Journalism is a tough industry to break into, but expanding your multimedia and broadcast skills is a great way to enhance your versatility and job prospects.
For Chinese journalist Yuan Ren, who has worked as a Time Out magazine editor and a columnist for U.K. newspapers The Telegraph and The Prospect, transitioning into broadcast media helped her fire up her creativity and experiment with creative storytelling.
In this episode, she shares her best tips and tricks for making the switch from print to digital journalism with NüVoices chair Joanna Chiu. The two also discuss what it is like to build a career in Western mainstream media as younger women of Chinese descent.
Yuan is a fully bilingual journalist who has written about science, technology, Chinese culture, and current affairs. Originally from Beijing, she began as the Around Town editor at Time Out Beijing. Yuan was a regular contributor to The Telegraph’s Wonder Woman column on Chinese women and gender, and a monthly columnist for Prospect magazine. She is now based in London and works as a producer and reporter for Bloomberg TV and the technology show Click at BBC World — see Yuan’s post on Twitter for a video of the latter. She also loves to make video blogs about traditional Chinese food and restaurants.
Follow Yuan for the latest in Chinese culture and food via YouTube and Instagram.
Recommendations:
Yuan: Get enough sleep and put your phone in a different room before bed. I like to track my sleep on my Garmin sports watch, which I have for running. Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer are all great apps for sleep and meditation (have it on your iPad, not phone), but many centers like the London Buddhist Centre offer live, guided meditations online. Staying active is so important, and I’m part of a running club — it’s cheap and sociable, and you’ll improve so fast you’ll wish you joined earlier. There are lots of virtual races for runners, cyclists, and swimmers during lockdown, which you do solo but post results online. Strava is the social network for athletes worldwide.
I’m catching up on Chinese TV dramas at the moment. Check out Douban (豆瓣) for ratings on documentaries, movies, TV, and books. When I miss Chinese TV, I get on Beiijng TV‘s website and watch live there. I also listen to Beijing Transport News radio via TuneIn when I go to bed!
Joanna: Have no shame about indulging in guilty pleasures like Netflix reality TV dating shows, and solo YouTube karaoke sing-alongs is a great way to boost your mood while in isolation. Join different journalist groups on social media to reach a supportive community. Poynter has collected a list of such groups, and don’t forget to join the NüVoices Network on Facebook and follow our Twitter account @NuVoices.