Public Administration & LegalISCO 2642
Political journalist
A political journalist is a person who researches and writes articles about politics and politicians for newspapers, magazines, television and other media.
Check yourself in a minute: political journalist
Rate 5 of the 21 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
participate in editorial meetings
study topics
evaluate writings in response to feedback
interview people
stay up to date with social media
About political journalist
The journalist analyses information sources, checks a claim against more than one of them, and builds a network of contacts to keep news flowing in. They hold interviews with politicians, officials and voters, attend events such as sittings, conferences and campaign appearances, and write up what was said and what it means. They follow current affairs and social media continuously, so that they do not miss politicians' statements or new developments.
They write to deadline and keep spelling and grammar correct. They follow the journalistic code of ethics, which covers how sources are protected, when a name is published, and what separates reporting from the opinion a political commentator offers.
The job needs fast, accurate writing. The work can be for a newspaper, a magazine, television or another medium, and covers both political decisions and the politicians who make them. Formal requirements come from the employer rather than from regulation.
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (21)
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.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.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.interview peopleinterview peopleInterview people in a range of different circumstances.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 (32) — show
election lawelection lawThe regulations concerning the procedures during elections, such as voting regulations, campaign regulations, which procedures candidates must follow, how votes are counted, and other electoral proced...political campaigningpolitical campaigningThe procedures involved in conducting a successful political campaign, such as the specific research methods, promotional tools, liaising with the public, and other strategic aspects concerning the or...pronunciation techniquespronunciation techniquesThe pronunciation techniques to properly and understandably pronounce words.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.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.audio editing softwareaudio editing softwareThe various software for editing and generating audio, such as Adobe Audition, Soundforge, and Power Sound Editor.press lawpress lawThe laws concerning the licensing of books and the freedom of expression in all products of the media.ask questions at eventsask questions at eventsAttend a variety of events, such as council meetings, magistrates' court proceedings, football matches, talent contests, press conferences and ask questions.edit negativesedit negativesUse different software products and techniques to process photographic negatives and adapt the images to the desired specifications.observe new developments in foreign countriesobserve new developments in foreign countriesObserve political, economic and societal developments in the assigned country, gather and report relevant information to the relevant institution.create online news contentcreate online news contentCreate and upload news content for e.g. websites, blogs and social media.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.adapt to changing situationsadapt to changing situationsChange approach to situations based on unexpected and sudden changes in people's needs and mood or in trends; shift strategies, improvise and naturally adapt to those circumstances.perform video editingperform video editingRearrange 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, ...proofread textproofread textRead a text thoroughly, search for, review and correct errors to ensure content is valid for publishing.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.monitor political conflictsmonitor political conflictsMonitor the possibility and development of political conflicts in specific contexts, such as in or between political parties, governments, or between different countries, as well as identifying its po...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.perform image editingperform image editingEdit various types of images such as analogue and digital photographs or illustrations.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...edit recorded soundedit recorded soundEdit audio footage using a variety of sofware, tools, and techniques such as crossfading, speed effects, and removing unwanted noises.communicate by telephonecommunicate by telephoneLiaise via telephone by making and answering calls in a timely, professional and polite manner.edit photographsedit photographsResize, enhance and retouche photographs, using airbrushing, editing software and other techniques.document interviewsdocument interviewsRecord, write, and capture answers and information collected during interviews for processing and analysis using shorthand or technical equipment.follow directions of on-site directorfollow directions of on-site directorFollow the instructions of the director when covering events on location.analyse the comments of selected audiencesanalyse the comments of selected audiencesIdentify and summarise recurring and distinctive elements in comments from selected, trusted audiences.present during live broadcastspresent during live broadcastsPresent live on political, economic, cultural, social, international or sport events, or host a live broadcast program.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.
business journalist20 shared essential skillscritic20 shared essential skillsentertainment journalist20 shared essential skillsforeign correspondent20 shared essential skillscrime journalist19 shared essential skillsjournalist19 shared essential skillsphotojournalist19 shared essential skillssports journalist19 shared essential skills
Frequently asked questions
What does a political journalist do?
Political journalists research and write articles about politics and politicians for newspapers, magazines, television and other media. They conduct interviews and attend events.
What skills does a political journalist need?
A political journalist needs 21 essential skills, including political parties, interview techniques, editorial standards, writing techniques, rhetoric.
Will AI replace political journalist jobs?
The AI disruption score for political journalist is 57/100 (high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: spelling, apply grammar and spelling rules, grammar. Most resilient: follow directions of on-site director, follow ethical code of conduct of journalists, adapt to changing situations.
AI Replacement Risk
57/ 100
High Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Skills most at risk from AI
Skills resilient to automation
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.
Check your own AI riskQuick Facts
ISCO GroupLegal, social and cultural professionals
Essential Skills21
Is political journalist right for you?
Take the free 10-minute Career Portrait to see which career direction fits your motivations and strengths.
Take the free test