Reporters are the heart of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Here’s what makes a good one.
Many aspects of what it takes to be a good reporter have changed since my first job in the newspaper business 35 years ago.
Back then, a reporter had two main tasks: Gather information and write an informative, fair, accurate story based on that reporting.
Today, that is still the core of what reporters do. But there is so much more that helps them be effective at their jobs, and they can get important information to people much more quickly, thanks to the internet.
Reporters today are called to be self-sufficient backpack — or mobile — journalists. That means they can put everything they need to do their jobs in a backpack (a cell phone, a digital recorder, a laptop computer, chargers, some notebooks and pens) and be able to file a story, along with photos and video, from anywhere they can get an internet connection.
This column marks week two of The Source, a four-week series that we hope provides transparency into how we do our work here at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Last week, my column talked about how we make news decisions. This week, my focus is on reporters, who are at the heart of what we do.
I encourage you to check out two videos that accompany this column online, where you’ll hear sports reporter Clarence E. Hill Jr. and news reporter Kaley Johnson reflect on their work. On Wednesday, Johnson will take over the Star-Telegram’s Instagram account to take you along for a typical day as a reporter.
Attributes of a good reporter
Candidates for jobs here at the Star-Telegram often ask me what I’m looking for in a reporter. Some skill sets and experience levels may differ depending upon the beat. But many things are universal.
A good reporter is accurate, fair, curious, dependable and has a sense of urgency about getting information to readers. Reporters must be able to put themselves in the shoes of someone who has a vastly different set of life experiences, bringing that context to their work.
A good reporter has a drive to find out not just the who, what, when and where, but the why, which is often the most important part of a story. That reporter has an innate sense of when something is amiss and is willing to ask what might be uncomfortable questions to explore that situation.
Good reporters must also have a keen sense of the people and community they write for and about. They zero in on issues and stories that will prove essential to those readers.
What’s in a beat
How reporters work varies depending on their beat.
Breaking news reporters, for instance, jump into action immediately when something newsworthy happens. They quickly seek confirmation of a tip or something heard on a police scanner and post a few sentences online. That may involve a phone call to police or firefighters before heading to the scene to take photos and video, interview witnesses and authorities, and relay that information back to the newsroom to flesh out the story.
Local government or education reporters not only report on important activities of the entities they cover but they, more importantly, delve into how the actions or inactions of those entities affect the lives of the people they serve. They hold the elected and appointed leaders of those bodies accountable for how they spend our tax dollars and whether they do what they’ve said they will do.
Beat and investigative reporters are also adept at accessing and using public records to help tell stories or expose problems. They are persistent, able to find ways around roadblocks that sometimes uncooperative public officials may put in their way.
Thinking about sources
As our reporters do their work, they also think about sources. If it’s a story about a challenge our community faces, they strive to bring a number of voices into the discussion from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities and perspectives.
As an institution, we haven’t always done a good job of representing people of color in our work. We are more intentional about that now and have made improvements, but we still have more work to do.
If the story is about a dispute or political battle, reporters seek to get both sides. They seek a response from someone who may be criticized or accused of wrongdoing by another source.
Rarely do our reporters use anonymous sources in local reporting. When they do, the common litmus tests for granting anonymity are if the source could lose his or her job for speaking out, could be placed in danger or is the victim of a sex crime, though other circumstances invariably arise that may prompt us to consider anonymity.
If reporters use anonymous sources, they seek to corroborate what the person says with another source or with documents. Though the anonymous sources are not identified in the story, reporters and their editors know the person’s identity.
In the end, reporters must treat people fairly and accurately and reflect all sides of the story. That’s what we know gives us credibility with you, our readers.
Please let us know what you think of our work by responding to the survey that accompanies this column online.
This story was originally published September 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
