Sự khác nhau giữa reporter và journalist
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hello, could you, please, help me to clear up the difference between the following words: journalist, columnist and reporter. is "journalist" a wider notion which includes "columnist" and "reporter"? thank you
As I understand it, a journalist writes about a subject in depth, a columnist makes an opinion on different subjects and a reporter informs about current events.
I may be wrong but that is how I think it is.
I would agree with Quijote 100%!
I would just add that a columnist is one whose work usually appears in a periodical at regular intervals and is usually on the editorial page. Almost always, the column contains mostly personal opinion with various facts to support the argument.
I disagree that a columnist usually appears on the editorial page. In my local paper, we have: * the sports page columnist --> writes his opinion on the local sports teams/players and what they are doing right or wrong (with supporting evidence). * the "living" section columnist --> writes about male/female relationships (often sharing mildly humorous personal experiences) * the fashion columnist (also "living" section)--> answers questions about current fashion * the financial columnist (business section) --> writes about managing money, incorporating personal experiences. etc....
DesertCat, good point! I'll amend the point to saying that a columnist's work usually appears in the same place each time (at least in a newspaper). I was specificially thinking of an editorial columnist when I made the original statement.
Posts # 2 & 5 are both correct. The word journalist, however, is being used loosely used to include even those who don't really know how to write properly, including photographers and radio broadcasters.
Are you a journalist or a columnist or a reporter, by chance?
Isn't reporter is a more general term than journalist - including all media?
panjandrum, I can't speak for the Philippines (which may be different from the rest of the world), but journalism is usually a broader term in respects to function. A journalist can also edit (among other things). Also, Raindear may never have heard of photojournalists or videojournalists, both of whom do not write, but rather present their work through other mediums. A journalist generally has more flexibility (especially with regards to adding his own opinion) than a reporter in what he writes or presents. Also, in a traditional sense, someone who gathers news for the radio would be referred to as a reporter, not a journalist. So, you're right -- a reporter does cross other mediums that a journalist would not.
Isn't reporter is a more general term than journalist - including all media?
I would think so, but to be honest I never gave it much thought until this thread.
Actually, that's what I love about discussing English with non-native speakers. The questions and comments make us think about how we use words that we often take for granted! A good example is the case of using "to" or "for" when asking for a ticket. I honestly never pondered the decision previously!
Panj, is it possible that in your idiom it still matters that journal in French still specifically means "newspaper?" In AE we've lost that connection, and the word has become more generic. Also as modgirl pointed out, the news profession is more specialized now, and editors and columnists and critics and PR people and legal staff need a rubrique to fall under-- "reporter" sounds like just another specialized role. "So, I hear you're in sales."
"Yes, I'm an advance-marketing executive for the Scripps-Howard Group."
"Oh a journalist. I have a friend in that field-- he does preemptive-litigation writeups for MSNBC's legal division."
Does that mean he does the press write-ups before the litigation actually takes place?
No. Specifically, he writes the threatening letters they send to any bimbo who pops up with a prospectus for a tell-all book about one of the candidates they flack, or the odd on-camera talking head. A bit more seniority and he'll be returning fire when the bimbos' lawyers mail in counterthreats. Higher echelons of responsibility involve hush money, and my friend lacks the prerequisite background in hedge-fund tax law and international banking.
Quijote's Post #2 gave the traditional (or conservative?) definitions for journalist, columnist and reporter. DesertCat's Post #5 expanded the definition for columnists. Both are correct. modgirl, no I'm not suggesting that a columnist does not have work that appears regularly. Some columnists appear everyday in news dailies. There are those whose columns come out once, twice or thrice a week; it depends on the publication.
Also, in a traditional sense, someone who gathers news for the radio would be referred to as a reporter, not a journalist. So, you're right -- a reporter does cross other mediums that a journalist would not. The Philippines use the American standard. However, many of us tend to get confused with the British standard. When I was a cub reporter, I used to insist on the BE spelling (honour, programme, diarrhoea, valour, enquire, etc.) and got perplexed when my editors would change them. It was only then that I learned about the difference between BE and AE.
I'm in North America, and worked with a major newspaper for many years. A columnist would have a regular "spot" that he writes on a predetermined basis (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.). A journalist is not only in print media, you can be a television journalist, also..as well as a TV reporter. The words are pretty much interchangeable in many ways. A journalist, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is someone who writes for a news medium, not just print news, but any medium. According to the same dictionary a reporter is someone who records facts or "news" items for any medium (print, TV, radio, internet, etc.) I think the biggest difference would be that you are often referred to as a journalist if you write large, in-depth feature stories, like those you would see in Time Magazine. They do not have to be current news, you could write about World War II, whereas a reporter is usually considered the person gathering current news items.
All reporters are journalist and all journalists are reporters. Reporters study at schools of journalism and receive journalism degrees, so from an academic standpoint, reporters are professional journalists.
Correction The UK website I referred to was specifically related to newspaper journalism. I have since found the website for The National Union of Journalists:
http://www.nuj.org.uk/
"INDUSTRIAL SECTORS the divisions of the NUJ's membership according to where they work. There are five - broadcasting, freelance, newspapers and agencies, magazine and book, and public relations."
I've never been a reporter, but I write editorial columns for newspapers, freelance articles for magazines, and have authored a couple of books. Quite frankly, the people with whom I associate really don't get caught up too much with specific titles like you mention. But I do understand the original poster's question. When one (especially one whose first language is not English) reads the words, such as reporter, journalist, and so forth, it's helpful to have some descriptions!
modgirl, I'm with you on that. Titles also don't matter much to me. We were just trying to help the original poster clarify matters. BTW, I'm just a junior journalist trying very hard to improve on my English. I stumbled into this nice forum while searching for answers to that "got beat or beaten" puzzle. Writing a regular column is one of the goals of reporters. Some end up becoming editors, some become PRs or publicists. Those in the US or UK and other developed countries have wider options. They could become correspondents abroad. Authoring a book is a dream that only a few realize. So, modgirl, I salute you! P.S. - In the broadcast media, columnists are called commentators.
I'd say that your efforts have paid off quite well, because if you hadn't told me, I would never have suspected that English is not your first language! Your command of English that I've seen is excellent. Keep up the good work!
Thanks. FYI, there was a time when our folks spoke excellent English and did well in math. My dad (now a septuagenarian) still writes very well, having studied under American and Canadian teachers. The students of these teachers became teachers themselves, and we were lucky enough to be among those. The present generation are less fortunate because of the deteriorating quality of instruction.
thank you A reporter and a columnist fall under journalism. BTW, back in college (that is not more than a year ago), journalism was defined as the gathering, writing and circulating of news and views.
Phlegyas, Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers were columnists but I would never refer to them as journalists. One could write a weekly column on gardening. I don't equate that to journalism. |
