How to Be a Reporter
Improve your communication skills., Read, watch and follow the news., Keep a notebook and/or a journal., Strive for accuracy and neutrality in any story you report., Record the facts., Avoid displaying your own personal opinions., Decide which media...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Improve your communication skills.
To be a good reporter, you will need to read, write, speak and listen.
You will need to be able to ask good questions. -
Step 2: watch and follow the news.
Notice how events are depicted.
Notice what makes a good story and what doesn't.
What would you like to see done better? What seems to be empty sensationalism? , Practice noting and writing about what happens around you. , Be sure to cover both sides of any contentious issue. , Don't make assumptions (they can often be wrong), and don't make things up.
Reporters are supposed to seek and report facts.
Lying, making up stories or quotes, or even accidentally misquoting someone can only damage your credibility (an absolutely essential quality in a reporter).
When someone tells you something that you find important to the story, whether it's allegedly factual or simply an opinion, go ahead and quote that person.
Then if what they told you turns out to be wrong or inaccurate, it will be their credibility--not yours--that suffers. , As a reporter, your job is to report the facts so others can form their own opinions.
Make sure you are recording the factual details of any news story and tell those facts without including your personal viewpoint.
Once you start giving your opinion, it becomes editorializing, not news reporting. , You could focus on print journalism, broadcast news, or even online news coverage.
You can focus at first on one medium and then branch out as you become more experienced.
The print news industry is an excellent place to start.
That's where many successful reporters began their careers. , Build details from there, beginning with the most important information and working toward the least important.
By including the most important information first, you will allow your editor to trim the end of the story if it runs too long. , Chances are good that others will find them interesting, too.
You can report on "hard" news stories which involve current events of interest to a wide audience, or you can report on softer "feature" stories which might involve more light-hearted events and be of more casual interest. , If it is relevant today but won't be as interesting next week, next month or next year, you should report it as news.
Recent changes in government policy or personnel A plane crash or other tragedy Any other topic that is dramatic or alarming , A feature story may be as interesting weeks or months from now as it is today , Often, local news is not accorded the professional reportage that national or regional stories receive, even though local news may be of huge interest to the audience.
The city council makes decisions every day that affect everyone in town! , Did a new city park just open? Is a local club kicking off its summer fundraiser? Be there and publish an account of the event for those who didn't attend. , Go to events, conduct your own research, then write the stories and forward them to local media outlets.
If an article is well written, and the story isn't already covered, you may get published. , If you have good information, and the other writer does,too, your stories might be combined under a shared "byline" (authorship). , If you submit a human-interest piece to a media outlet, they may decide to save your work and use it later to fill space on a "slow" news day. , These media will usually be happy to hire a good reporter.
Even if they don't pay well, or if you have to start as a volunteer, it's a good way to get your foot in the door. , That's a good way to learn to report news and feature stories. , This might give you access to news events and venues that the public doesn't have. , Then be prepared to turn them over to your employer if he/she wants to fact-check your information before publishing it. -
Step 3: Keep a notebook and/or a journal.
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Step 4: Strive for accuracy and neutrality in any story you report.
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Step 5: Record the facts.
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Step 6: Avoid displaying your own personal opinions.
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Step 7: Decide which media you'd like to work with.
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Step 8: Begin a news story with a quick summary of what happened
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Step 9: who was involved
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Step 10: and when
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Step 11: why and how it happened.
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Step 12: Seek out stories you find interesting.
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Step 13: Hard news stories can include: Information that is time-sensitive.
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Step 14: Feature ("human-interest") stories will include: Personal occurrences involving local figures References to local
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Step 15: historical events Accounts that are not time-sensitive .
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Step 16: Think locally.
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Step 17: Attend events.
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Step 18: Writing "free-lance" articles can be a good way to kick-start your career.
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Step 19: It may be possible to merge your article with that of another author.
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Step 20: Producing an interesting feature article is a great way to get published.
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Step 21: Go to work for your school newspaper or a small
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Step 22: local news outlet.
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Step 23: Join a broadcast or other media club at school.
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Step 24: Use your affiliation with a news outlet to obtain a press pass.
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Step 25: Get in the habit of carrying a camera and a voice recorder with you so that you have them when you unexpectedly need them.
Detailed Guide
To be a good reporter, you will need to read, write, speak and listen.
You will need to be able to ask good questions.
Notice how events are depicted.
Notice what makes a good story and what doesn't.
What would you like to see done better? What seems to be empty sensationalism? , Practice noting and writing about what happens around you. , Be sure to cover both sides of any contentious issue. , Don't make assumptions (they can often be wrong), and don't make things up.
Reporters are supposed to seek and report facts.
Lying, making up stories or quotes, or even accidentally misquoting someone can only damage your credibility (an absolutely essential quality in a reporter).
When someone tells you something that you find important to the story, whether it's allegedly factual or simply an opinion, go ahead and quote that person.
Then if what they told you turns out to be wrong or inaccurate, it will be their credibility--not yours--that suffers. , As a reporter, your job is to report the facts so others can form their own opinions.
Make sure you are recording the factual details of any news story and tell those facts without including your personal viewpoint.
Once you start giving your opinion, it becomes editorializing, not news reporting. , You could focus on print journalism, broadcast news, or even online news coverage.
You can focus at first on one medium and then branch out as you become more experienced.
The print news industry is an excellent place to start.
That's where many successful reporters began their careers. , Build details from there, beginning with the most important information and working toward the least important.
By including the most important information first, you will allow your editor to trim the end of the story if it runs too long. , Chances are good that others will find them interesting, too.
You can report on "hard" news stories which involve current events of interest to a wide audience, or you can report on softer "feature" stories which might involve more light-hearted events and be of more casual interest. , If it is relevant today but won't be as interesting next week, next month or next year, you should report it as news.
Recent changes in government policy or personnel A plane crash or other tragedy Any other topic that is dramatic or alarming , A feature story may be as interesting weeks or months from now as it is today , Often, local news is not accorded the professional reportage that national or regional stories receive, even though local news may be of huge interest to the audience.
The city council makes decisions every day that affect everyone in town! , Did a new city park just open? Is a local club kicking off its summer fundraiser? Be there and publish an account of the event for those who didn't attend. , Go to events, conduct your own research, then write the stories and forward them to local media outlets.
If an article is well written, and the story isn't already covered, you may get published. , If you have good information, and the other writer does,too, your stories might be combined under a shared "byline" (authorship). , If you submit a human-interest piece to a media outlet, they may decide to save your work and use it later to fill space on a "slow" news day. , These media will usually be happy to hire a good reporter.
Even if they don't pay well, or if you have to start as a volunteer, it's a good way to get your foot in the door. , That's a good way to learn to report news and feature stories. , This might give you access to news events and venues that the public doesn't have. , Then be prepared to turn them over to your employer if he/she wants to fact-check your information before publishing it.
About the Author
Anna Collins
Anna Collins specializes in lifestyle and practical guides and has been creating helpful content for over 3 years. Anna is committed to helping readers learn new skills and improve their lives.
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