Reporting Beats
What is a BEAT?
Specific areas covered regularly by a specific reporter.
TYPICAL BEATS INCLUDE:
- City & County Government
- Education
- Police
- Religion
- Science/Environment/Medicine
- Business
- Sports
Beat Reporters
- A good reporter is:
- Familiar with general background
- Knows specific language of area
- Asks right questions
- Recognizes newsworthy info
- Writes understandable stories for unfamiliar readers
- Beat Story Ideas
- Regular coverage
- Journalist enterprise—often more in-depth
Beat reporters tell audiences not only what is happening, but how to get involved.
How to cover a BEAT:
- Be Prepared
- Research background & talk to sources
- Be Alert
- Know who will benefit from coverage
- Note who is for & against it
- Be Persistent
- Insist on clear answers
- Follow-up slow developments
- Be There
- No substitute for personal contact
- Be Accurate
- Reflective listen and clarify
- Be Wary
- You are a reporter not participant
- Write for readers not sources
Reporting Tips
- Beat reporting is like gardening…news is cultivated & grows slowly
- Regular follow-up
- Don’t give up!
- Building Relationships:
- Build goodwill
- Don’t shun good news
- Protect sources if necessary
- Ask questions…
Does it make sense to me?
How can I make sense to my readers?
Writing for Readers
- Translate
- Make technical, specialized language clear
- Make your writing human
- State how information will impact real people
- Think of the public pocket book
- Find out how much it cost the public
- Get out of the office
- Go where news is happening
- Don’t rely on other accounts (web, reports, etc.)
- Ask the readers’ questions
- Practical Principles for Beat Reporters
- Information is Power
- Money is key
- The budget is the blueprint
- Distributing power and money is politics
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