DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MASS COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
This article was updated on 13th June 2020.
With the change in technology over time the word “communication” has also changed in various ways, in the ancient time people to communicate through birds, letters, signals, drums or actually communicating with one another and discussing various day to day topics. But, with time we can see how technology has taken over the entire world and it has massively influenced the way we communicate, we moved from more natural ways of communicating to different ways like telegrams, postcards, post, landline phones, mobile phones, SMS, email and the most recent one that has taken over the world is the internet.
Journalism and mass media are both new platforms by with you can reach out to a larger audience but of them do have differences.
JOURNALISM
Journalism, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is “the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news website or preparing news to be broadcast.
It is also defined as “The work of collecting, writing, and publishing news stories and articles in newspapers and magazines or broadcasting them on the radio and television” by the Cambridge dictionary.
Journalism is an area of communication, in which the recipients of the information are given a prominent place. Journalism has its concentration on one specific group in the audience. They mainly target the literate people (people who can read) since journalism is mostly involved with print media. Types of Journalism are electronic media, print media or cyber media.
MASS COMMUNICATION
Mass communication as defined by the Oxford dictionary is “ the imparting or exchanging of information on a large scale to a wide range of people”
It is also defined as “Something such as television or the internet that means that a message, story, etc. can be communicated to a large number of people at the same time” by the Cambridge dictionary.
Mass communication is a major part of journalism, they work with each other and are relying on one another. We find mass communication in many places of the media such as television, radio, internet, mobile phones, newspapers, and magazines, etc. Basically, mass communication is a type of communication that can provide information to the larger group audience it may include littermate or nonliterate. Therefore, they do not target a specific group of people or medium.
COURSES AND CAREER OPPORTUNITY IN JOURNALISM
A person wanting to pursue journalism can get bachelors, master’s degree or they can also go for a diploma course in the same. People who have an interest in this course should have detailed knowledge in political science, economics, and English language this will be really helpful to them in the future as being updated in an important part of journalism. Students who have flair for photography can also opt for photojournalism. Journalists have a wide scope in India and in foreign countries as it’s a very new profession the demand for good employees are always high. They can also seek out for careers in print media like newspapers or journals as editors, proof-readers, cartoonist, feature writer etc. they can also be employed in the electronic modes of communication, as researchers, production workers, presenters and so on.
Students will have to prepare for an entrance exam as many universities hold entrance based admission for this course.
COURSES AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN MASS COMMUNICATION
Mass communication has a lot of branches in itself and it is a very wide subject, it gives a student to show their creativity and talent on various platforms. There are many graduate and postgraduate programs in Mass Communication on may also go for a degree course if they like. Numerous leading educational institutions offer diverse courses in the concerned field. A person must be a graduate to secure a good job in the industry. Aspirants who have completed the various courses in mass communication can seek out for a career in the private and public sector. People who pursue research programs in mass communication can become research analysts in related areas. Various opportunities are available in the commercial world, publishing houses, film industry, media industry, image management agencies, creative director, copywriter, illustrator, market research executive etc.
SKILLS REQUIRED FOR JOURNALISM
A journalist should be a good writer and commenter. They should know about various topics and should be able to research and create informatics articles for the audience. Journalism involves less creativity but certainly more accuracy and precision. A journalist should always keep him or her self-updated with the current affairs, read at least one or more newspapers every day and have away with the world of politics, culture, business, crime and even entertainment news.
SKILLS REQUIRED FOR MASS COMMUNICATION
A person involved in mass communication should have similar skills as a journalist as journalism is a major part of mass communication. They should be talents and have relevant knowledge and skills for this profession. Mass communication also requires a person to be good at the imagination and to be able to create creative articles for the audience.
FICTION VS NON-FICTION
JOURNALISM
Journalism is always non-fiction as it talks about events in the society that actually took place. They also bring out the reality of an event and try to give the right information to their audience. Various areas that journalism covers are entertainment, health, law, business, government, education etc.
MASS COMMUNICATION
Mass communication can be seen to be both fiction and non-fiction since it involves different areas such as journalism, video and audio production, advertising, event management and even public relations. Thus it involves a lot of areas of producing things without being bound to some specific topics. You have the freedom to be imaginative and creative in your work and showcase your talents to the world.
WHICH OF THE TWO MASS COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM HAVE BETTER CAREER OPPORTUNITIES?
This is another major question that many students ask before choosing either of the two fields. However, both the fields are unique in their own way have equal career opportunities but if you want to be creative and original in your work you should choose a course in mass communication as it offers a lot of career opportunities to students. These subjects were relatively new also has an impact on their popularity and demand. Both the careers are equally good and can fetch you good jobs in reputed companies.