What Not to Do as a Journalist
Lottie L. Joiner / NYT Student Journalism Institute
I had a really bad day today. A series of mistakes caused me to lose out on an important story. I’m still replaying the events in my mind, thinking about what I should have done differently. But I learned from this experience and want to share some tips with new and young journalists.
- Don’t misrepresent yourself. Be clear about who you are, who you work for and the exact purpose of your request.
- Identify the primary contact. By all means, try to reach the person you will be interviewing and have an in-depth discussion about your needs. E-mail is good, but the phone is best. Whenever a third party is involved, confusion can occur.
- Be on time. This should be Journalism 101, right? Even if you’re running just a little late, make sure you promptly notify your sources.
- Confirm plans. Things come up, so follow up with your source the night before or even the day of to make sure that your plans are still intact. Reiterate what you plan to discuss and the information you’ll need.
