If you’re in the process of researching a news story you want to report on, you’ll need to speak to lots of different sources. A range of experts, witnesses and anyone else involved who may have important facts, views and stories that are vital to your news report. We’ve narrowed down 6 key rules for dealing with your news sources, to make sure you’re always sticking to good practice in journalism.
1. Always check with your employer
If you’re working for a newspaper it’s best to make your supervisor aware that you are trying to contact a particular source. It’s always best to run it by them first so that the organisation can keep track of all the sources that are being contacted. It may be the case that this particular source has been spoken to already. In which case another member of the organisation already has a rapport with them, or can at least help you get in contact with them. It’s possible there may also have been problems with a particular source in the past that the organisation has dealt with, which you may not be aware of.
2. Be friendly, but not their friend
Always be polite with your sources, regardless of their attitude towards you. We often respond to rudeness from other people by giving as good as we get, but as a journalist you have to keep your ego in check and ignore any rude comments or behaviour. This doesn’t mean you have to accept threats and aggressive behaviour, but if the source is standoffish, try to diffuse the situation and maintain a friendly demeanour. That being said, you are there to ask questions, get the facts and report objectively. You are not there to do the sources bidding so you must keep it strictly professional. We cover this more in our guide to conducting a news interview.
3. Don’t Exchange Money or Gifts
Again, keep it professional and maintain a healthy divide between yourself as the journalist and the source. Do not accept money or gifts from potential sources. They wouldn’t offer it out of the goodness of their heart. They’re doing it in exchange for a favourable story that paints them in a good light. This works both ways. Don’t pay sources to be interviewed either. It could mean the sources aren’t doing it because they want to share their story, but because they’re getting compensated to do so. It may also lead to them being incentivised to lie or exaggerate and could damage your reputation.
4. Be honest about who you are and what you’re doing
Honesty and transparency are key journalistic principles. Unless you’re doing undercover reporting, then be clear that you are a journalist finding out more about a particular issue and wish to interview people involved in order to report objectively on the facts. If you work for a news organisation then tell them which one and show them your credentials. Don’t lie about how you wish to report on the issue. This is vital when looking at how to handle news sources.
5. Corroborate what they’re saying
Just speaking to one source isn’t going to cut it. You need to find as many sources as possible. Some of your sources may be anonymous and you need to be extra careful with the information provided by them. Likewise you need to respect their anonymity. However in being an anonymous source they know there aren’t the same consequences for giving wrong information and it’s harder to hold them accountable. Look at all the information which has been gathered and see if it all adds up. If it doesn’t then go back to your sources to confirm and find other sources to help either confirm or debunk what you have. Don’t publish the story until you’re sure everything is correct and you trust your sources.
6. You and the editor must retain control over what’s reported
Ultimately the story belongs to you and/or the news organisation you work for. It’s yours to write, edit and publish as you see fit. Don’t allow yourself to be bought, pressured or manipulated into doing the sources bidding and writing the story that they want written. Once again, your job is to be honest and report objectively based on the facts.