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What are the most important reporting fundamentals to know?

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Reporting is a vital skill for journalists, but it also requires a solid foundation of knowledge and practice. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced reporter, you can always improve your reporting skills by following some basic principles. In this article, we will discuss six of the most important reporting fundamentals to know and how to apply them in your work.

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Understand your audience:

Tailor your tone, style, and language to meet the needs and interests of your readers. This ensures your report resonates and engages effectively with those you aim to inform.### *Use the inverted pyramid:Start with the most crucial information first, then expand with details. This helps busy readers quickly grasp the main points before diving into additional context.

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1 Know your audience

Before you start reporting, you need to know who you are writing for and what they expect from you. Your audience may vary depending on the medium, the outlet, the topic, and the purpose of your report. You should tailor your tone, style, language, and angle to suit your audience's needs and interests. For example, if you are reporting for a local newspaper, you should focus on the impact of the story on your community and use familiar terms and references. If you are reporting for a national magazine, you should provide more context and analysis and use more formal and precise language.

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Shalom Kasim

Writer-editor
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You need to know who you are writing for and what they expect from you. Your audience may vary depending on the medium, the outlet, the topic, and the purpose of your report. Getting to know the recipient of your work helps in planning what to share.

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2 Research your topic

Reporting is not just about collecting facts and quotes, but also about understanding the background, context, and significance of your topic. You should do thorough research before you start interviewing sources or writing your report. You should consult reliable and diverse sources of information, such as official documents, academic studies, expert opinions, and previous reports. You should also verify the accuracy and credibility of your sources and cross-check any conflicting or dubious information. Researching your topic will help you prepare better questions, avoid errors, and provide deeper insights.

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Viktoriia Zhuhan

Journalist & Storyteller
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Organize your research by finding the answers to the 5W's questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? Once you've established what you know in each of the W's and what you don't, go to the next step: interview the sources using the same questions. This basis of journalism never fails and never gets old. The most experienced and award-winning of us still rely on this matrix.

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3 Interview your sources

Interviewing is one of the most essential and challenging aspects of reporting. You should seek out sources who are relevant, knowledgeable, and diverse in their perspectives and experiences. You should also prepare your questions in advance, but be flexible and adaptable to follow up on any interesting or unexpected answers. You should be respectful, courteous, and professional with your sources, but also critical, curious, and probing. You should also record and transcribe your interviews, and ask for permission and attribution when using direct quotes or paraphrases.

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4 Write your report

Writing is the final and most visible stage of reporting, but it also depends on the quality of your previous steps. You should write your report in a clear, concise, and coherent way, following the structure and format of your outlet and genre. You should also use the inverted pyramid style, which means starting with the most important and newsworthy information and then adding more details and background. You should also use the active voice, avoid jargon and clichés, and use transitions and subheadings to guide your readers.

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Jill C. Baker

Marketer and Author
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Agree. I’m a firm believer in the inverted pyramid style. Applicable for press releases, too. Readers/viewers/listeners/editors are busy people; space/time/attention span is limited. Get to the point. Make it easy to cut what’s not important. Seems like some of this practicality was lost when people jumped on the storytelling bandwagon. The narrative approach may be right for certain things (an engaging TV spot series, a feature article), but news reporting should be succinct, timely, relevant, and delivered in a format of choice. Not the place for a writer’s ego.

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5 Edit your report

Editing is not just about correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, but also about improving the content, structure, and style of your report. You should edit your report multiple times, focusing on different aspects each time. For example, you can check for accuracy, completeness, relevance, and balance in your content; for clarity, coherence, logic, and flow in your structure; and for tone, voice, language, and readability in your style. You should also ask for feedback from your peers, editors, or mentors, and be open to suggestions and revisions.

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6 Update your report

Reporting is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. You should keep track of any new developments, changes, or corrections related to your topic and update your report accordingly. You should also acknowledge and rectify any mistakes or errors that you or your sources may have made, and inform your readers about them. Updating your report will help you maintain your credibility, accuracy, and relevance, and show your respect and responsibility to your audience and your profession.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the most important reporting fundamentals to know?

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1 Know your audience

2 Research your topic

3 Interview your sources

4 Write your report

5 Edit your report

6 Update your report

7 Here’s what else to consider

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