Topic: You are a famous news reporter for Hong Kong News. Your old secondary school has asked you to write a feature article about yourself for the next edition of the school magazine.
Use the following three headings to write the article. Add one heading of your own.
The best part of my job
Echoing the mission of a news reporter to tell stories all around the world, my job allows me to travel to many places in foreign countries. This has become the best part of my job and also my motivation to keep performing the given task of reporting news. As I travel around the world, not only do I have the opportunity to visit multiple world-renowned tourist sites (free of charge, of course!), but I also get to delve into the history, culture, and community of these places, which I seldom have the chance of being merely a tourist. Every time I prepare for a news report, I spend a lot of time researching the background stories of the destinations, for which my horizon is undeniably broadened. On the other hand, I am also very excited about meeting and interviewing different people. Taking my latest report on celebrities as an example, I had never imagined that one day, I’d meet Britney Spears in real life! More than that, I got the chance to talk to her about her recent successful legal appeal against her manipulative father. Seeing her burst out tears of joy has become one of the most thrilling experiences throughout my career. For that moment, Britney was no longer a pop star to me but simply a strong and independent woman. My job allows me to walk into different places and listen to stories that reveal the most genuine side of humanity. That’s why I love my career as a news reporter so much.
The biggest challenge I have ever faced in my job
Being a news reporter is never a job of ease. Not only should you possess excellent physical strength, but you should also secure a sense of duty to tell people the truth. Only with this kind of sacred pursuit and determination could you sustain your job. There was a time when I was sent to the Sahara Desert to report on the critical human trafficking issue there. Unfortunately, our crew’s car fell into an accident, and we were trapped in the desert. I faced an anxious dilemma as we were stuck at the crossroads of the route of human traffickers, where they passed by almost every day. If we left for rescue, we would lose a precious opportunity to take pictures that display and prove the dealing process of this inhumane trade. I decided to stay at last so that I wouldn’t miss any single moment of the crime so infuriating and pathetic. Luckily, the rescue team discovered us just in time, or I would probably die of dehydration. This is the most significant challenge I’ve ever encountered throughout my career. I am still glad that during the struggle between my life and the truth, I picked the latter. This is never an easy decision, but it also manifests we news reporter’s stern belief in our job ethics and determination to achieve it.
My school days
My work experiences might demonstrate me as a tough or enthusiastic figure, but I’m not going to hide that I was actually quite timed back in my school days. I seldom talked to my classmates and I had very few friends. The only exception was that a teacher, Miss Yeung, who has already retired, came close to me and chatted with me like a bestie. She found that I had a passion for writing and posed an intriguing question that struck me deeply, “what is the point of writing if no one knows what you’re writing?” This inspired me to join the school newspaper committee and become a school news reporter. At first, I started by writing light column pieces such as school maintenance or random afterschool activities. Yet, bearing the encouragement given by Miss Yeung, I began to ask for opportunities to report about significant events like the Student Union elections, Inter-school competitions, etc. These experiences have genuinely consolidated my writing and reporting skills. Thanks to Miss Yeung, I learned the spirit of writing to tell stories to people. This greater purpose of writing has galvanized my enthusiasm to establish a career as a news reporter and continues to serve as my motivation for work.
Tips for becoming a new reporter
I found my passion and mission during my secondary school days, which makes me aware that most secondary school students might be standing at the crossroads in their lives, feeling undecided and frustrated about not knowing what their mission should be, just like me back then. If you happen to be a person who loves writing or photo-taking or firmly opines that everyone deserves to know the truth, becoming a news reporter could be beneficial to you. There are a few tips for becoming a news reporter. First, you must abide by the job ethics of protecting and publicizing the truth. This might be reflected in your personality and how you deal with lies. Ask your friends or teachers to see if they agree that you are a righteous person. Second, you must possess the curiosity to explore the broader range. This enables you to learn more and enrich your writings and descriptions. Third, talent is not the priority. For me, I strongly reckon that enthusiasm prevails over talents in the job of a news reporter. It doesn’t matter how vivid or engaging your rhetoric is; it is the truth inferred from your stories that impacts society. As long as you are determined to convey the truth and messages or lessons that come along, your news will become great stories.