\u201cJournalism has come a long way from having enough 50p pieces for the payphone\u201d, that is according to Hilary McGouran, Managing Editor of RT\u00c9 Television News.<\/p>\n
Ms McGouran came to UL on Wednesday 11th<\/sup> March to give a lecture on the skills that young journalists require to make it in broadcasting.<\/p>\n McGouran, the first woman managing editor in RT\u00c9, believes that journalism is changing and she encouraged students to \u201cget tech savvy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTechnology will be part of what you do,\u201d said McGouran. She feels that there is \u201ca lot expected of journalists\u201d nowadays.<\/p>\n McGouran advised students to be able to take photos and videos on their phones, proof copy, write headlines and even edit their own footage.<\/p>\n \u201cSub editors no longer exist, the journalist does it all,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n According to Ms McGouran: \u201cturning on the news no longer exists in the way it used to,\u201d because it is so readily available online.<\/p>\n McGouran believes that this is a thrilling time for student journalists.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s exciting, you\u2019re at the cusp of something new,\u201d Ms McGouran said.<\/p>\n Even though things are changing \u201cIrish people love news,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n We are one of the only countries who give out news at 9pm, usually a peak time for documentaries.<\/p>\n However, Ms McGouran warned young Journalists that \u201cthe fundamentals of journalism shouldn\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about telling stories and stories that are engaging,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Students shouldn\u2019t overlook the basics; spelling and grammar are really important and understanding libel is a must.<\/p>\n She also advised the students how to behave online.<\/p>\n \u201cUse twitter as a tool, not to tell us what you had for dinner, employers do look,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ms McGouran is head of all news output in RT\u00c9 and is also responsible for news programmes such as Nationwide, News2Day and The Week in Politics.<\/p>\n Ms McGouran\u2019s lecture was part of an ongoing seminar ran by the Journalism department titled \u2018Current Issues in Irish Media\u2019.<\/p>\n Ms. McGouran concluded by thanking Orla Walsh, a Journalism and New Media graduate, who fronted RTE\u2019s children\u2019s news programme News2Day, for the last two years.<\/p>\n News2Day are currently looking for a new presenter and encouraged all Journalism students in UL to apply for the job.<\/p>\n By Sally Gorman<\/em><\/p>\n