How to be a Successful News Reporter

The news is something that is constantly changing and escalating. A piece of information could change in five minutes or five months depending on the topic. News reporters are the people responsible for learning about the news and pushing it out to their community so they can be informed. It can be a difficult job but it is a vital part of our society and all news reporters are helping their audience. Some of the basic steps you need to know to be a news reporter are as follows.

Know your audience

Before you start writing, look at the types of past articles that have done well for that news source and the information in them. Try to branch off of those while adding your own style. Having your own style is important to catch a reader’s eye. When two reporters are writing about the same topic you want the reader to choose yours over the other.

Great reporting trumps all

When writing about a topic you want to give truthful news. In most cases, people are paying for the information and will not be happy if they find they’ve been paying for false information. Any great reporter will always double check their information. Shane Fitzgerald, Editor of The Intelligencer, always preaches to his reporters “it is better to be right than be first.” Along with having the right information is being a fair reporter. If a bystander or an inside source asks you to leave their name out, you should leave their name out of the article. When community members feel they are not respected you will lose trust and lose credibility.

Be open to trying something new

As the world of news moves into more technology-based news sources a good reporter should be able to move with it. Ashley Williams is a reporter with The Intelligencer, she says “It is important to be a well-rounded journalist, get as much experience as you can.” Social media is becoming one of the biggest tools reporters use to get their information out to their audiences. Short videos are another up-and-coming way to share the news that reporters need to learn how to make.

One of the best parts about being a news reporter is you won’t be stuck behind a desk all day. Being a great reporter means going out into the world to talk to different people and experience parts of life you wouldn’t have gotten to experience from behind a desk. After that, you get to write about those things you experienced for the people that do have to sit behind a desk all day.