Meaning & use
a journalist
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person whose job is to gather news and write or broadcast reports for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, or news websites.
Grammar: Countable noun; use 'a/an' for one, and 'journalists' for more than one.
Patterns
- a journalist for a newspaper
- work as a journalist
- a journalist who reports on something
My cousin is a journalist for a small local paper.
The journalist asked the mayor several difficult questions.
She trained as a journalist before moving into radio.
nouncountableold-fashioned
Someone who keeps a regular written record of their own thoughts and daily experiences, especially privately.
Grammar: This older sense is much less common today; 'diary writer' or 'blogger' usually fits better.
Patterns
- keep a journal as a journalist
In the eighteenth century, many travelers were keen journalists of their own lives.
Word forms
| plural | journalists |
|---|
Common combinations
- investigative journalist
- An investigative journalist spent months uncovering the scandal.
- freelance journalist
- As a freelance journalist, he sells stories to several magazines.
- sports journalist
- The sports journalist interviewed the coach after the match.
- a journalist for a newspaper
- She works as a journalist for a national newspaper.
- a journalist covering something
- He is a journalist covering science and technology.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reporter
- A reporter gathers and presents news, often on the spot; a journalist may also research and write longer analysis.
- correspondent
- A correspondent is a journalist based in a particular place or covering a special subject for a news organization.
- newswriter
- A newswriter mainly writes up news items, while a journalist's job can include interviewing, investigating, and editing.
- broadcaster
- A broadcaster presents or transmits programs; many broadcasters are journalists, but the word stresses the medium, not the news work.
Word family
- journalism noun
- The activity or profession of gathering and reporting news.
- journalistic adjective
- Relating to journalists or their work, as in 'journalistic standards'.
- journal noun
- A serious magazine or newspaper, or a personal daily record.
Commonly confused: a journalist or journey?
a journalist vs journey
'Journey' means a trip from one place to another; 'journalist' comes from 'journal' and has nothing to do with travel.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'journalist' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Journalist' is a countable noun, so it needs a determiner: 'a journalist'. Option 0 and 3 leave out the article or the preposition, and option 2 is a question with the wrong word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a journalist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.