NEWSPAPER ASSESSMENT

The following assessment is provided to help you become better acquainted with discovering which media field is right for you.  Use this assessment as step one in planning now for a clear investment into your future.  Keep in mind this assessment is only a tool to help you find your best fit in the media workplace.  It is not a career placement test, but based on your responses, you should have an idea of which media field you are likely to enjoy the most. At the end of this test, you should know more about your top media strengths and weaknesses.  Do your best to judge yourself honestly.  The closer your answers are to your true skills and career desires, the more accurate your results will be.  Remember, with the right talents and education you can look forward to a truly exciting and stimulating career.

So you want to write for a newspaper someday?  Do you have what it takes?   First off, a newspaper is a publication containing news, information and advertising usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint.  It may be general or special interest, most often published daily or weekly.  The first printed newspaper was published in 1605.   Newspapers have thrived even in the face of competition from technologies such as radio, television and the Internet.  Recent developments on the Internet are, however, posing major challenges to the business model of many newspapers. General-interest newspapers are usually journals of current news. Those can include political events, crime, business, culture, sports and opinions (editorials, columns, or political cartoons, etc).  Newspapers use photography to illustrate stories; they use editorial cartoonists, usually to illustrate writing that is opinion, rather than news.

1. Take a moment to think about the types of stories you read in your favorite newspaper.  What types of things do you personally pay attention to in a news article?
2. Which news reporting level of importance do you think appeals to you the most:
3. Local (your neighborhood, your city or your state)?
4. Regional (Midwest, South, East Coast, West Coast, etc)?
5. National?
6. Global/international?
7. Would you rather work in a more intense and hectic environment for a daily publication or a less hectic environment for a weekly publication?
8. Are you creative yet disciplined enough for newspaper page design?
9. What do you feel makes a newspaper worth reading?

MAGAZINE ASSESSMENT

            How much of a magazine fanatic are you?  Here’s a little basic information on what magazines are all about.  A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles and features, generally financed by advertising, purchased by readers, or both. Typically, magazines which focus primarily on current events, such as Newsweek or Entertainment Weekly are published weekly or biweekly. Magazines with a focus on specific interests, such as Rolling Stone or Life Positive, may be published less frequently, such as monthly, bimonthly or quarterly.  There are constantly a plethora of new magazines appearing every year for every type of reader.  Today, you can find a magazine for just about anything you fancy-from cars to music, from health issues to vacation planning, even fashion to interior design.  Take a moment to think about what makes you read a magazine.

1. Evaluate which magazines you subscribe to and read regularly.  What makes you a regular reader of those magazines?
2. Based on readership demographics (race, class, sex/gender, age, etc), how do you think you fit into the target audience of your favorite magazine?
3. What types of articles, features and content do you like to read and/or write?
4. Would you like to write for a specific genre or a specialized magazine (i.e.-Vibe, Essence, Vogue, Home & Garden, Vanity Fair, National Geographic, etc.)?
5. Are you interested in learning more about the process of submitting query letters for future articles (these are letters to the editor of a publication in which you pitch a story idea in hopes of getting published and sell yourself to them on why you’re the best writer for this feature)?

YOUR SELF-ASSESSMENT EVALUATION

Now that you’ve taken the time to think about the questions and information listed above, let’s evaluate your answers.  By the details in your responses, you should now know whether you’re primarily interested in one of the following areas:

1. Print media (Newspaper & Magazine)
2. Broadcast media (Radio & Television)
3. E-media (Web-based, online and interactive media)


If you’re still unsure or would like more info, please take a moment to find your way to additional resources for your academic and professional career selection process in our Media Resource section.