Meaning & use
journalist
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person whose job is to gather and report news for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, or online media.
Grammar: Use 'a journalist' for one person and 'journalists' for more than one; it can also be used as a title before a name.
Patterns
- a journalist for a newspaper
- work as a journalist
- a political journalist
She works as a journalist for a national newspaper.
The journalist interviewed several witnesses to the accident.
He is a well-known journalist who reports on environmental issues.
nouncountable
A person who writes articles or creates content for a particular publication or program, often specializing in a subject.
Grammar: Often followed by 'for' or 'on' to show the publication or subject: a journalist for The Times, a journalist on science.
Patterns
- a journalist for a magazine
- a journalist on a subject
She is a journalist for a science magazine.
As a journalist on education, he often visits schools.
Word forms
| plural | journalists |
|---|
Common combinations
- investigative journalist
- The investigative journalist spent months uncovering the scandal.
- freelance journalist
- As a freelance journalist, she writes for several different magazines.
- broadcast journalist
- The broadcast journalist reported live from the scene.
- journalist for
- He is a journalist for a major news network.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reporter
- A reporter usually gathers news in the field and presents it, while a journalist may also write, edit, or analyze news.
- correspondent
- A correspondent is a journalist based in a particular place or covering a specific area, often for a broadcast or news organization.
- columnist
- A columnist writes a regular opinion or feature column, whereas a journalist reports news more generally.
Word family
- journalism noun
- The activity or profession of writing and reporting news.
- journalistic adjective
- Relating to journalists or journalism.
Commonly confused: journalist or journal?
journalist vs journal
A journal is a diary or a serious magazine; a journalist is a person who writes for such publications.
Practice
She works as a journalist _____ a local newspaper.
Choose one answer.
The preposition 'for' is used to show the publication a journalist works for: 'a journalist for a newspaper'. 'At' could be used for a place of work, but 'for' is the standard collocation with publications. 'On' is used for subjects, not employers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “journalist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.