Post on 24-Jun-2015
description
The Student Newspaper Survival Guide:Covering a Beat
RACHELE KANIGEL
Why have beats?
Beats help reporters focus their reporting
Beats help sources know who to contact with story ideas & concerns
Beats help keep reporters from stepping on each other’s toes
Professional news organizations want to see prospective reporters can cover a beat
Steps to covering a beat
1 Identify your beat – what does it include?
2 Develop sources – people who are knowledgeable about your beat
3 Identify resources – publications, websites, data sources
4 Use social media tools to expand your network
5 Hunt for story ideas
Identify your beat
Ask yourself: What does this beat encompass? What do I need to learn about this beat? Who are the major players on the beat –
faculty, administrators, students, staff, leaders of organizations?
What are the major issues/problems/conflicts on your beat?
Develop sources
Consider everyone – classmates, professors, janitors, the baristas at the local coffeehouse – a source
Compile a list of potential sources, including titles, phone numbers, email addresses
Introduce yourself to sources – set up appointments for coffee, drop in on professors’ offices
Tell people what you’re looking for – story ideas, problems, issues, frustrations
Identify resources
Look for publications, websites, blogs related to your beat – follow them
Look for data sources – police logs, reports, audits
Set up a Google news alert for topics related to your beat
Employ social media
Find and follow sources on Twitter Follow discussions on Twitter,
Facebook & Google+ Don’t just lurk; ask questions, seek
sources, invite discussion
Hunt for story ideas
Read other news outlets Look for changes – new businesses,
new employees, administrative changes, new policies
Scan bulletin boards Talk to people – ask what’s new,
what bothers them
For more information
Read The Student Newspaper Survival Guide, Second Edition
Order a copy athttp://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1444332384.html