Journalists covering specific areas... :

Marching to their own beat

Gaston De ROSAYRO

Most reporters don’t just write about anything and everything that crops up on any given day. Instead, they cover a ‘beat,’ which means a specific topic or area. Typical beats include the cops and crime, national security, courts, health, city or municipal councils, politics, education and travel and tourism.

More specialised beats can include areas such as science and technology, sports or business. And beyond those very broad topics, reporters often cover more specific areas.

Beats can be very specific, or broader, depending on the kind of publication you are working for. A large-sized daily newspaper, for example, will have reporters covering everything from local police goings-on to local sports.

Whatever subject you choose or are assigned to, here are certain things you need to do to cover a beat effectively. Being a beat reporter means you need to know everything you can about your subject. That means talking to people in the field and doing a good deal of background reading. This can be especially challenging if you are covering a complex beat such as say, science or medicine.

But you don’t need to bother your head about it too much. No one would expect you to know everything a doctor or scientist does. But you should have at least a strong layperson’s command of the subject so that when interviewing someone such as a doctor you are able to ask intelligent questions. Also, when it comes to writing your story, understanding the subject thoroughly will make it easier for you to translate it into terms everyone can understand.

If you are covering a beat you need to know the movers and shakers in the field. When journalists work a beat over time they develop a multitude of sources. This means that they know who to call when something happens and they know the people who will talk to them. A good journalist establishes solid relationships with his sources so he can turn to them to get information.

Although people don’t always like talking to reporters, especially when the story is about a scandal or something negative, a good journalist will have sources who recognise that there is a positive aspect in getting a story out, and getting it out correctly. In other words, a good journalist will develop a respectful relationship with his sources.

So if you are covering the local police that means getting to know everyone from the top cops to the rank and file, the police chief, and as many of the officers in varied departments as far as possible. If you are covering a local high-tech company that means making contact with both the top executives as well as some of the rank-and-file employees.

Beyond just getting to know the people on your beat, you need to develop a level of trust with at least some of them to the point where they become reliable contacts, or sources. Why is this necessary? Because sources are able to provide you with tips and valuable information for your stories. In fact, sources are often where beat reporters start when looking for good stories, the kind that don’t come from press releases. Indeed, a beat reporter without sources is like an vocalist without an orchestra. He or she has no rhythm to back their performances.

A big part of cultivating contacts is just as the Yankee –Doodle journalists put it is: “Schmoozing with your sources”. It means to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection. So ask the top cop how his tennis game is coming along. Tell the CEO you like the painting in her office and congratulate her good taste in art. And if it’s an older woman contact you might admit that you fancy the colour of her lipstick, even if you think it is horrendous. But I would suggest, through long experience, that you stop at that!

And don’t forget clerks and secretaries. They are usually the guardians of important documents and records that can be invaluable for your stories. So chat them up as well.

Reporters who cover a beat for years and develop a strong network of sources sometimes fall into the trap of writing stories that are only of interest to their sources. That is because their heads have become so immersed in their beat they have forgotten what the outside world looks like.

That may not be so bad if you are writing for a trade publication aimed at workers in a specific industry (say, a magazine for investment analysts). But if you are writing for a mainstream print or news journal always remember that you should be producing stories of interest and importance to a general audience.

Journalists often refer to protecting the confidentiality their sources with the hackneyed phrase: “I can’t reveal my sources,” That is because these are people they turn to regularly to get inside information, or perspective, on a story. Now that bit about “revealing” sources points to an instance when a journalist gets an important piece of information from a person who does not want their identity revealed. That is a sacred trust that cannot ever be compromised and will be dealt with in a subsequent article.

If, for example, you are working on a story about a sensational murder in Colombo and you get information from someone in the police department that the murder looks like it might be the work of a serial killer, that officer might not want his name divulged.

After all, he is giving you information that might get him in trouble. So, when you write the story about the murder, you would not name your source or reveal his identity to anyone. If you did reveal his identity, no one would ever want to give you secret information, or information that people in business refer to as stuff that’s “off the record.”

Probably the hardest part of being a beat reporter is staying on top of things and dealing with sources you have to return to every day even if you have written a story they don’t like. Unlike other journalists, beat reporters every day face the challenge of encountering sources who may not be pleased with their reporting. That experience, although sometimes painful, helps instill the quality of persistence that defines good reporters.

The best beat reporters I have known were well-organised, determined, with a clear sense of mission and a wide range of sources. They were constantly reading about the beat and striving to learn new things. They were well-versed in the language, issues and events that matter. They could be judged by the breadth of their knowledge and their success at communicating the important stories on their beats.

The best reporters know how the world works, whether it is the world of law enforcement, the underworld, the laboratory, the sports field or the corporate boardroom. That takes time, dedication, discipline and courage.

But most of all it is left to the reporter to harness all your skills and talent. In all you must learn to march to your own beat of stirring kettledrums while being enamoured by the thrill of the chase.