Tenacity and thoroughness

Tenacity is the synonym for tirelessness. Tenacity and thoroughness work hand in hand in news reporting and gathering. Journalism is a profession, accuracy and complete news is what we expect of any journalist. Journalists report only news that they are sure about. Join the discussion and understand why they are important aspects in news gathering and reporting.

Planning and preparing. A journalist should plan first before reporting news. He/she should arrange the happening in a way that is easy for both parties (Reporter and audience) to follow. If you are going to a field, carry with you a camera to collect information. Preparedness will lead to detailed news with facts.

Get facts and proofs. Report what you saw. If you have shots, let the public see the shots. In the case of images, do the same. However, the images should be put in a friendly format for public consumption. For instance, adult content like pornography should be avoided.

A journalist should be considerate. If the source wants their identity be anonymous, do it! Don’t just call a person, record then report. Make the aware of what is going on. Also, ask them if they will have time to listen to you. If not, find another source. There are numerous sources willing to give you information.

Every journalist should research before reporting. Reporting half-baked news is totally unacceptable. Research first before reporting; know the impact that your news will have after reporting. Never report things that you are unsure about.

A journalist should show professionalism. As long as friendliness is a must, one must also be accurate in news reporting and gathering. Accuracy in reporting is essential. If you know and understand your weaknesses, learn from a fellow journalist.

Be timely. As the name news suggest, report news thing. Things that happened centuries ago are not news unless during an even or memorial. If a certain event is expected early in the morning, do not report in the mead-morning.

In conclusion, tenacity and thoroughness are important aspects on news gathering and reporting. One has to become open-minded, accurate and network intensively to have better journalistic characters.

Journalists are Unforgiving

Journalists get hundreds (even thousands) of information to which they to report about. However, they do not report on every event that they find. They may get information, change the version or dismiss it permanently. They mostly find themselves in difficult situations to handle.

Journalists are commonly offended. Like any other human being, offending a journalist is no different. Sometimes, a journalist may be interviewing a source of information, they may even be abused. It is their role to report, therefore, they will still move forward to gather news.

Journalists tell stories differently. They should be fluent and eloquent in their language. The language used should be simple, vivid and easy to understand. There must be a difference in reporting a story between a journalist and another non-journalist.

Stories should not only be told, they should also be shown. If there are images available, show them. If you are reporting in radio or news papers use vivid description. This is great in capturing the attention of your audience.

Use any means to get news. I do not mean being unethical. At times, journalists are forced to hide cameras to get the intended information. They take information without the consent of the information sources.

Most journalists are risk takers. News has to be reported whether the journalist is safe or not. For example, during the Somalia war, some journalists went there to bring report. War where bullets are used like soil is not a joke. It was a tough risk for them.

To sum up, progress in journalism requires passion, persistence and hard work. The road will not always be smooth. It is your duty as a reporter to choose what to report. Be unique!

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