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The three successful graduates talked about their experiences and gave insights into the everyday life of an editor. It quickly became clear that all three had one thing in common: A passion for their profession.
Journalists are rich in experience and that's the beauty of it. We work with texts and language and can research and report on new things every day. So you learn something new every day. The important thing is to love your tools.
Stefan Mey, Graduate of the Diploma Programme International Economic Relations
The experts also had their answers to what makes a good journalist. They all agreed on the essential soft skills such as ‘stress resistance, creativity and socialising’.
As a journalist, you have to approach the topic with an open mind, be curious and - no matter how difficult it is - put yourself in every position. Technical skills to keep up with the next generation, intuition and the right nose for stories are also a clear advantage.
Lena Pavitsich, Graduate Bachelor & Master Information, Media & Communication
She likes to pay special attention to regional journalism: ‘You have to be close to the people. You have to be able to talk to local people. That's how you get regional specialities. We notice from the response that such topics are very well received.’
You also have to be a good salesperson. I myself have to tell my story to my colleagues in the department and create an atmosphere for it in the big editorial conferences. My story has to stand out: Why is it so important that it should be read by many readers? I have to be able to advertise my own story.
Michael Köttritsch, Graduate Master Human Resource Management and Labour Law CEEC
Mey: ‘I was attracted by the international aspect of studying International Business Relations. I wanted to see the world. My flatmate then invited me to a journalism seminar in Vienna. I met the right people there and became an editor at the Wirtschaftsblatt. The degree programme was a great fit. So you don't have to study journalism and journalism studies to become a journalist.’
Michael Köttritsch also added from his experience in recruiting at ‘Die Presse’: ‘What we are looking for are people who are technically good and fit into the team. What training should the applicants have? We want to cover a broad spectrum in the editorial offices, such as lawyers, technicians and scientists. This enables us to shed light on topics from different perspectives. We don't want activists. If you want to do politics, you should go into politics. We want to look at the issues objectively and report on them.’
Pavitsich: ‘There are topics where you have to be quick. In the current corona pandemic, we are noticing this fast pace particularly strongly. The facts are changing rapidly. We have to be able to familiarise ourselves with all topics relatively quickly.’ Lena Pavitsich also has the young target group in mind. ‘The job of journalism is to pick up the target group where they are: in the right place with the right topics. Informing them is not the problem - young people are curious, but they wouldn't read information on Radio Burgenland, for example, but they would certainly read it on ORF Burgenland's Facebook and Instagram pages.’ Her appeal: ‘We need young people in the editorial offices!’
Köttritsch: ‘We journalists need to have a broad knowledge in order to recognise stories. So that we can categorise what our interviewees are saying. During an interview, we don't have time to google whether what they're saying might be true. We have to decide on the spot.’
Mey: ‘There are topics that we plan for the next day and then there are also long-term topics. We also take time for these, such as a report on a start-up.’
Pavitsich: ‘I would like to see more women and fewer old white men in Austrian journalism. A rejuvenation and a feminisation overall. A more diverse editorial team in general. That we simply appeal to more people in order to get into niches and regional issues.’
‘I would like to see people come to us who have not necessarily studied journalism, but other fields of study. That's an important part of diversity,’ added Michael Köttritsch.
Mey: ‘I've tried so many times to do something different - it's like a drug, you can't get away from it. For me, the job of a journalist is the best job in the world.’
Köttritsch: ‘I wouldn't have returned to the newsroom if I didn't love writing so much. I also experienced the other side when I worked in HR, but writing and telling stories is what appeals to me.’
Pavitsich: ‘I would go down this path again. The wide-ranging Information, Media and Communication degree programme at FH Burgenland helped me in that I learned all the technical skills there. This helps in my day-to-day work (video editing, photo editing, etc.). It's an incredibly great job.’
Finally, our three graduates were allowed to give their younger teenage selves some well-intentioned advice. In addition to answers such as ‘get your driving licence earlier’ and ‘learn French’, another important tip was to take your time, try things out and take the pressure off yourself. Gaining experience is the be-all and end-all, she concluded.
You can watch the live talk on our YouTube channel:
Michael Köttritsch, MA is head of the ‘Working Worlds, Management & Careers’ section at ‘Die Presse’ and in the past worked as head of HR for the ‘Presse’, among other things. Today he is known to many of us, as his column ‘Sprechblase’ (speech bubble) picks up on the one or other phrase of manager speak, as he also calls it. He completed a Master's degree in Human Resource Management and Labour Law at the FH Burgenland.
Mag. (FH) Stefan Mey, MA is head of the WebStandard, the technology section of Der Standard, and runs the travel and lifestyle blog Voyage Wizard in his spare time. He was previously editor-in-chief of brutkasten and, as Head of Online at HORIZONT, was responsible for the relaunch and editorial support of horizont.at, among other things. As an editor at Format and Trend, as well as at WirtschaftsBlatt, he dealt with the topics of business, politics, tech and finance. Mr Mey is also an author. His novel ‘Indien 2.0 - Twittern im Tuk’ was published in 2012 and he completed a degree programme in International Economic Relations at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland.
Lena Pavitsich BA, MA can look back on an impressive career that began as a freelance editor at ORF Burgenland. The online expert is responsible for ORF Burgenland's social media channels and is part of the online editorial team. As an editor, she also created contributions for radio and TV and gained experience as a presenter on the popular radio programme Guten Morgen Burgenland. She studied for a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Information, Media & Communication at the FH Burgenland.
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