You’ve had the idea for the article you want to write and started researching it. If you don’t know where to start, make sure you read this 8 step guide to researching your news article first. But gathering and then sifting through all that information can be overwhelming. You need a systematic process to work through. Just follow these steps on how to organise news gathering for the best preparation before writing the article:
1. Find your angle
This is simply asking yourself what you want the story to be about. It’s where you decide what you want to include and the position you want to take. Being as objective as possible is still a position, however It’s impossible to be completely unbiased and objective. It’s unavoidable that at some point your writing will expose some of your views. But often it’s about taking a position on something for the benefit of society as a whole. Be accurate, fair, accountable and credible even when the facts go against your worldview. Ask yourself if the research supports what you thought it was going to be about.
2. Store things securely and organised.
This is simply common sense but you have to be meticulous in how you store all the information. Have files for each story with all the documents, reports, photos, videos, audio recordings, transcripts etc all stored securely in there. By securely we mean backed up on physical storage and cloud. Keep files password protected if possible, especially given how much data is stored on shared spaces and cloud servers. Only store low-grade material in online clouds. Make sure you keep important documents and other information as you never know when you may need it. Having all the information available and in an organised system makes it easier to retrieve when writing a story quickly, and getting information to people that may need it such as the police. All of this applies to other industries and areas of work, not just Journalism.
3. Sort out the valuable facts.
As you sift through everything, pick out the most important facts as you go. Use the 5 Ws to help you pick out the valuable information. Then create a list in order of priority with the most important facts at the top. This will form the basis of the upside down pyramid method that most articles are based on when it comes to writing it. This is vital when looking at how to organise your news gathering.
4. Evaluate the quotes
You need to use quotes because it shows authority, gives evidence from eyewitnesses and offers first person accounts. It avoids editorialising so you’re not just writing about what you think. Use them when the source says something especially important or unusual. Use them as well when the source says something that reflects emotion or reflects their personality. Use them sparingly unless it’s an interview. Set up the quote by summarising what the quote is about to say (without saying those exact words) then using it. We’ve gone into further detail about using quotes in your article.
5. Don’t leave anything out
If you have missing pieces, you need more reporting. Fill in what you don’t know with more facts, reporting and interviews. Don’t rest on weak facts, it will make a weak news report. Now that you’ve gathered everything, it’s time to write it!
Itís nearly impossible to find experienced people on this subject, but you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks