As a journalist, what are the methods you use to find and tell better stories?

tips to discover a news story  Quoted by:

Galedeb Kattwala 

 How do journalists find a good story? What are the indicators that distinguish reality from fiction? How do you know you are on the right track? Journalist Galledep Katoala presents his top tips.

- Is the story interesting? Perhaps this criterion is the most important. If the story is not interesting, why tell it? Your story should make viewers, listeners or readers glamorous in their place, get their attention, and make them want to tell the story to someone else. A good standard here is if one of your colleagues asks "What about it?". If you can not answer this question, this may not be the story you want to tell   

- Have you heard of the story in advance? If you are following the news very much, you will know if your story is new and innovative. Someone in the newsroom will have an amazing memory to remember each previously published story. If they have not heard the story before, it is probably new.

- Is someone trying to hide? If the main guest avoids receiving your calls or not answering your questions after you have done all the research and preparatory interviews, it is possible that he or she has something to scare about your story or has something to hide.

- How much will the story affect? Your story may be the greatest story in the world, but it may affect only one person. That does not mean not telling a story, but the more your story affects people, the more important it is to your audience.  

- Is it difficult to tell the story? As a good standard, among the thousands of influential stories, is your story the most difficult to tell, most likely it would be a great story if. Do not ask me why, if the story is easy to tell, there is a possibility that someone else has preceded you.

- Is the story logical? The more incredible the story, the farther away from the reality you know, the more likely it is. This does not mean that these stories do not exist. You must be very sure of the facts before you publish or broadcast the story. The best stories are often those that make up the missing piece of the puzzle, be logical to what is already known before. 

- Are others likely to follow your story? If it's really a great story for an innovative press, your competitors will follow your ideas. If it is a prominent story, the government, decision-makers and stakeholders will do something. Do you remember Michael Buerk and Ethiopia's famine? 

 

 - Will there be related stories? The really good story will have at least three related stories to follow. It is distinct from your competitors that you started first, so you should be expecting where the story will go before you even publish or broadcast it. Do not just do what you have. Keep the momentum.

- Will anything change as a result of your story? If you tell your story, will something change? Will the lives of other people be better or worse? If it improves, that's a good sign. If there is a possibility that life will get worse for many people, think again before publishing or broadcasting the story.

- Will you still be able to communicate with your sources? When the story is published, will you still be able to look into the eyes of your sources, and will they continue to talk to you? Informing a controversial story well and fairly will earn you respect. Informing a controversial story in a bad and unfair manner will make it difficult for you to work as a journalist.  

There over a thousand ways Journalism can tell the best stories, let me outline some here;

• Start making contacts these are often called news sources.

• Get as much practical experience as you can. this helps to enforce creativity

• Develop new skills, each day of reporting make sure you develop new story telling skills

• Be active on social networking sites. these site help to shape Journalists ideas, attitude and behavior.

• Build an online portfolio

• Start your job search early

• Research news organizations you want to work for

• Make your application stand out from the rest

• Get the most out of your interview

• Show that you’re a hard worker (and that you like to have fun)

 Follow..........

 

Thanks for invitation

Work very hard

Monitor events in an instantaneous manner

The pursuit of the news wherever it is

• Build an online portfolio

• Start your job search early

• Research news organizations you want to work for

• Make your application stand out from the rest

a good journilist should always be on ground & follow all the newd before it comes trendy.

 

The late great Nigerian author Chinua Achebe once stated that "if you don't like someone's story write your own...". He is considered the father of African Literature because he told his own stories which is the only advice I can proffer with respect to your question. It is a concept that has helped in the past when I first started out writing. I wrote about things I wasn't seeing in the newspapers or magazines. What I found quite surprising was how many people could relate to what I had written which was such a boost to someone just starting out. The last point to factor is that write what you feel is relevant. There should be a measure of relevance to what you write or choose to report.  

Working in the field of media and as a journalist in particular has nothing to do with searching for stories and novels. He is not a novelist whose profession is a journalist. He searches for the news and the event and conveys it in detail from the site of the event with transparency, credibility and honesty in conveying the news and looking for truth and news.

For me, I search for local events and charities, usually on websites such as Eventbrite and local online city event calendars. I also like to find people with interesting backstories. You can find these sorts of people if you contact places like the VA or other veteran-focused groups, go to charities, and have conversations with people and determine who you deem interesting the most. You could visit a professor with an excellent reputation and ask him/her about significant issues/observations in their area of expertise. I also recommend to explore yourself and discover an issue or subject you would like to learn about the most. What topic sparks your curiosity? What do you wish to learn more about? What problems have you observed that can intrigue the public eye? Look for people/places that have extensive knowledge of your story focus. I also get my ideas from city meetings and agendas. If something intrigues me, I go to one and interview other people that have expertise on the subject. Check out local shops that have post up ads because they can be a treasure trove of great stories. Also, pay attention to the conversations around you and politely ask them more about that subject. A potential news story can come up in a conversation. Tune in to local police radios and read police logs. You might find some exciting stories. Talk to a sheriff or a police chief. Ask them about recent trending crimes or a recent serious crime or emergency. They might not answer your questions but it's always worth a try. Networking is also vital in finding story ideas. The more you cover someone or an organization, the more story ideas you’ll get from them. There are many other ways that one can find stories; you have to look in the right direction!

Sorry I do not understand your question! Otherwise, I think all journalists use the same "methods" to find and report their news stories.

"Telling better stories" (as you said and I quoted you) is not much of a question here. What's important is that you highlight the 5Ws - What, When, Where, Who, and Why in your story. And your story has to be VERIFIED and CONFIRMED. Otherwise, you would just be publishing a hearsay or rumors. In other words, be credible!