NEWSGATHERING
It takes one to know one. Being a successful journalist requires dedication to the craft and an understanding of current events and story topics. For writing my own stories, coming up with in-depth spread topics, and aiding staffers with their own writing, staying up to date and having foundational knowledge is paramount. Whether it be asking up follow questions to administrators or reading news briefs each day, I keep myself in the know sharpen my news gathering skills.
In Class Current Events Discussions
Reading news not only helps staffers stay on top of what is going on in the world, it also helps them with their own news writing. Working with my advisor, we developed a weekly assignment that fosters discussion of current events and how our newspaper could cover or incorporate these current events in our coverage. Since, the story ideas pitched monthly have a wider scope, and staffers are able to draw connections as to what angles could be used to cover local and global events.
News Writing Lessons
As Editor in Chief, I work alongside the other editors to provide lessons for new students in all aspects of journalism. I often take on the lessons dealing with news gathering, interviewing, and covering events. Below are two samples of lessons that I have done on interviewing and covering events. This was created for a group of freshmen that came in with little knowledge of journalism and the writing process, so explaining it in a way that was easily understandable was slightly difficult. The lessons, combined with in class activities to reinforce the concepts, proved to be helpful to the new students as they improved their news gathering abilities and showed their learning through their work.
Finding local experts to reach out to
I have covered a variety of topics that required extra research outside of what my school may provide. Luckily, my community has many experts who can provide information and quotes for stories that need the extra information. Whether it be professors from the Univeristy of Nevada, Reno, members to non-profits organizations, or school district staff, I don't hesitate to reach out and get a strong basis for my stories. They also can provide leads on what direction to take the story, or future topic ideas.
