How to become a Journalist
Official title: Journalists
Also called: Journalist, Newspaper editor, Newspaper reporter, Sports writer, Sub editor, TV/radio news producer, TV/radio news reporter,
Journalists research, investigate, interpret and communicate news and public affairs through newspapers, television, radio and other media.
Main tasks
- Collecting local, national and international news through interviews, investigation and observation, attending public events, seeking out records, reviewing written work, attending film and stage performances
- Collecting, reporting and commenting on news and current affairs for publication in newspapers and periodicals, or for broadcasting by radio, television or webcast media
- Receiving, analysing and verifying news and other copy for accuracy
- Interviewing politicians and other public figures at press conferences and on other occasions, including individual interviews recorded for radio, television or webcast media
- Researching and reporting on developments in specialized fields such as medicine, science and technology
- Writing editorials and commentaries on topics of current interest to stimulate public interest and express the views of a publication or broadcasting station
- Writing critical reviews of literary, musical and other artistic works based on knowledge, judgement and experience for newspapers, television, radio and other media
- Selecting material for publication, checking style, grammar, accuracy and legality of content and arranging for any necessary revisions
- Liaising with production staff in checking final proof copies immediately prior to printing
- Selecting, assembling and preparing publicity material about business or other organizations for issue through press, radio, television and other media
Ways in
- University: Communications & Media degrees, Offered by 18 universities in Hong Kong
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$48,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Journalist?
Ways in include: Communications & Media degrees.
Do you need a degree to become a Journalist?
Usually. 85% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a Journalist?
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026