Crime journalists research and write articles about criminal events for newspapers, magazines, television and other media. They conduct interviews and attend court hearings.
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
These occupations require some skills and knowledge of crime journalist. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of crime journalist with a significant experience and/or extensive training.
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of crime journalist.
Interview techniques: The techniques for getting information out of people by asking the right questions in the right way and to make them feel comfortable. Editorial standards: The guidelines on how to deal with and report on privacy, children, and death according to impartiality, and other standards. Criminal law: Th legal rules, constitutions and regulations applicable for the punishement of offenders. Writing techniques: The different techniques to write a story such as the descriptive, persuasive, first person and other techniques. Spelling: The rules concerning the way words are spelled. Grammar: The set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. Court procedures: The regulations which are in place during the investigation of a court case and during a court hearing, and of how these events occur. Copyright legislation: Legislation describing the protection of the rights of original authors over their work, and how others can use it.
These skills are necessary for the role of crime journalist.
Participate in editorial meetings: Participate in meetings with fellow editors and journalists to discuss possible topics and to divide the tasks and workload. Study topics: Carry out effective research on relevant topics to be able to produce summary information appropriate to different audiences. The research may involve looking at books, journals, the internet, and/or verbal discussions with knowledgeable persons. Evaluate writings in response to feedback: Edit and adapt work in response to comments from peers and publishers. Interview people: Interview people in a range of different circumstances. Stay up to date with social media: Keep up with the trends and people on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Consult information sources: Consult relevant information sources to find inspiration, to educate yourself on certain topics and to acquire background information. Record court procedures: Record all the information necessary for proper record maintenance during court hearings, such as the people present, the case, the evidence presented, the sentence made, and other important matters which were brought up during the hearing. Apply grammar and spelling rules: Apply the rules of spelling and grammar and ensure consistency throughout texts. Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities. Follow ethical code of conduct of journalists: Follow the ethical code of conduct of journalists, such as freedom of speech, right of reply, being objective, and other rules. Use specific writing techniques: Use writing techniques depending on the type of media, the genre, and the story. Build contacts to maintain news flow: Build contacts to maintain a flow of news, for example, police and emergency services, local council, community groups, health trusts, press officers from a variety of organisations, the general public, etc. Write to a deadline: Schedule and respect tight deadlines, especially for theatre, screen and radio projects. Follow the news: Follow current events in politics, economics, social communities, cultural sectors, internationally, and in sports.
This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of crime journalist. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Law enforcement: The different organisations involved in law enforcement, as well as the laws and regulations in law enforcement procedures. Pronunciation techniques: The pronunciation techniques to properly and understandably pronounce words. Ict software specifications: The characteristics, use and operations of various software products such as computer programmes and application software. Multimedia systems: The methods, procedures and techniques pertaining to the operation of multimedia systems, usually a combination of software and hardware, presenting various types of media such as video and audio. Desktop publishing: The creation of documents using page layout skills on a computer. Desktop publishing software can generate layouts and produce typographic quality text and images. Audio editing software: The various software for editing and generating audio, such as Adobe Audition, Soundforge, and Power Sound Editor. Press law: The laws concerning the licensing of books and the freedom of expression in all products of the media.
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of crime journalist. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Ask questions at events: Attend a variety of events, such as council meetings, magistrates’ court proceedings, football matches, talent contests, press conferences and ask questions. Edit negatives: Use different software products and techniques to process photographic negatives and adapt the images to the desired specifications. Create online news content: Create and upload news content for e.g. websites, blogs and social media. Apply desktop publishing techniques: Apply desktop publishing techniques and software to create page layouts and typographic quality text. Check correctness of information: Check if the information contains factual errors, is reliable, and has news value. Perform video editing: Rearrange and edit video footage in the course of the post-production process. Edit the footage using a variety of sofware, tools, and techniques such as colour correction and effects, speed effects, and audio enhancing. Proofread text: Read a text thoroughly, search for, review and correct errors to ensure content is valid for publishing. Manage writing administration: Manage the financial and administrative side of writing including making up budgets, maintaining financial records, checking contracts, etc. Adapt to type of media: Adapt to different types of media such as television, movies, commercials, and others. Adapt work to type of media, scale of production, budget, genres within type of media, and others. Manage personal finances: Identify personal financial objectives and set up a strategy to match this target in seeking support and advice when necessary. Promote your writings: Talk about your work at events and conduct readings, speeches and book signings; establish a network among fellow writers. Perform image editing: Edit various types of images such as analogue and digital photographs or illustrations. Edit digital moving images: Use specialised software to edit video images for use in an artistic production. Write headlines: Write” titles to accompany news articles. Make sure they are to the point and inviting. Provide written content: Communicate information in written form via digital or print media according to the needs of the target group. Structure the content according to specifications and standards. Apply grammar and spelling rules. Edit recorded sound: Edit audio footage using a variety of sofware, tools, and techniques such as crossfading, speed effects, and removing unwanted noises. Rewrite articles: Rewrite articles to correct errors, make them more appealing to the audience, and to ensure that they fit within time and space allotments. Communicate by telephone: Liaise via telephone by making and answering calls in a timely, professional and polite manner. Edit photographs: Resize, enhance and retouche photographs, using airbrushing, editing software and other techniques. Document interviews: Record, write, and capture answers and information collected during interviews for processing and analysis using shorthand or technical equipment. Show diplomacy: Deal with people in a sensitive and tactful way. Follow directions of on-site director: Follow the instructions of the director when covering events on location. Present during live broadcasts: Present live on political, economic, cultural, social, international or sport events, or host a live broadcast program. Write captions: Write captions to accompany cartoons, drawings, and photographs. These captions can be humorous or explanatory.
