Journalism attributes

I think the most important attribute a journalist can possibly have is courage. In fact, I would go so far as to say that without courage, a journalist has no chance of making it. Not every contact you have will be easy. Indeed, several contacts will be very powerful people who could likely make your life miserable if they wanted. If you did not have courage, how on Earth could you expect to get that story? But more then that, courage gives a journalist a tough outer skin. Lets face it, not every story you write is going to be a smashing success, and not all of them are going to sit well with the public. With a tough outer skin, you can take that criticism, learn from it or ignore it if you so choose, and then move onto your next assignment. Indeed, courage is truly a necessity.