A Political Writer is a person who creates content pertaining to politics. Two things can get you there- one being academic or work qualifications and another is interest in the subject.
Qualifications for a Political Writer
Academic Qualification that helps you to become a political writer would be a bachelor’s degree in the subject. If you are working and want to pursue the subject academically, then it would be advisable to do a course that is remoted based or is distance learning. A bachelor’s degree is normally a three to five year course
Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science
This will familiarize you with the basic concepts in the world of politics. Here, you will learn about what does political science means, elements of the state, political systems, political process, public administration, international relations, political thought, public policy, research methodologies.
Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism
Having a degree in Journalism can help you to enter into the field as political writer but more towards political journalism. This skill set will help you to report news and occurrences that shape day to day life of people across the globe. As a political journalist, you will be able to produce articles around politics. A degree in journalism will teach you about research and analytical skills.
Bachelor’s Degree in English
This will equip you to be the best when it comes to skills like proofreading and communication. A bachelor’s degree in English will give you a hold on language i.e. the use of words, how to identify errors. These can come handy when you are looking out for a job as a political writer as having a strong hold on language can make the material you will produce to be error free, and the skill of using the right words will aid you to make your material to sound politically correct.
Besides having a bachelor’s degree, it is advisable to skill up by taking up complementary courses. For instance, if you want to enter into the field as a News Reporter but you have only done your Bachelor’s in Politics, then it is advisable to take up a certificate course in Journalism. Similarly, after completing a Bachelor’s in Journalism and your interest lies in International Relations, then you can take up a certificate course in International Relations.
In the event you are looking forward to being a Subject Matter Expert in a particular topic (e.g. Public Policy), then you can consider going in for a master’s course in Public Policy or if interest motivates you further, then you can pursue a PhD in one aspect of Public Policy.
A certification course would be for a couple of months. A master’s program is normally for two years but some institutes can help you to complete it within a year. A PhD will require intensive study and research. A lower limit timeframe for a PhD would be 3 years and an upper limit of 5 years.
Interest in Politics
An interest in Politics can also land you a job as a writer. Either you can work as a freelance political author, full-time political author, or a self-employed political author.
Working as a freelancer, will help you to pick up work per project base which can be flexible. As a full-timer, you can ensure that work is constant, and remuneration stays fixed. Self-employed is the hardest category to start with which will involve a lot of efforts but if done right, can reap a lot of rewards. While a freelancer may be considered to be self-employed but being self-employed in the true sense makes you sure that you can find work and is remunerated well for it.
Skills required to be a Political Writer
Research
Having this skill means that you can find information and are able to reference sources that are credible. It is important to know about the various referencing styles. The most famous, being the APA (American Psychological Association) style. The APA style is mostly used in social sciences. Another popular referencing style is the Harvard referencing style. This style of referencing is widely used in humanities.
Good Communication
This skill is all about being able to bring out an idea to your target audience so that they are kept engaged and willing to consume more content of yours. The goal is not to settle as a good communicator but rather to become an effective communicator.
Proofreading
Mistakes in politics can prove to be costly. Hence, it is imperative for a writer to proofread the material. Proofreading is done so as to avoid the occurrences of mistakes and to make your material sound as politically correct.
Knowledge of Politics
Lastly, knowledge of the subject will set you apart from the rest. The world of politics is ever growing and keeping this in mind, a political writer would need to be curious in nature and learn about the latest trends in politics. Political Marketing, Political Analysis, and Cyber Politics are some of the areas in Politics that are seeing an increase in demand for political writers.
Political Writer Jobs
Government
All over the world, governments hire political writers, be it to write for their websites, promotional campaigns, or even political speeches.
Political Parties
The main goal of a political party is to stay in power. To do so, they have to clearly communicate their ideas to the masses. It is here where political parties take the help of political writers.
Think-Tanks
These organizations conduct intensive research and look towards political writers to fulfill this need.
Digital Media
The digital media has help political writers to either be a creator or work for creators in this space. A political writer can help a political personality to develop a strong digital presence. For instance, the writer can create content pieces in the digital world. This can be content for Instagram posts, YouTube videos etc.
Freelance
The freelance world is growing rapidly. This growth was seen during the 2020 covid induced lockdowns where work from home became the new normal for employment. Political writer jobs can be found in freelance sites like Fiverr, Freelancer, Workana, Guru.
By: Kester Pereira
