Broadcast journalism programs prepare people to report, produce, and deliver news on television, the radio, or in other electronic media. Students learn to gather information and write clearly. They also learn to produce, direct, and edit broadcasts.
In 2003, when journalists traveled with American troops during the war in Iraq, they made media history. It was the first time that broadcast journalists could send "real time" reports from the battlefield. Improved communication technology allowed the American people to hear and see many different aspects of the war as they were happening.
Print journalists deliver "real time" news to us as well. Braving wild winds and torrential rain, these reporters trek to the scene of a hurricane just as broadcast journalists do. But sometimes, that added dimension of seeing a news anchor's umbrella whizzing away in the storm as he's delivering a report brings the news closer to home, doesn't it?
If you're someone who appreciates the responsibilities of journalism and craves to pursue this field on TV or on the radio, broadcast journalism is the program of study for you.
As a student in this program, you take many of the same courses as print journalism students. You learn to gather and sort through information and to write clearly. You consider ethical issues in the field of journalism and study the legal aspects of mass communication. You also study the history of mass media.
You then apply these fundamental journalism courses to the world of broadcasting. Instead of learning to edit and design a print publication, you learn to edit and produce a broadcast program. In addition to learning how to write clearly, you practice speaking clearly and timing your delivery of the news to fit the time you have. An ethical question you might consider in TV broadcast journalism would be, "how much coverage is too much?" Should you televise graphic video footage from a crime scene?
As with other types of journalism, a background in broadcast journalism prepares you for a wide range of different careers. You could be the weather reporter on the evening news, the producer of documentaries, the moderator of a political forum on TV - the possibilities abound.
Many colleges and universities offer bachelor's and master's degree programs in broadcast journalism. In general, a bachelor's degree takes about four years of full-time study after high school, and a master's degree typically takes one to two years after that.
Some two-year colleges offer certificates and associate degrees in this program of study. However, these programs are intended to give you transfer credits at a four-year college where you can earn a bachelor's degree.