Meteorology has been transmitted for decades to the general population with the weathermen. Both the men and the women of the weather are in charge of transmitting the meteorological predictions that are based on the studies of the atmosphere. However, not many people know what they have to study and what their rush. There are many who doubt if a weatherman is more a journalist than a meteorologist and if this work can be done by someone who does not know about the subject.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about weathermen and their characteristics.
What weathermen should study
As we all know, the men and women of the weather are professionals who are in charge of transmitting the meteorological news to the public. From a big heat wave to a hurricane or heavy rain. Meteorologists provide physical explanations of the current weather and predict events that may occur in the next few days.
However, one of the most attractive factors of this work is the possibility of intervening in the media. Therefore, it is not only necessary to have scientific knowledge, but also to know how to react to the microphone or the camera. Unlike other countries, Spain does not have a profession specialized in meteorology. In the absence of a specific degree, students must specialize through other training.
There are 3 main options when studying if you want to be a weatherman:
- Study a degree in physics at a university. The profession is divided into 4 academic courses, which allows the study of some subjects to specialize in meteorology. These graduates can analyze the laws of weather, atmospheric physics, and atmospheric phenomena.
- Obtain a degree in geography from a university. If you're studying geography, you can specialize in climatology and become a meteorologist. Your knowledge of the Earth's surface and its physical composition will allow you to do so. For more information on climatology, you can consult this article.
- Obtain a degree in journalism or audiovisual communication. Are you a reporter and want to provide weather information? Well, do not rule it out, it is an option like any other. Of course, you should limit yourself to disseminating the predictions made by fellow physicists and geographers to the public. In addition, you will be able to participate in the interaction with the audience or in the writing of scripts.
However, it must be remembered that the media usually have a team of several meteorologists. In this sense, these chains try to hire professionals with diverse backgrounds. For example, a graduate in communication can focus on improving the audiovisual language of a space, while a geographer can focus on promoting a sustainable space. Furthermore, continuing education such as a master's degree can be essential for acquiring greater knowledge in the field. For those wishing to delve deeper, it would be interesting to review the capabilities of meteorologists in their predictions.
However, our goal is to create a vibrant and engaging space, not just a form. Therefore, a highly recommended option for entering the world of meteorology is to obtain a professional master's degree, for example, in how to be a meteorologist.
Weathermen: Meteorologist or Journalist?
It is one of the most controversial questions that have been asked in this area. And it is that when in doubt about which professional is best qualified to practice this profession, it has been discussed for decades. The journalist may have a greater capacity to transmit the message since his training in it is much greater. On the other hand, the technical and scientific knowledge about meteorology is much greater in a meteorologist.
Meteorology is a science you must be disclosed in a clear and understandable way so that the rest of society can make good use of this information. A piece of news that is being increasingly demanded by public opinion should be intended to be transmitted more easily. Previously, the transmission of meteorology was thought to be more complex and comprehensive but more reliable and secure. It should be raised who should be the issuer and presenter of the space of time.
Several profiles predominate in Spain. On the one hand, we have the secondary-expert issuer and the secondary-journalist issuer. Both are equally valid but each of them has its own shortcomings.
Secondary issuer - expert
This emitter model has more technical and professional training in the field of meteorology science, but it is not so easy to transmit knowledge to a general population. One of the main advantages of this model is its technical training in the knowledge of meteorology. This training is seen in many cases complemented with the training of the appropriate codes, tools and subjects to be able to know how to disseminate, select and adequately communicate the informational message.
Secondary broadcaster-journalist
In this case, it has great characteristics that help this type of issuer to become an expert disseminator who is sensitized and knowledgeable about the media. It has a great capacity to achieve the credibility of its audience since it is capable of presenting specialized information so that it is understood by the audience. Its disadvantage is more linked to training in the scientific field. However, you only need to know how to correctly interpret the data provided by the source.
It can be said that for weather forecasters, it's more important to know how to communicate information to society than to know much about meteorology. In these cases, it's not as important for the weather forecaster to be an expert in the subject if they can't communicate it correctly. You can learn more about other meteorological phenomena and their communication at this article about cumulonimbus.
Training
One of the star courses that most interests the INM is the training of information professionals or hosts of time and space in everyday media. The goal is to teach how to interpret data. This is important because, as we mentioned before, finding a balance between technical knowledge and communication skills is essential for success in the profession.
Experts or sources (INM) provide a means to convey reliable, trustworthy, and accurate information to interested audiences, always supported by official sources (such as the INM in Spain). Furthermore, these courses can help future weather forecasters understand how meteorological phenomena form, something crucial for their work. To learn more about these phenomena, you can visit this article about nimbostratus. It is also relevant to consider that a meteorologist is a scientific professional which can help interpret the data accurately.
The objective of the organization of these training courses by the INM is to become a source of safety information and to allow media professionals to know how to understand meteorological science and exchange data in a rigorous and professional way.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the weathermen, their knowledge and how to convey the message.
