A Media and Communication graduate has given his top tips for succeeding in the industry after landing a TV role.
William Njobvu, who graduated in July, has been working on major stories including the marches in London in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo tragedy for Russia Today.
He said: “Experience, perseverance and the hunger for chasing stories will get you a job in journalism. I pitched a story idea to the Russia Today editor, I helped him to cover the story and I got invited in for an interview.”
It is a 24/7 news channel which is available to 550million viewers worldwide. Its London operation opened earlier this year.
William has to produce a minimum of three stories a day and sources interviewees from around the country for his news pieces and interviews.
Working in the media was William’s ambition from a young age but he deliberately chose a wide-ranging degree in Media and Communication to explore all the options available in the industry before deciding on his specialism.
“It helped me to discover my true passions,” he said. “Doing Demon FM was a great experience too.”
He paid tribute to DMU lecturer Stuart Price for inspiring him during his media discourse module, which he said “helped me discover that I enjoy reporting the news.”
He added: “DMU overall helped me to build on my research, writing and analysis skills, and I’ve have to say these three skills are helping my big time right now!”
William’s advice for people wanting to get into the industry is: “Watch the news every day, keep up to date with current affairs. To be a journalist you have to be inquisitive. Get as much work experience as you can, pay attention in all of your classes and network – the media is all about connecting and communicating with people.”
He is full of praise for the university and says: “I’m still at a very early stage in my career and I’ve still got a lot to learn, but DMU certainly helped me to get to this stage.”
Posted on Wednesday 11 February 2015