Gathering News

1. What is the story?

2. Where do I find the facts?

3. How do I report it?

Three Considerations

You find a pool of blood by your locker in the hallway.

Consider This Situation

Primary Source: eyewitnesses to an event or the creators of an original work—a physical or intellectual property.

Secondary Source: person who has some knowledge of the story but didn’t get it from personal involvement or is a published work that cites the words of others.

Journalists get information from both primary and secondary sources. Quality is the key here.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

An eyewitness to a fight in the parking lot

An expert, not a survivor, on the Holocaust

A book of essays about President Obama

The songwriter of a recent album that you are reviewing

Primary or Secondary?

What is a beat system?

Yo, Yo, Drop tha Beat

Mr. Crimando in College

Most common and important way for a reporter to gather information

Person interviewed is called the “source”

Facts can be found elsewhere. Where?

Nonetheless, it is imperative to have a primary source(s) to be credible to readers

The Interview

Can be informal as asking someone in a crowd one or two questions, a telephone interview, or an interview through email

Can be formal, with an agreed-upon time and place and advance research by the interviewer

These are often combined

Notice: this is not like writing a term paper for other courses, where secondary sources are sufficient

Secondary sources often provide background information

The Interview

How should you prepare for an interview?

The Interview

Write down prepared questions and do the necessary research!

Begin with some “small talk” to make interviewee comfortable

Questions should cover all of the 5 W’s and H, but focus most on “why” and “how”

The Interview

Questions that result in a response of a yes, no, maybe, or “I don’t know” should be rephrased to get a more complete answer with concrete details

ExamplesPoor: Do you enjoy being in math class?Better: What classes do you enjoy most? Why?

The Interview

Go with the flow!

You might not be prepared for everything; this can be very good for your interview!

The Interview

Ensure you are accurate! Ask interviewee if you can use a recording device and take notes

Verify facts during the interview, repeating those that are slightly unclear to interviewee to ensure their correctness

Double check name spelling!

Write your story shortly after interview

The Interview

See pg. 24 in SJ

Interview Tips