P2PU | Journalism Crash Course

The Human Touch

A good reporter makes regular contact with his or her sources. She goes to the well when she's thirsty, but she also goes to the well when she's not thirsty. There is no substitute for actually being there, for personal contact. See your sources, speak to them when you need something from them, but more importantly, when you don't need anything.

One of the most important qualities that a reporter must have is an ease around strangers. Always be alert to the common ground that you share with the people you deal with. Mention these topics in your conversations with them. Familiarity doesn't breed contempt. It lowers barriers.
A reporter has to answer the question, "What's up?" with more than, "Not much." Put sources on the receiving end of information. The FBI approach—"We ask the questions, mister"—does not work for a reporter. A reporter is an information broker. Share information when you can.
With this said, you also have to be careful. You must learn to walk a fine line between getting close but not too close. As Walter Lippmann said, "There has to be a certain distance between a reporter and the source, not a wall or a fence but an air space." You serve the reader, not the source.
After months on a beat, working with the same sources, you will begin to think like them and talk like them. You will be sympathetic to their point of view. Be wary of this and of their efforts to use you. It is likely and legitimate that they will try to persuade you of the merit of their views, to sell you on their programs. You will have little contact with your readers, but it is them you represent.
The language of your source is probably not the language of your readers. Bureaucrats, scientists, educators and lawyers have their own jargon. Learn this jargon but translate it into standard English for your readers.
If you have obtained information from a source on the understanding that it is off the record, then it is. Remember, a source is a source for life. You may change beats, newspapers, even cities, yet your reputation will follow you. The only way to be a successful reporter over the long haul is to operate honestly. If you don't, you will be without that most valuable of all commodities, good sources.
Make one more call. Ask your source, "Who else can help me?" "Who holds an opposite view?" Work down the organization chart. If possible, talk to the policeman who made the arrest, not the supervisor; the teacher rather than the principal.
Be polite but persistent with your sources. Insist on a responsive answer to your question. Follow slow-developing stories by checking periodically with your sources. If the event or issue is still on their agenda, it probably should be on yours as well.