Seek truth and report it

This is me. Reporting.

I have a lot of ideas when it comes to reporting. And granted, I’m still relatively new to this field, but then again, I’ve been doing it for four years, so maybe I do know something by now.

First: A story isn’t about me, the reporter. It’s about the person/people/issue(s). People’s lives are affected by what I write and therefore, it’s not an ego trip for me. Responsibly, ethically, it just can’t be.

Second: So therefore, when I interview someone, I try to have them talk as much as possible. Sometimes it’s a conversation, but ideally, I like to just listen, write and then clarify any points later.

Third: Though I do write “hard news” – school board proceedings, accident and crime reports, etc. – most of the time I’m writing features. It’s generally “happy” news, sometimes tragic, but usually fairly positive. I try to make that clear to whomever I’m interviewing – that I’m not a big, bad reporter out to get them. And as much as I can, I establish common ground with the interviewee right away. Maybe we grew up in the same area or have similar interests – whatever the case, the more human I seem, the more comfortable they are with me.

 Fourth: All that said, I can’t get too buddy-buddy with sources. That can lead down a bad road, a road of favors and obligations. So while I’m friendly with people I interview, I’m not their friend.

Fifth: This, I wish I would have known earlier in my career, but I know it now. That is, where I go for stories and who I talk to for stories, are all people, places and events the public might want to attend/converse with, but for a number of reasons, can’t. Not everyone can make a 7 p.m. school board meeting, or visit with a business owner in the  middle of the day. So that’s where I come in. I can be to those events, because it’s my job to be the public’s liaison to the newsmakers.

 And sixth: My job is really and truly important, and I don’t take it lightly. It’s not an easy thing to take a huge wad of information, condense it and break it down into something understandable. It’s not easy to parse through myriad opinions, usually differing, to find some clarity.  It’s not easy to come up with clever, informative or interesting leads to stories. Heck, sometimes it’s not even easy to drag myself out of the house to work. But I do it and when I do it right, it’s worth it.

Of course, then I always wonder if I wrote it the right way, made it clear enough, made it interesting enough. I pray, once a story is printed, that people get it and don’t think “What an uninspired hack. Take away her pen and notebook.”

I guess that doubt comes with the job. And as long as it keeps me motivated, it can’t be a bad thing.