1. Post/Essay: Let’s Learn to Write
Start with something simple—a post for your social media page. Write a text that resembles an essay (a short, freeform composition). In your text, answer the following questions:
How did I get the idea to study journalism?
How did I find suitable courses online?
What do I want to learn?
How will I use this knowledge in the future?
The text should be about 1,000 characters long, approximately half a printed page or around 150 words.
Publish the text on your social media page, accompanied by a suitable photo (this could be your photo or an illustration from the internet).
2. Writing a News Article from a Press Release
A press release is a message for the media prepared by government bodies, private organizations, or individuals.
Visit the websites of government institutions (courts, police departments, city halls, prosecutor’s offices, etc.). There, you will find published press releases and announcements. These are official sources of information you can reference in your article.
Such messages are often written in a dull style. Your task is to rewrite the text to make it more engaging, add relevant details, and include brief comments. By practicing this, you will gain valuable experience.
3. Checking Your Texts for Uniqueness
Find websites online that allow you to check your text for uniqueness. Practice using these tools to evaluate the uniqueness of your texts. Simply paste your text, click the “check” button, and get the results.
It’s important to understand that clients require unique texts—either written by you or thoroughly rewritten, not just copied from the internet. Search engines like Google favor unique content, which attracts new visitors to a site. Any editorial staff member could copy text from the internet, but they are looking for interesting, unique material they are willing to pay for.
4. Street Photography
One photography genre is street photography—photos taken casually on the street. Its uniqueness lies in capturing people without prior notice; they are unposed and often unaware of the photographer.
Using your smartphone camera or a regular camera, take such photos. Examples include a teenager on a bike, a mother with a stroller, people on public transport, or even a thoughtful street cat. However, respect boundaries of decency and common sense; for instance, avoid photographing children without parental consent. Look for interesting moments that simply involve people.
5. Attend Any Event and Write a Report
Find any event you can attend—an art exhibition, public rally, charity event, or even a movie premiere. Visit the event, take photos and videos. Once back home, write a report.
You can publish the finished report on your social media page or even offer it to a media outlet.