News resources

Ok so how do you find out what is going to make a good news story?

Journalism is a bit like being a P.I. or a police detective; you need a number of sources and from those sources you have to deduce which story or event is likely to be the one you need to be covering. You wont always get it right, but the more research you undertake the more likely you are to make the right decision.
Of course sometimes its just pure luck that you happen to be in the right place at the right time when an event unfolds.



There are of course tried and trusted methods of getting your sources of news; starting with getting in touch with press officers working with the national government and the main foreign embassies. Also get to know who the local and international NGOs (non-governmental organisations) are and what they are doing. Make contact with government ministries and ask to receive press releases so that you can anticipate events and get invited to press conferences.
Of course some of the best sources of possible news are those people you meet in your day to day life - the taxi driver, the local store owner, the bartender. I once worked at a butchers in the place i live and it was a hotbed of gossip, ok not much of it was news worthy, but you get my point i hope.. These people will be good indicators about what is going on. Keep a diary of the dates of local events, festivals and international summits hosted in your area and get involved. the more people know what you do, the more likely they are to approach you with good bits of info.



A few sites out there that can provide an idea of upcoming stories.

Digg has a bulletin board which could be handy.

Another possible resource is Shoutwire.



Of course news stories dont have to be 'breaking' in the sense that they are exclusive because they are just unfolding or happening on a day to day basis.

Investigative journalism is a great line to go down and is perhaps not so limiting as breaking news journalism. You can report on something that is of interest to you. Its an opportunity to delve deeper into a story, usually to unearth the 'real' story behind the headlines. This method can get right up peoples noses, but its also the type of journalism that can force people to look again at the way things are, it can even lead to laws being changed and people going to jail. As an investigative journalist the final presentation of a story can sometimes take up the appearance of an exposé.



Investigative journalism can sometimes involve reporting on other journalists for instance if they get the report incorrect or have not checked there facts.
Check out Stinky Journalism which advocates a more scientific approach to journalism.

For a more indepth and serious take on all things journailstic, i guess a little UK-centric but of value all the same is http://www.journalism.co.uk.

Lastly heres a good break-down of journalistic methods thats have some other suggestions not listed above.




Have a good Easter,


Jack