University of Botswana
Department of Media Studies
BMS 332 BEAT REPORTING
HANDOUT 5: CHECKLISTS FOR RESEARCHING AND WRITING
These are two checklists that you can use to assess whether your own work has all the essential elements of a good article
Gathering information and researching article
Have the essential facts been established by:
- Observation.
- Interviewing those involved.
- Getting quotes from people involved in the story (e.g. people who witnessed something that you did not see yourself).
- Getting the official view from government, etc. where appropriate.
- Double-checking any figures to be used in the report.
- Giving both (or more) sides to a situation where there are two or more sides.
- Checking with people any information you have been given about them by a third party.
- Checking the names, addresses, titles etc of people interviewed or involved, including those not present.
- Checking the names of streets, buildings, places etc.
- Checking any technical matters and terms you don’t understand with appropriate sources / organizations.
Have the facts obtained so far been supplemented (as necessary) by means of:
- Newspaper files containing reports previously published.
- Appropriate reference books.
- Internet sites
- Further inquiries to press officers, organizations etc.
- Checks using other sources, of any statements, or denials made to you by press officers.
- Inquiries with contacts.
Writing
Journalism writing is the presentation to the reader of the fruits of your information gathering put into readable form. The article should:
Ø Capture the reader’s attention in the first paragraph.
Ø Encourage the reader to read on.
Once you have written your report check that it has got:
- A first paragraph that gives clearly the main facts of the story.
- A first paragraph that is also succinct, easy to read and eye-catching.
- Sufficient explanation in the next few paragraphs to justify and (if need be) qualify your intro.
- Facts thereafter in a logical order (in a news story, in the order of importance.)
- A clear indication in the article of the where, how, when and (if possible) the why of the matter.
- A clear identity of the people involved.
- Relevant and properly attributed quotations, where possible, from people involved.
- A fair representation of what the person (or persons) has said in an interview-based story.
- Any useful background information that will give the article context.
- Correct usage of titles, ranks, abbreviations etc.
- In a news story - a style that is concise, objective and free of your own comment.
- Writing that is good English, with correct spelling and punctuation.
- Both checklists adapted from Brendan Hennessy and F W Hodgson, Journalism, a Manual of Tasks, Projects and Resources, Focal Press, Oxford, 1995.
