For those interested in pursuing a writing career, the difference between a journalist and a reporter is a startlingly large one. Even though the two professions often overlap and work with many of the same material, knowing how they differ can help direct one’s educational journey. The article below explores the differences and similarities to that end.
The Broad and the Narrow
First, it’s important to note that all reporters are technically journalists. Journalism is a broad field of study and a highly variant professional sphere. Having said that, when a person works as a journalist, they are accomplishing a great deal more than pure news reportage. Perhaps the most critical difference between these two professions is a matter of scope. Other jobs also fall into the broader category of journalists, such as editors, columnists, publishers, news anchors, and opinion columnists.
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Just the Facts
As Scott Knickelbine notes in an article for The Houston Chronicle, reporters report. It’s that simple. The main points of public events are their area of expertise. While they practice journalism, their main aim in writing is to communicate the major points—how, when, where, why, and who or by whom. They do not interpret or offer perspective. They do not interject personal opinion.
This type of reportage has a well-deserved reputation for being sparse and lacking in personality, but that is also an essential feature. Sources are also vital. Reporters rely on primary sources, such as interviews with individuals directly involved with the issue or event upon which they are reporting. They may also directly record with audio or visual equipment, providing direct evidence of how an event or public occurrence happened, who was involved, and other relevant details.
They are not giving the public their opinion of a story but providing the raw materials with which the public may form their views. The Spartan presentation allows the facts and details to stand on their own and also bolsters the integrity of the reportage. Without this reputation-based factor, the veracity of a story comes into question.
To Dig, Disseminate, and Discuss
Perhaps the most confusing aspect of the difference between a journalist and a reporter in this era is the prevalence of opinion-based writing. Opinion columnists and editorial writers are also journalists. However, the image held by the popular consciousness seems to be one more in line with the investigative journalist. These individuals pursue a line of inquiry about a topic, event, group or individual.
Like reporters, they also rely on sources, which can include individuals, primary documentation, and contemporary written accounts about the past. But their research is blended with their perspective. While investigative journalists do prize integrity and purity of information, they may also spend more time on a single piece than most reporters. Research can sometimes necessitate travel, use of archival material, and working with individual human sources on their time.
Perhaps what is most vital is to distinguish between people educated in the tenets and techniques of professional journalism, who are often employed by news agencies or other services, and those who are not. Citizen journalism, a title associated with blogging and vlogging, refers to private individuals without professional training who offer their perspective on a topic, event, or person. These individuals are neither journalists nor reporters.
More essential than ever, journalism is a field that promotes an informed, aware populace. Understanding events, being able to parse what is an educated opinion and what is a faithfully described fact is a skill every individual should possess. While all those trained in the field of journalism have earned the title, the essential difference between a journalist and a reporter is one of scope or stance.