Journalism vs mass communication: Which one is better?

Journalism and mass communication are two interlinked courses and have a lot in common between them. Journalism involves components of political science, economics, communication theory, history of journalism and research methodology and aims to acquaint students with the social facts, theoretical frameworks and role of the media as a mediating agency. Mass communication courses in India, on the other hand, involves writing things which have a larger social impact and includes opinions pieces and features which are given by journalists and writers.

Journalism is about stating facts and telling the readers about the exact things that happened. Whereas, mass communication course involves disseminating information to the people at local, national or international level with or without a necessary intent, with the help of multiple media platforms.

Journalism is more conventional and requires the professional to state facts instead of opinions. They simply have to state what happened and narrate the incident as it is. Mass media is a bigger umbrella and offers more choices to the writers.

In a broader sense, journalism involves news reporting, be it for newspapers, magazines or television, while mass communication entrance exam preparation involve allows encompassing films, online media, documentary, television, radio, graphics, events, advertising, corporate communications and so on. At the same time, it must be kept in mind that in several universities, both the courses overlap and provide almost similar options.

In recent times, the students have a good number of options to choose from when it comes to journalism and mass communication as a number of disciplines have been devised under these two courses. Some of them are: Bachelors in Journalism, Bachelors in Journalism and Mass communication, Bachelors in Mass Media and mass communication entrance exam and Bachelors in Communication Studies.

At the graduation level, journalism is usually involves mediums like print, digital or electronic and one of them can be chosen when the students move to post graduation.Mass communication is the course which involves the study of human communication and how it can be used for disseminating information to a number of people. Mass communications are fields are as follows: news media, public relations, advertising, television, internet and films. Journalism is one of the various aspects of mass communication referring to writing about news and current affairs in various news media vehicles. 

If one studies mass communication as a discipline, s/he is expected to learn about various processes and nuances of human communication operating in the sphere of mass media, that is, newspapers, magazines, television, internet, cinema, etc.  

Despite the differences, both disciplines are interesting and challenging for the students. Those who are inclined towards current affairs and are passionate towards giving information to people before anybody else, are likely to do good as journalists.

Those who are interested in aspects of mass media other than news media such as communication and culture studies, advertising, public relations, documentary and feature films, radio and television programming are likely to do better in mass communication courses in Delhi discipline.

As for job prospects, in the wake of the proliferation of new media, there are opportunities in both the fields. Those who opt for journalism can look for work in various news media organisations such as news agencies, television and radio news channels, newspapers, magazines and news portals. Those who wish to make a career in mass communication have options in varied fields such as NGOs, public relations and advertising agencies, corporate communication, communication solution organisations, UN organisations and media academics.

How much you earn after getting the degree depends totally on what your role and the organization. Journalism is an underpaid profession so if money is high on your list of things you want to achieve, you'd want to consider things. Roles in advertising agencies are usually better paid than journalism so if you are keen on selling things or ideas to people, advertising would be ideal.

Here are the best colleges in the country for journalism and mass communication:

• Asian College Of Journalism (ACJ)
• Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW)
• Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC)
• Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC)
• Symbiosis Institute of Media And Communication (SIMC)
• Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA)
• Jamia Milia Islamia
• Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC)
• Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication (MCNUJC)

The media industry is one of the pillars of democracy and to have position in it, one doesn't only need to be creative but also have a strong sense of responsibility. Depending upon your inclination, you can choose one between mass communication and journalism.

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