CHAPTER ONE. News reporting and news writing falls within the field of journalism. Hence, we shall begin by introducing you to the word journalism.

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1 INTRODUCTION TO NEWS REPORTING & WRITING STUDY NOTES INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE The principal actor in news reporting is the reporter. Therefore, it is not out of place to begin this course with an attempt to define who a reporter is, and his/her functions. The reporter is the ear and eye of his/her medium. It is what he/she reports that the audience will know about. He/she touches lives with his/her report. However, for him/her to perform well, he/she must possess certain attributes. Thus, in this unit, you will also learn about the attributes of a reporter. And finally, the reporter, in the process of doing his duty, uses languages peculiar to his profession. This unit will also introduce you to some of the terminologies peculiar to journalism. OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to: define Journalism discribe who a reporter is explain the functions of a reporter enumerate the attributes of a reporter list some terminologies that are peculiar to journalism explain the terminologies in ordinary language that non-journalists would understand. What is Journalism? News reporting and news writing falls within the field of journalism. Hence, we shall begin by introducing you to the word journalism. As an occupation, journalism refers generally to writing for journals, but in particular for newspapers/magazines. It also includes those who write for radio and television. However journalism has expanded in meaning and scope, to become the means by which you disseminate news and views, and by so doing has formed itself into a limb of social awareness. It has become an important social function, constituting the means by which the populace receive and give information from and to the world around them; assuming an ethical dimension and to some extent, requires legal accountability for its performance. As such, the journalist, in the performance of his or her duties, has to contend with various legal and ethical issues Functions of the Press The press has four traditional functions to perform and these include: Surveillance of the environment Correlation of parts of society in responding to the environment Page 1

2 Transmission of the social heritage from one generation to the next Entertainment The surveillance (information/news) function: This function refers to the collection and distribution of information concerning events in the environment both outside and within a particular society. Simply put, this is the news function. The correlation (analysis/interpretation) function : This function refers to the interpretation of information about the environment and prescription for conduct in reaction to these events. This is the editorial/opinion/interpretation function. Transmission of social heritage (cultural transmission) function: This function focuses on the communicating of knowledge, values, and social norms from one generation to another or from one group to another, or from members of a group to newcomers. This is the cultural transmission/education/socialisation function. Entertainment function: This function includes communicative acts primarily intended for amusement or escape, irrespective of the instrumental effect they might have The Reporter In the performance of these functions, the key personality is the reporter. He/she chronicles events as they happen and he is rightly termed, the unknown historian. It is the reporter who goes out to get stories for the news, and stories behind the news. It is the reporter who generally attends press meetings, conferences, scenes of disaster or accidents, demonstrations and other happenings or developments which either make or explain the news {Alao; 1992} It must be noted that in modern art of reporting, reporters have their various areas of specialisation. Special reporters are assigned to report crimes, sports, judiciary, labour, entertainment, business and economy, foreign beat and aviation, among others. Whether it is print or electronic media, the functions of reporters and editors are the same: to write and shape the writing to suit the needs of readers, listeners and viewers. Randall (2000) lists some of the thankless functions that is expected of the reporter in his profession. He/she: discovers and publish information that replaces rumour and speculation resists and evades government controls, especially those put in place to prevent the public from finding out the true position of things informs, and so empower, voters subverts those whose authority relies on a lack of public information scrutinises the actions and inactions of governments, elected representatives and public services scrutinises businesses, their treatment of workers and customers, the quality of their products and their level of social responsibility comforts the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, providing a voice for those who cannot normally be heard in public Page 2

3 holds up a mirror to society, reflecting its virtues and vices and also debunking its cherished myths Page 3

4 ensures that justice is done, is seen to be done, and investigations carried out where this is not so promotes the free exchange, especially by providing a platform for those with philosophies alternative to the prevailing ones EXERCISE 1 Identify the role of the reporter in the society Attributes of a Reporter The following are some of the attributes of a reporter: Nose for news A reporter lives on news, he must have an instinct for news, and that is, he should be able to identify a newsworthy event. He should be able to generate news from anyone no, matter how important or insignificant that person is. Randall (2000) explains that reporters must possess this attribute for the following reasons: one, in the positive sense of knowing what makes a good story and the ability to find the essential news point in the midst of dross; two, in the negative sense of not wasting time by pursuing stories that are not worth much; and three, ensuring that he does not miss details and make a fool of himself. Good command of written and spoken language of his medium To do your job well, you must have a good training in the profession. This will enable you to learn as much about as many things as possible. The present trend towards specialisation in news reporting makes it mandatory for the reporters to learn as much as possible on the subject they are assigned to such as politics, science, labour, economics and history. Passion for precision This means that to excel as a reporter in the business of furnishing the public with information, you must possess a knack for accuracy and precision which Randall (2000) writes as meaning three things: first, recording and writing accurately what information is gathered; ensuring that the details recorded accurately stand true to the spirit and atmosphere of the situation or events which means adding background and context; and lastly, avoid making any or all kinds of assumptions. Speed and accuracy As a reporter, you have to bear in mind that your medium is competing with others in the market. To meet a deadline, you need to race against time in gathering and presenting news. Remember the saying that journalism is history in a hurry. Objectivity You need to develop the ability to be impartial, impersonal, objective and dispassionate. You should not shift the emphasis, twist the angle or colour the story. While you can afford to be ruthless, remorseless in condemning unfair happenings in feature or editorial writings news reporting differs; what the listeners, readers want in news is fact and not your opinion or emotional reaction. Perseverance As a reporter, you need to persevere and go an extra mile while pursuing a story. Remember that there is a wide variety of people, while some may have news to offer, others may have, but may not be willing to divulge

5 news. As such, if you are in undue haste, it may damage your investigation by causing you to miss the vital part of the news. Ability to establish and sustain contacts As a reporter, it is not enough for you to know how to establish contacts; you should try to sustain contacts. Do not despise anybody; the office assistance or even the cleaner may be your best source in any organisation. So, be friendly with them, as you would want to be with their boss. Trustworthiness: As a reporter, you need to respect the confidence reposed in you by your source. On no account should you divulge your source of information. Many reporters/journalists in the world have gone to prison; rather than divulge the source of their information. In Nigeria, such persons include Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson. Knowledge of working tools To facilitate your job, you do not only need to possess some aids, you must know how to use them. These include a camera and computer. In fact, in this age of computer-assisted journalism, it will be odd for a reporter not to be computer literate and also know how to search for information on the Internet. Besides, the knowledge of shorthand will be an added advantage. Ethics of the profession Every profession regulates the conduct of its practitioners in terms of duty and ethical behaviour. Journalism involves the kind of trust that imposes strong obligations on all those who practice it. You should keep abreast of the ethics of the journalism profession (not only that you need to obey the ethics.) Versatility As a reporter you must have knowledge about the beat you are assigned to cover. Also, you need to know about the community where you are operating. This also means that as a reporter, you must have knowledge of about everything and must be able to apply yourself to whatever beat/use the editor or a particular situation may require. Thus, take extra time to equip yourself with this quality, as no school of journalism will teach you that. A good reporter should also be pleasant, neat and stay intellectually alert, optimistic and adaptable. This is a SAMPLE (Few pages have been extracted from the complete notes:-it s meant to show you the topics covered in the full notes and as per the course outline Download more at our websites:

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