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Public Administration & LegalISCO 2642

Columnist

A columnist is a person who researches and writes opinion pieces about news events for newspapers, journals, magazines and other media. A columnist has an area of interest and is recognisable by a style of writing. These two features set a columnist apart from other writers covering current events.

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Rate 5 of the 20 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

participate in editorial meetings

present arguments persuasively

study topics

evaluate writings in response to feedback

stay up to date with social media

About columnist

The raw material is the news. The columnist follows current affairs, monitors social media, and analyses information sources within the area the column covers. A column expresses an opinion, but it has to rest on verified facts.

The craft is the sentence. The columnist works in online journalism as well as in print, and spelling and grammar are working tools rather than a matter of presentation.

Two constraints shape everything. The first is the deadline: the columnist writes to a fixed time. Writing to deadline means managing time so that a column is finished and checked before it is due. The second is the code of journalistic ethics, which governs what may be asserted, how a subject is treated and what is done when a column turns out to have been wrong. An opinion carries the same obligation to accuracy as a report does.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (20)

digital journalismdigital journalismThe process through which the editorial content is produced through digital media and distributed through the Internet.editorial standardseditorial standardsThe guidelines on how to deal with and report on privacy, children, and death according to impartiality, and other standards.writing techniqueswriting techniquesThe different techniques to write a story such as the descriptive, persuasive, first person and other techniques.rhetoricrhetoricThe art of discourse that aims at improving the ability of writers and speakers to inform, persuade or motivate their audience.spellingspellingThe rules concerning the way words are spelled.grammargrammarThe set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language.copyright legislationcopyright legislationLegislation describing the protection of the rights of original authors over their work, and how others can use it.participate in editorial meetingsparticipate in editorial meetingsParticipate in meetings with fellow editors and journalists to discuss possible topics and to divide the tasks and workload.present arguments persuasivelypresent arguments persuasivelyPresent arguments during a negotiation or debate, or in written form, in a persuasive manner in order to obtain the most support for the case the speaker or writer represents.study topicsstudy topicsCarry 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 ...evaluate writings in response to feedbackevaluate writings in response to feedbackEdit and adapt work in response to comments from peers and publishers.stay up to date with social mediastay up to date with social mediaKeep up with the trends and people on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.consult information sourcesconsult information sourcesConsult relevant information sources to find inspiration, to educate yourself on certain topics and to acquire background information.apply grammar and spelling rulesapply grammar and spelling rulesApply the rules of spelling and grammar and ensure consistency throughout texts.develop professional networkdevelop professional networkReach 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 ...follow ethical code of conduct of journalistsfollow ethical code of conduct of journalistsFollow the ethical code of conduct of journalists, such as freedom of speech, right of reply, being objective, and other rules.use specific writing techniquesuse specific writing techniquesUse writing techniques depending on the type of media, the genre, and the story.build contacts to maintain news flowbuild contacts to maintain news flowBuild 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 publi...write to a deadlinewrite to a deadlineSchedule and respect tight deadlines, especially for theatre, screen and radio projects.follow the newsfollow the newsFollow current events in politics, economics, social communities, cultural sectors, internationally, and in sports.
Optional (23) — show
political partiespolitical partiesThe ideas and principles that political parties stand for and the politicians representing them.interview techniquesinterview techniquesThe techniques for getting information out of people by asking the right questions in the right way and to make them feel comfortable.economicseconomicsEconomic principles and practices, financial and commodity markets, banking and the analysis of financial data.multimedia systemsmultimedia systemsThe 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.stock marketstock marketThe market in which shares of publicly held companies are issued and traded.desktop publishingdesktop publishingThe creation of documents using page layout skills on a computer. Desktop publishing software can generate layouts and produce typographic quality text and images.press lawpress lawThe laws concerning the licensing of books and the freedom of expression in all products of the media.create online news contentcreate online news contentCreate and upload news content for e.g. websites, blogs and social media.follow newspaper house stylefollow newspaper house styleProduce concise and accurate copy according to newspaper's house style and to strict deadlines-daily newspapers may have several each day.apply desktop publishing techniquesapply desktop publishing techniquesApply desktop publishing techniques to create page layouts and typographic quality text.check correctness of informationcheck correctness of informationCheck if the information contains factual errors, is reliable, and has news value.proofread textproofread textRead a text thoroughly, search for, review and correct errors to ensure content is valid for publishing.interview peopleinterview peopleInterview people in a range of different circumstances.manage writing administrationmanage writing administrationManage the financial and administrative side of writing including making up budgets, maintaining financial records, checking contracts, etc.adapt to type of mediaadapt to type of mediaAdapt 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 financesmanage personal financesIdentify personal financial objectives and set up a strategy to match this target in seeking support and advice when necessary.promote one's writingspromote one's writingsTalk about one's work at events and conduct readings, speeches and book signings. Establish a network among fellow writers.ensure consistency of published articlesensure consistency of published articlesEnsure that articles are consistent with the genre and theme of the newspaper, journal or magazine.write headlineswrite headlinesWrite titles to accompany news articles. Make sure they are to the point and inviting.provide written contentprovide written contentCommunicate 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 spelli...rewrite articlesrewrite articlesRewrite articles to correct errors, make them more appealing to the audience, and to ensure that they fit within time and space allotments.document interviewsdocument interviewsRecord, write, and capture answers and information collected during interviews for processing and analysis using shorthand or technical equipment.write captionswrite captionsWrite captions to accompany cartoons, drawings, and photographs. These captions can be humorous or explanatory.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a columnist do?

Columnists research and write opinion pieces about new events for newspapers, journals, magazines and other media. They have an area of interest and can be recognised by their writing style.

What skills does a columnist need?

A columnist needs 20 essential skills, including digital journalism, editorial standards, writing techniques, rhetoric, spelling.

Will AI replace columnist jobs?

The AI disruption score for columnist is 72/100 (high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: spelling, apply grammar and spelling rules, grammar. Most resilient: follow ethical code of conduct of journalists, participate in editorial meetings, build contacts to maintain news flow.

AI Replacement Risk

72/ 100
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This is the average for the whole occupation. The AI Career Shield test (about 10 minutes) shows the risk in your own work and what you can do about it.

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Quick Facts

SectorPublic Administration & Legal
ISCO GroupLegal, social and cultural professionals
Essential Skills20

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