As
a citizen journalist you're essentially an independent
operator, free of the constraints and bureaucracy of
a professional newsroom. But working on your own can
make it difficult to gauge whether you're really doing
the best work possible.
Here are some tips to help ensure you're not just a
citizen journalist, but a good citizen journalist.
If you wanted be respected as a journalist, you need
to conduct yourself in a professional manner when covering
stories. Always be up front with people about the fact
that you're a reporter, and be courteous. Keep your
opinions to yourself. And don't take bribes.
Journalism starts with reporting, not writing. A lot
of legwork is necessary to produce solidly reported
stories. Gather as much information as you can about
your story, and then some. Double-check everything.
Get all sides of the issue. Think of the questions readers
will have about your story, then see if you've answered
them. If not, keep working.
Anyone can vent their opinions. It takes real professionalism
as a journalist to keep your own views out of the story,
and to be fair, even to people with whom you disagree.
Remember, a news story isn't about what the reporter
thinks - it's about what the people involved in the
story have to say. And when you start to write your
story, resist the urge to editorialise.
The UK has the freest press in the world, but with that
freedom comes responsibility. Every reporter, citizen
or otherwise, needs to understand the basics of libel
law, and how to avoid producing stories that are libelous.
It all starts with good, solid reporting, and finding
the facts.
With all the resources of the internet at your fingertips,
it's tempting to take others' work and use it as your
own. But that's a temptation any reporter with integrity
has to avoid. Do your own reporting, and when you need
to use information from other news sources, be sure
to credit it to its source. In the end, what you'll
find that is that it's much more satisfying to dig up
your own stories than to crib the work of others.
You can gather terrific, compelling information, but
if you don't present it in a way that makes it easy
for your audience to digest, your work will be for nothing.
So use the the inverted pyramid format for your hard
news stories. It works because it stresses putting the
most important information at the top of the news story.
Readers with limited time will appreciate being able
to get the gist of your story in the very first paragraph.(Don't
worry too much about your layout as the shropshirelive.com
team will present it correctly on the site)
Associated Press style is the gold standard usage for
print journalism. Learn it - and use it- to give your
stories that extra bit of professional polish that will
get attention. Get into the habit of checking your stylebook
whenever you write a story, and pretty soon you'll start
to memorise some of the most common style points.
Working on your own can make it difficult to tell whether
you're producing good work or not. So why not seek advice
and input from a professional journalist? Call your
local newspaper, TV station or website and see if you
can arrange a meeting with a reporter, editor or producer.
Explain what you're doing and see if they have suggestions
to offer. Or read profiles and articles about professional
journalists on this website. Taking tips from the pros
can only help your own work.
In the end, the best way to know if you're producing
interesting, well-reported stories is to see what others
think. You can get this kind of feedback by showing
your stories to friends or family, by seeking comments
on the website or blog where you post your stories,
or from journalism forums. Or check your local college
or university to see if they have a journalism professor
you can show your work to. And remember, praise is great,
but criticism - especially the constructive kind - usually
teaches us more.
Best
of luck and please do remember though that shropshirelive.com
has complete discretion over featuring your article
on the website and that you must hold the copyright
or have permission for any content you supply.
You are also advised to read our
terms
and conditions.
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