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NEWS DOESN'T GROW ON TREES

No, a writer doesn't invent news. Nor does news grow on trees
or come from nowhere. You, the news writer, have to have sources.
What are these?

Beats. Beats in news coverage are like assigned areas of news for each
         new reporter. You may be assigned to cover police stories, hence, you have a
         police beat and your news will cover police arrests, cases or anything related to
         the police.

Or another reporter might be assigned to cover sports events, so he's in the
sports beat.

Printed materials and documents.

Press releases and publicity materials.

Resource persons.

If you want to come up with the most relevant, factual and interesting
news story, you, the news writer, should possess the following traits:

         1. Understand the story you are covering. By this, we mean you know the
         background of the story and why it is happening. You should be able to take
         down notes, talk to people, know who the best sources of news are and know
         what kind of story it is even before you write it.

2. You should know how to relate to people, especially when you have to interview
them to get facts and opinions.

3. You should know how to maneuver yourself as close as possible to
the event. Get into a strategic position. Be observant of the things
around you. Observe other people's faces for reactions.

4. You should never rely on your memory. Keep a small notebook with
you so you can take down notes, names, figures and dates.

         5. You should be meticulous when it comes to people's names, their spelling and
         their titles or positions. Remember that as a reporter, you should always strive to
         be accurate, even down to a person's middle name.

6. Never stop gathering information even after the news event has transpired.

7. Check and re-check your facts. If necessary, verify with other sources.

Read Excerpt 1 - The Truth About News...

Read Excerpt 3 - From Drab To Glamour

Read Excerpt 4 - C Is For Creativity

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