journalism lifeline. The basics skills, such as, knowing how to format text, defining a headline and applying some color or size characteristic to a page element as well as constructing an image and embedding a video are very important to various online journalism newsrooms.
Interface design skills: Photoshop, Illustrator, creating user-oriented designs
Being proficient if software design, such as Illustrator and Photoshop, is essential for creating comprehensive layouts for the website. This will also help the users better access information online.
Data Skills: Excels, Access, PHP
The ability to organize information and look at relationships between data is important to online teamwork. Experience with Excel and other basic programs is a stepping stone to understanding more complex programs.
Enterprise and curiosity
Employers value enterprise: the ability to find good, solid stories and discover new, innovative ways to present them.
Employees who demonstrate curiosity, fearlessness and a strong desire to master complicated editing tools will find success in the industry.
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