[martinigal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by InnocentFairy I am on the MA Fashion Journalism course at the London College of Fashion at the moment, trust me, don't waste your money. Get work experience and work from the bottom. Although I think it is worth getting your first degree like me first though (BA/BSC) - but an MA is probably not needed, although The Guardian and The Independent like their writers to have an MA Journalism degree. But I guess it is not the same for us 'wannabe' fashion journalists.

so interesting u reckon not worth it - I was just thinking of taking the MA in september, as I did a BA in modern languages and have no journalism experience but reckon I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and intern from the bottom up.
As a graduate realistically do I have any chance of getting a paid job having not previously done more than one internship at a small glossy 2 yrs ago?! Or at 23 am I going to have to go unpaid for a while? Any thoughts on this in London would be hugely appreciates thanks

[prosperk]

You could start thinking about building a portfolio of published work through freelance writing. Commissioning editors do not care about degrees. They don't even care if you left school at fourteen. What they need are contributors who give them good, useable copy with a minimum of hassle. Here's a tip for anyone considering this route: magazine editors always need good Front-of-Book content, short pieces of anywhere between eighty and 400 words to pad out the ads in the first quarter or third of the mag. The Well - the bit in the middle full of longer features - is generally reserved for established writers although a newbie will get in there if he or she has produced something outstanding or very hard to get. Keep the day job and freelance in your spare time. Go for quality rather than quantity.

And forget about doing an MA in journalism. That's alright if you want to teach the subject or set up one of those scams involving seminars and How-To paperbacks. Do an MA in copyright and IP law if you can. Apart from anything else, you will be able to protect yourself more efficiently from bent publishers. There again, what do you need an MA for? Most employers regard BAs quite simply as proof that you can stick at something tedious for at least three years, that you are unlikely to leave after a few months. Vocational qualifications aside, MAs are widely regarded as an indication that you were scared of leaving the nest, so to speak. I know that will upset some people but it is sadly true. In fact, as I have said before, most editors will actually consider defenestrating anyone who walks into their office and announces that they have a degree in journalism or anything like it. An editor who tells someone that they need a degree in journalism - or anything else - to work on a newspaper or a magazine is usually being polite about telling the person thanks but no thanks.

I got your PM, by the way.

PK

[martinigal]

^ Thanks for the reply -I completely agree - seems to be from the editors that I've heard from over the last few days that it's either a case of go in at the bottom and work your way up from intern to general assistant to EA etc, or put your money where your mouth is and write something awesome and end up freelancing. Now I just need to decide whether I can bare my current day job any longer which is super high stress and normally leaves me too exhausted to freelance!

[ilovetokyo]

Hey there

I was wondering if anybody has information on studying fashion journalism in China or Japan. I'm studying Japanese and Chinese in Europe and thinking about going to a journalism or fashion school in one of those countries after. What do you think? Is it possible to get there? Are lessons teached in English as well? Where can I find further information? Or do you recommend applying for a fashion journalism programme in the US? ~~

Also I'd LOVE to hear about people who have experiences in doing an fashion/magazine internship in Asia

What do you think about the possibilities to work for an Asian mag as an European? I'm thinking about a way to combine my interest in Asia with my passion for writing and fashion. Any ideas?

I'd be sooo happy to get some answers Thanks!

°°ilovetokyo°°

[kimii]

Hey all. I'm 15 going on 16 (two months more, heh.) and I really, really want to get into writing. Fashion Journalism is what I'm leaning towards at the moment because... well, writing + fashion = my two loves combined and that's what you get. What concerns is me that my dad's already bribing me with trips to Europe if I switch over my dreams to being a doctor instead. He's concerned about the pay, about how it'll never match up to being a doctor, per se. I know that I'll have to start somewhere, from scratch. I just like to think that I'm good enough to get somewhere high up and stay there. >.<

My mom suggested I plan it out and look for the opportunities that a Journalism course will give me so I thought I'd hop over here and ask you lovely people. <3

What other courses should I consider taking other than Journalism? What's my next step after? Any tips at all?

Thanks a lot in advance!

much love,
kim

[myblazerisblazed]

Intern intern intern. anywhere anything you can even if it's not directly related to what you want to do, it looks good on the resume. try calling small magazines and interning or writing for your school paper is helpful too. also, try contacting online websites about fashion where they have articles and ask them if you can be a contributor and write for them. the most important thing, especially in fashion is interning and developing a sense of style in writing and in fashion. get experience.

[timber]

I'm going into college this fall and the first thing I'm going to do when I'm there is to march into the student newspaper department and see about writing a fashion/design column.

Does anyone have any experience writing for a smaller publication -- what works, what doesn't? I was thinking of spotlights on independent boutiques, local designers and having a different street style photo each issue.

It's only produced twice a month, so I could actually put some time into it and make it good. =)

[myblazerisblazed]

i don't know any in victoria, i don't live there but there are so many free mags downtown, like ion, sadly their located in vancouver but what i mean is that it doesn't have to be really credible or run an internship program. most places that are established don't want to take you if you've got no experience so you've got to work from the botttom. thing is...call everyone and bother them until someone says yes. i've called like 30 people in the past few weeks, modelling agencies, fashion photographers, magazines, websites for fashion, designers and i've only gotten one. most of the time, they don't really care so be sure to call back and confirm if it's a yes or a no.

[timber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by myblazerisblazed i don't know any in victoria, i don't live there but there are so many free mags downtown, like ion, sadly their located in vancouver but what i mean is that it doesn't have to be really credible or run an internship program. most places that are established don't want to take you if you've got no experience so you've got to work from the botttom. thing is...call everyone and bother them until someone says yes. i've called like 30 people in the past few weeks, modelling agencies, fashion photographers, magazines, websites for fashion, designers and i've only gotten one. most of the time, they don't really care so be sure to call back and confirm if it's a yes or a no.

Oh, I'm actually going to Vancouver for college. =)

I'm going into acting but I'm thinking of maybe after a year, switching for a degree in journalism. There's a local paper at my college - it's sort of a community/college arts and culture etc kind of thing. I looked into it and it briefly touches on fashion, but nothing specific. They take volunteers, so I'm going to go for it!

[gandrasta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by prosperk And forget about doing an MA in journalism. That's alright if you want to teach the subject or set up one of those scams involving seminars and How-To paperbacks. Do an MA in copyright and IP law if you can. Apart from anything else, you will be able to protect yourself more efficiently from bent publishers. There again, what do you need an MA for? Most employers regard BAs quite simply as proof that you can stick at something tedious for at least three years, that you are unlikely to leave after a few months. Vocational qualifications aside, MAs are widely regarded as an indication that you were scared of leaving the nest, so to speak. I know that will upset some people but it is sadly true. In fact, as I have said before, most editors will actually consider defenestrating anyone who walks into their office and announces that they have a degree in journalism or anything like it. An editor who tells someone that they need a degree in journalism - or anything else - to work on a newspaper or a magazine is usually being polite about telling the person thanks but no thanks.

LOL. I agree with you. MA in journalism is useless on fashion industry (hey, fashion journalism is one of the fashion industry right?-but more industry rather than journalism). Basic practice in journalism is good to know but mostly you really need to know all the sophisticated media practices varied from copywriting to feature writing, from straight news to advertorials. And they are practically as simple as experience!

[Cicciolina]

Just bumping this up I'm sure some new members to this forum will find this thread useful

[Karen0193]

I wanna study this,but i dunno if i can, anyone knows a fashion jounalism college in switzerland??

[Cicciolina]

Welcome to the thread Karen0193. To work in fashion journalism, one doesn't necessarily have to go to a fashion journalism college or study fashion journalism specifically. Have a look in this thread from the beginning (annoying I know!) but it is a huge help and explain other ways to get there

[Lux.]

Thanks for this thread! Very interesting.

[gandrasta]

Journalism is about to tell facts! (facts are ode to journalism) either into straight news to narrative (story telling). In fashion, facts mostly biased by opinions and subjectivity. Fashion more close to the art rather than any common social phenomena. Thus, not likely politics or crime news, fashion story should be more vivid than gloomy economics or Obama mania.

For example, Deluxe by Dana Thomas, it's a depth story of fashion history, business, and philosophy behind the luxury goods industry. She tells facts from series of researches, observations, and interviews into flair story telling that leads us from one scene to another.

In the era of everybody can be a journalist (and i believe this one is already come true), what we should remember is the rule of "10 elements of journalism".

Make this list as your mantra (cited from "The Elements of Journalism" by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel):

1. Journalism's first obligation is to the truth
Democracy depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context. Journalism does not pursue truth in an absolute or philosophical sense, but it can--and must--pursue it in a practical sense. This "journalistic truth" is a process that begins with the professional discipline of assembling and verifying facts. Then journalists try to convey a fair and reliable account of their meaning, valid for now, subject to further investigation. Journalists should be as transparent as possible about sources and methods so audiences can make their own assessment of the information. Even in a world of expanding voices, accuracy is the foundation upon which everything else is built--context, interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis and debate. The truth, over time, emerges from this forum. As citizens encounter an ever greater flow of data, they have more need--not less--for identifiable sources dedicated to verifying that information and putting it in context.

2. Its first loyalty is to citizens.
While news organizations answer to many constituencies, including advertisers and shareholders, the journalists in those organizations must maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public interest above any other if they are to provide the news without fear or favor. This commitment to citizens first is the basis of a news organization's credibility, the implied covenant that tells the audience the coverage is not slanted for friends or advertisers. Commitment to citizens also means journalism should present a representative picture of all constituent groups in society. Ignoring certain citizens has the effect of disenfranchising them. The theory underlying the modern news industry has been the belief that credibility builds a broad and loyal audience, and that economic success follows in turn. In that regard, the business people in a news organization also must nurture--not exploit--their allegiance to the audience ahead of other considerations.

3. Its essence is a discipline of verification.
Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying information. When the concept of objectivity originally evolved, it did not imply that journalists are free of bias. It called, rather, for a consistent method of testing information--a transparent approach to evidence--precisely so that personal and cultural biases would not undermine the accuracy of their work. The method is objective, not the journalist. Seeking out multiple witnesses, disclosing as much as possible about sources, or asking various sides for comment, all signal such standards. This discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other modes of communication, such as propaganda, fiction or entertainment. But the need for professional method is not always fully recognized or refined. While journalism has developed various techniques for determining facts, for instance, it has done less to develop a system for testing the reliability of journalistic interpretation.

4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
Independence is an underlying requirement of journalism, a cornerstone of its reliability. Independence of spirit and mind, rather than neutrality, is the principle journalists must keep in focus. While editorialists and commentators are not neutral, the source of their credibility is still their accuracy, intellectual fairness and ability to inform--not their devotion to a certain group or outcome. In our independence, however, we must avoid any tendency to stray into arrogance, elitism, isolation or nihilism.

5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
Journalism has an unusual capacity to serve as watchdog over those whose power and position most affect citizens. The Founders recognized this to be a rampart against despotism when they ensured an independent press; courts have affirmed it; citizens rely on it. As journalists, we have an obligation to protect this watchdog freedom by not demeaning it in frivolous use or exploiting it for commercial gain.

6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
The news media are the common carriers of public discussion, and this responsibility forms a basis for our special privileges. This discussion serves society best when it is informed by facts rather than prejudice and supposition. It also should strive to fairly represent the varied viewpoints and interests in society, and to place them in context rather than highlight only the conflicting fringes of debate. Accuracy and truthfulness require that as framers of the public discussion we not neglect the points of common ground where problem solving occurs.

7. It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. It should do more than gather an audience or catalogue the important. For its own survival, it must balance what readers know they want with what they cannot anticipate but need. In short, it must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant. Quality is measured both by how much a work engages its audience and enlightens it. This means journalists must continually ask what information has most value to citizens and in what form. While journalism should reach beyond such topics as government and public safety, a journalism overwhelmed by trivia and false significance ultimately engenders a trivial society.

8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
Keeping news in proportion and not leaving important things out are also cornerstones of truthfulness. Journalism is a form of cartography: it creates a map for citizens to navigate society. Inflating events for sensation, neglecting others, stereotyping or being disproportionately negative all make a less reliable map. The map also should include news of all our communities, not just those with attractive demographics. This is best achieved by newsrooms with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. The map is only an analogy; proportion and comprehensiveness are subjective, yet their elusiveness does not lesson their significance.

9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.
Every journalist must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility--a moral compass. Each of us must be willing, if fairness and accuracy require, to voice differences with our colleagues, whether in the newsroom or the executive suite. News organizations do well to nurture this independence by encouraging individuals to speak their minds. This stimulates the intellectual diversity necessary to understand and accurately cover an increasingly diverse society. It is this diversity of minds and voices, not just numbers, that matters.

10. The rights and responsibilites of citizens
the rights and responsibilites of citizens--flowing from new power conveyed by technology to the citizen as a consumer and editor of their own news and information.