Chapter 2: Reporting the Story

Study

All journalists should be reporters, no matter what their job descriptions say. If you're in the news business, make it your business to look for stories everywhere, all the time. Curiosity and persistence are two attributes that all good journalists share.

• Look and listen to find stories. Pay attention to the world around you and you’ll find more stories than you can cover. The Internet is a valuable source of information, but nothing beats personal contact and conversation for turning up stories that matter. Ask good questions to determine what elements you’ll need to tell a story in multiple media.
• Assignments are just starting points. Develop broad topics into story ideas by brainstorming, story mapping, and asking “so what?” Remember that if you have a good idea of what you’re looking for before you head into the field you can report much more efficiently.
• Cultivate sources. A large part of your job is deciding what sources to use for a story. Learn how to assess source credibility and stay in touch with good sources to find more stories.
• Don't give up. Be persistent and polite when seeking information and requesting interviews, but don't stop when someone tells you "no." See if there's another way to approach the person or look for another source. And keep an open mind when you’re reporting. You never know what you might learn