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Despite the Glamour and Fame, Hard-Work Always

Comes First in this Job –  Says Vinod Verma, Freelance


Journalist with BBC, NDTV & Amar Ujwala
JULY 18, 2018

Insights
1. Journalists should have clear thoughts and opinions because you will be judged and
held accountable for them.
2. Per se, Journalism doesn’t have long working hours, however, the nature of the job
keeps you engaged with work always.
3. You get to meet a lot of amazing people, which expands your viewpoints.
4. Income of Journalist varies according to medium (TV vs Newspaper), Location (Big
City vs Small Town) etc. For example, TV journalists earn better salaries than
Newspapers Journalists.
5. There are no good Institutes, which can help you become a great Journalist. It is
mostly learning-on-the-job.
6. Reading is a must-have hobby if you want to be a journalist.

Personal Details
Name – Vinod Verma
Profession – Freelance Journalist
Age – 52 years
Gender – Male
City – Delhi
Industry – ​Journalism
LinkedIn – ​https://in.linkedin.com/in/vinod-verma-033a535a

Where have you been born and raised?


I was born in Raipur, went to Kali Badi School and finished my education in B.Sc.
(Mathematics).
My father was a primary school teacher, who had a diploma in Homeopathy and used to
provide free homeopathic treatment to people on Sundays.
I had three siblings; two sisters and a brother.
I have a wife and two sons; one of whom works as a Holiday consultant while the younger
one is still studying.

Who was the most influential figure in your life?


Apart from my father, who was a kind and selfless being, I had a teacher in my school, Mrs.
Chaturvedi who used to bring us a magazine ‘Chandra Mallika’, which was published in
both Hindi and English. She used to encourage all students to contribute to it, and I; as I
was both into art and writing, used to contribute a lot. This led me to become a part of the
editorial team in my school, of which I was the head for one year. This was my first ever
journalism experience.

Can you brief a little on your career summary?


I worked for Hindi newspaper ​Deshbandhu​ as an editor for ten years, starting in 1987. I also
wrote reference books on Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Afterward, I moved to Delhi
and worked for five years with a team of four people for a literary magazine ​Akshar Parv​.
Following this, I moved to London and worked for ​BBC​ for two years, and then moved back
to Delhi and started working as an online editor for ​BBC Hindi website​ till 2010, after which I
worked for Amar Ujala, the third largest Hindi newspaper as an editor and a digital
consultant.
In 2013, I started freelancing as a journalist and I’m still engaged in it. I am currently
working as a strategy consultant for newspaper Haribhumi and as a journalist for various
large media channels like ​NDTV​, B
​ BC​, and ​National Herald​, and am also associated with
the political party ​Congress​.

Which institutes are best for this kind of career?


I haven’t done a course related to it; therefore, I do not have a clear idea. However, in my
opinion, there are no institutes that teach you to be a good journalist.
You become better with practice and the work gets easier over time. Internationally, I’d say
BBC is the best institute for learning journalism because working there really gives you a
good understanding of all the aspects.

What are the costs associated with the education/training of


journalism?
Like I said, there are no institutes which can help you become a great journalist, thus there
are no costs associated with it. You can choose any sort of education, and still be here.

How does one start a career in the journalism?


There’s nothing difficult in getting started. I’d started working while I was still in college due
to my family conditions.
You can just approach the job vacancies and offer them a piece of your work. If your work
satisfies their need, then you can start in Journalism. After that, it is all your hard work and
creativity that will take you places.
What is the range of remuneration one can expect in the
journalism industry?
For newspaper journalist, here’s the information:
Starting out — 16 to 18 K INR per month
5 years’ experience — 30K INR per month
10 years’ experience — 50 k INR per month
15 years’ experience — 60K INR per month
20+ years’ experience — 70K INR per month
Salary varies according to the city you’re working in and the medium of Journalism. For
example, salaries of journalists in television medium have higher salaries than those
working for newspapers.

Please describe your work.


While I was still working as an office-journalist, my day consisted of an early morning
meeting between 9:15 AM-9:30 AM, writing the editorial for two hours, planning and some
other managerial stuff. It’s nothing too difficult if you put your heart in it. My day was
relatively simple and no night shifts were necessary.

What are some of the positives, which would encourage


someone to consider a career as a journalist?
1. This is a job where you can never get bored. It matches up with people who have a
lot of enthusiasm.
2. In my journey, I’ve met a large number of amazing people. And I’d list the pleasure of
knowing them as one of the positives.
3. You have the power to express. If there is someone who needs their voice to be
heard, and to help others do the same, there’s no better profession than this.
4. Your work environment is buzzing with individuals of great caliber. Your work culture
is also extraordinary.
What are some of the challenges that you would want someone
to be aware of when considering the journalist as a career?
1. A large amount of your success depends on how hard you work and how talented
you are. If you get easily distracted by glitz and glam then this is probably not the job
for you.
2. Apart from working on the job, you need to constantly work on yourself and keep
updating yourself with the changing times. This leaves you with lesser time for
personal leisure.
3. Your work-life balance destabilizes as you have to be on work constantly even when
you leave your work-space.
4. You need to always make sure to have clear opinions as you will be held
accountable for them.

What are the relevant trends/skills/technologies that are currently


commanding a premium in your job profile?
The more you read, the better you can write. If you read ten pages worth of information,
you’d be able to produce one page in writing. Thus, reading is a must-have hobby.
You must be well-informed and be aware of your surroundings, and what’s going on in the
world around you such as your political surroundings, socio-economic factors, social
problems, everything; and you should have opinions.
Being opinionated is very important; you should have a message to convey. Your opinions
are supposed to be grounded and well-rooted.
Lastly, you should be social. You should meet new people, that’s what really expands your
mind. Others’ opinions don’t only give you food for thought, but also give you a new
dimension to your thinking.
One of my senior journalists has once said, “If you don’t meet two new people every day,
your inner journalist dies.” And that was something worth to live by, as a professional in this
field.
What kind of person would be happy in your career?
Any person who has a lot of energy, ability, and desire to express, and has a yearning to
learn all sorts of things would find this job satisfying.

Given another choice, what would you do differently as far as


your professional selections are concerned?
Honestly, I have never given a thought to this question in my life. I am more than happy with
my profession.

What would be your advice to students or professionals who are


just starting their journey on a path like yours?
My heartfelt advice to anyone who wants to join this field is to know that this is not the kind
of profession to be taken lightly. Of course, glamour and fame accompany, but hard-work
comes first. That’s the reality to be remembered.

Contributing Writer - ​Varidhi Shrivastava


Liked this article? Check out ​our conversation with Mr. Ramarko Sengupta
(Deputy Editor, ​Times of India​)

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