journalism

American  

[jur-nl-iz-uhm] / ˈdʒɜr nlˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business.

2. press.

3. a course of study preparing students for careers in reporting, writing, and editing for newspapers and magazines.

4. writing that reflects superficial thought and research, a popular slant, and hurried composition, conceived of as exemplifying topical newspaper or popular magazine writing as distinguished from scholarly writing.

   He calls himself a historian, but his books are mere journalism.

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journalism British  

/ ˈdʒɜːnəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the profession or practice of reporting about, photographing, or editing news stories for one of the mass media

2. newspapers and magazines collectively; the press

3. the material published in a newspaper, magazine, etc

   this is badly written journalism

4. news reports presented factually without analysis

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Etymology

Origin of journalism

From the French word journalisme, dating back to 1825–35. See journal, -ism

Explanation

If your dream job includes writing for a newspaper or interviewing famous people for a magazine, you hope to someday work in the field of journalism. Working for a radio or TV news show, a magazine, a newspaper, or a news-related website would all be considered journalism. Those jobs might include reporting, writing, editing, photography, or documentary film making. An individual newspaper or magazine is sometimes called a "journal," and the category of these publications is also called journalism. The first newspaper ever published was a German journal printed in Strassburg in 1605, called "Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

journalism

Elliot worked at Press Pass NYC, a nonprofit that supports journalism programs in public schools, where he helped produce multiple mini-documentaries on the importance of student reporting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

It became the flagship for hard-hitting independent journalism in Russia, shining a light on human rights abuses and high-level corruption.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

For journalism student Mohammad Hakim Haqmal, 22, the change had seen his score improve from 75 to 80 percent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and a former professor of journalism at Princeton University.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

“Karl, I’m so glad I caught you! This journalism project you are doing with your afternoon group?— it sounds sooo interesting—but I just wanted to give you a heads-up about the possible extra expenses.”

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements