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REPORTING:ORDER OF REPORTING, REPORTER’S QUALITIES, Well informed

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Radio News, Reporting and Production ­ MCM515
VU
LESSON 16
REPORTING
Reporter
Reporter is the person who finds and/ or covers a news story for the news organization he/she is working
for. Every news organization, whether print or electronic, has a systematic network of reporters who are
deputed in different cities and places throughout the world. The bigger the organization, the vaster the
network of reporters is.
Report
In the realm of journalism, a report is a written or spoken account of an event, to be published in
newspaper or broadcast on radio or television.
Reporting
News coverage and then writing the news for newspaper, radio, or television is called reporting.
TYPES OF REPORTING IN TERMS OF CONTENT:
Types of reporting in detail will be touched upon in the following lesson. Here a brief introduction of every
type is given.
Broadly speaking there are three types of reporting which are:
a) Factual Reporting
b) Interpretative Reporting
c) Investigative Reporting
a) Factual Reporting
The factual reporting is actually the reporting of any incident immediately after it takes place. It is basically
to break the news and it covers the basic questions of news building that are what, when, where and who.
The news is on the channel as a part of the news bulletin for the very first time. Even if it is not the time of
bulletin the usual transmission is halted and the breaking news is put on air. But it depends on the
newsworthiness of the event that has been reported and is to be given as breaking news.
b) Interpretative Reporting
It is a kind of reporting in which the reporter seeks for the details and other aspects of the news story. The
questions how and why are focused upon while doing interpretative reporting. To interpret means, to
explain or describe something in detail. Interpretative report is normally treated as special report about any
news story.
c) Investigative Reporting
It is a kind of reporting in which the reporter attempts to uncover the hidden truths of a news story. The
facts which are tried to keep secret by some people, the reporter noses those facts, finds them out and then
brings them on the surface to show the listeners the real picture of the story.
TYPES OF REPORTING IN TERMS OF NATURE:
a) Diary Assignment
News room diary has already been discussed in detail. It is reporter's duty to look up that diary and see if
there is any function to be covered and reported. In this case the source of information for the reporter is
the newsroom diary that is maintained with the help of the news releases that land in the newsroom through
different sources like by post, internet or fax.
b) Instant Reaction Callouts
Normally diary assignments are there in the knowledge of a reporter before time, sometimes even days
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Radio News, Reporting and Production ­ MCM515
VU
before. But instant reaction callouts a reporter does not know about until the incident takes place. In this
case he is called up and informed somehow or the other to cover the story. It is therefore said that a radio
reporter is incomplete indeed without his kit that carries a tape recorder in working condition, set of
batteries, good quality microphone, a note book and a couple of cassettes.
ORDER OF REPORTING
Normally different types of reporting come in the following order:
Factual Reporting
Interpretative Reporting
Investigative Reporting
It shows that immediately after an incident takes place the type of reporting is needed first is factual one.
The reason behind is, the foremost responsibility of a news channel is to inform its listeners about the
happening of the incident as early as possible. In first news presentation it is neither necessary nor possible
to provide the listeners with rest of the details of the news item. So the rest part, that is the details and other
aspects of the news story are covered after the breaking news has gone on air.
While carrying out interpretative reporting a reporter may smell something wrong on the happening of an
incident and that suspicion leads him to investigative reporting
·
But not always, not all stories run to be investigative stories.
·
Every story, by and large, demands interpretative reporting as well.
REPORTER'S QUALITIES:
Reporter, obviously, is a journalist and must get proper formal education that is a prerequisite for getting
into this field. Despite being furnished with formal education there are certain other qualities as well that
make an ace reporter.
Nosy/ curious
A good reporter needs to be very nosy and curious about things. Unless he takes extra interest in any
apparently routine matter, he cannot hunt news. He goes beyond the things. He looks for what is behind
the curtain. He peeps into the slits to find out what is truth. He gets behind the masks to uncover the faces.
But to perform all these acts he needs to be very careful and within the law boundaries otherwise he may
have to face the music.
Sharp Observation
Unless a reporter casts searching look on anything he is unable to find out something newsworthy. He has
to be a good observer of things, happenings and incidents. Good observation power is something by which
a reporter gets successful in finding news.
Public Relations
A good reporter always tries to cultivate good relations with others. He has friends in almost every
important department and walk of life. At time of need he does not find any difficulty while getting
information about anything.
Active/ dynamic
A successful reporter is not idle or lethargic kind of person. Rather he is active and dynamic; always ready to
take up assignment and go on with given tasks. Never gets late. To be an early bird, though not considered
well but this is not the case with a reporter. A good reporter has to be an early bird. Being exactly in time or
getting late he may get place on the last chairs in a press conference or the person he has planned to contact
to may have caught the flight.
Well informed
One who is not updated can be anything on earth but can never be a reporter. Reporting requires a great
deal of knowledge and information about ever changing scenario of the world. Lacking fresh information
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Radio News, Reporting and Production ­ MCM515
VU
definitely leads a reporter to cut a sorry figure at occasions.
Tactful
Reporter needs to be tactful and shrewd to have persons telling him what he wants. Tactfully and
intelligently, sometimes he is able to get what he needs without letting his source get alarmed. This is what a
reporter is.
Telling about a good reporter, Simon Ellis, News Editor, BBC, goes in these words:
"The qualities I look for in a radio reporter are:
a determination to ferret out the details despite the obstacles, an interest in , and genuine
awareness of current news and issues, a lively imaginative mind, and a sense of humour."
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Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT RADIO IS:HISTORY OF RADIO, MARCONI –THE INVENTOR
  2. HISTORY OF RADIO:B.B.C. – 1922, Radio in Sub-Continent, PBC SERVICES
  3. OBJECTIVES OF BROADCASTING IN PAKISTAN:Information, Islamic ideology
  4. NEWS VALUES I:CONFLICT, PROGRESS, VICTORY AND DEFEAT
  5. NEWS VALUES II:TIMELINESS, PROXIMITY, NOVELTY, HUMAN INTEREST
  6. NEWS VALUES AND ELEMENTS OF NEWS:MISCELLANEOUS NEWS VALUES
  7. MEASURING THE IMPORTANCE OF NEWS:Intensity of an Event, NEWS STORY TYPES
  8. TYPES OF NEWS STORIES II:SIMPLE TYPES, ILLNESS, DEATH
  9. TYPES OF NEWS STORIES III:Conspiracy, Drug Trafficking, Lunar Months
  10. TYPES OF NEWS STORIES IV:COMPLEX NEWS, Forms of Government, Monarchy
  11. TYPES OF NEWS STORIES V:Education, Research, Religion
  12. TYPES OF NEWS STORIES VI:Lifestyles, Receptions, Entertainment
  13. SOURCES OF NEWS I:Network of Reporters, QUALITIES OF A REPORTER
  14. SOURCES OF NEWS II:MONITORING, NEWS/ PRESS RELEASE
  15. SOURCES OF NEWS III:National News Agencies, HARD NEWS, SOFT NEWS
  16. REPORTING:ORDER OF REPORTING, REPORTER’S QUALITIES, Well informed
  17. A SUCCESSFUL RADIO REPORTER:Briefing, Reporter’s Ammunition, Meeting Deadline
  18. INTERPRETATIVE REPORTING I:Growth of Interpretative Reporting
  19. INTERPRETATIVE REPORTING II:Factual Background, SPEECH STORY
  20. INTERPRETATIVE REPORTING III:FIRES & ACCIDENTS, CRIME STORIES
  21. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING I:Thalidomide Scandal, Watergate Scandal
  22. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING II:Identification of the problem, INTERVIEW
  23. TYPES OF INTERVIEW:Hard News Interview, Informational Interview
  24. ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD INTERVIEW I:Comments and Opinion, Topic must be specific
  25. ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD INTERVIEW II:Preparation of the Interview, Language
  26. RADIO NEWS GLOSSARY:Actuality, Cut, Voicer, Wrap, Hourly, Lead
  27. FUNDAMENTALS OF NEWS WRITING:Inverted Pyramided Style, Telling the Story
  28. FUNDAMENTALS OF WRITING NEWS FOR RADIO I:Language
  29. FUNDAMENTALS OF WRITING NEWS FOR RADIO II:Complex numbers
  30. ESSENTIALS OF A NEWSCASTER:Authority, Credibility, Language, Pronunciation
  31. PRODUCTION AND PLANNING:Principals of Planning a Program
  32. PRODUCER & BUDGETING:Strengths of a Radio Program, Budgeting a Program
  33. JARGONS OF PRODUCTION (Continued):Frequency spectrum, Dead studio
  34. TYPES OF TALK:Qualification of a Talker, Essentials of a talk, Vetting a talk
  35. DISCUSSION:Controlled Discussion, Live Discussion, Current affairs
  36. DISCUSSION:Selection of the TopicKnowledge of the Topic, Narrowing down the topic
  37. RADIO FEATURE:Sound Effects, Narration, Dramatic Feature, Religion, Personalities
  38. RADIO DOCUMENTARY:Commentary, History, Persons, Things, Phenomena
  39. DRAMA:Solo plays, Series, Serial, Soap, Components of Drama
  40. SPECIAL AUDIENCE PROGRAM:Children’s Programs, Women’s programs
  41. SPORTS PROGRAM:Live Programs, Recorded Programs, Preparation of OB
  42. THE MUSIC I:Folk Music, Classical Music, Light Music, Pop Music
  43. THE MUSIC II:Classification of Raga In Terms Of Notes, Aado, Khaado
  44. ETHICS & LIMITATIONS OF MEDIA:Domain of Freedom of Media, Defamation
  45. RECAP:What Radio Is, Timeliness, Elements of news, Types of Reporting, Production