What A Reporter Does

A reporter gathers information and turns it into a story for an audience.

Depending on the assignment, you may:

• Research a topic
• Attend a school or community event
• Interview students, teachers, coaches, administrators, or community members
• Take notes and record important details
• Verify names, dates, titles, statistics, and other facts
• Write a news article or feature story
• Record video, audio, or photographs
• Edit a video news package
• Create a headline, caption, or teaser
• Submit your work for review and publication

A reporter does more than repeat what someone says. A reporter asks questions, checks facts, organizes information, and presents the story in a way the audience can understand.

What Is a Beat?

A beat is a subject or area that a reporter covers regularly.

Instead of waiting for someone to hand you every story idea, you learn what is happening within your beat and look for stories that our audience should know about.

Possible BVP newsroom beats may include:

• Campus News
• Student Life
• Clubs and Organizations
• Fine Arts
• Athletics
• Career and Technical Education
• Academic Programs
• School Events
• Student and Staff Profiles
• Community News
• Entertainment and Reviews

Newsroom Standards

Everything published through the BVP Newsroom should be accurate, fair, professional, and based on reliable information. As a student reporter, you represent Bellville A/V and The Bellville Herd whenever you interview someone, attend an event, take photographs, record video, or prepare a story.

Before submitting your work, make sure you have followed these standards:

• Check your facts — Verify names, titles, dates, times, locations, scores, statistics, and other important details.
• Never guess — If you are unsure about something, ask the source or speak with Mr. G.
• Be fair — Do not misrepresent people or leave out important facts to make a story more dramatic.
• Use reliable sources — Get information from people directly involved, school officials, official announcements, schedules, documents, or authorized websites.
• Identify your sources — Explain where your information came from and identify people by name and position when appropriate.
• Never invent or alter quotes — A quote must accurately represent what the person said and meant.
• Act professionally — Be prepared, arrive on time, introduce yourself, ask appropriate questions, listen carefully, and treat everyone respectfully.
• Meet your deadline — Allow enough time for reporting, writing, editing, corrections, and approval. Tell Mr. G immediately if you expect a delay.
• Report mistakes — If you discover an error, tell Mr. G so it can be corrected properly.
• Get approval before publishing — Do not publish or post articles, photographs, videos, recordings, or social media content on behalf of BVP or The Bellville Herd without approval.

Your First Assignment

Your first assignment will introduce you to the complete reporting process—from understanding the story to submitting the finished work. The goal is not to produce a perfect story on your first attempt. The goal is to learn how reporters prepare, gather reliable information, conduct interviews, organize their material, and improve their work through editing.

Follow these steps for your assignment:

• Understand the assignment — Know what the story is about, what type of story you are creating, who the audience is, what interviews or media you need, and when it is due. Ask Mr. G if anything is unclear.
• Research the subject — Learn enough background information to ask informed questions. Begin with the 5 Ws and H: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• Choose reliable sources — Interview people who have direct knowledge of the subject and can provide useful information or meaningful quotes.
• Prepare your questions — Write your questions before the interview. Use open-ended questions beginning with how, why, what, or tell me about to encourage complete answers.
• Conduct the interview professionally — Introduce yourself, explain your assignment, and ask permission before recording. Listen carefully, ask follow-up questions, and confirm the correct spelling of the source’s name and title.
• Organize your information — Review your notes or recording promptly. Identify the most important fact, the best quote, necessary background information, and anything that still needs to be verified.
• Create the story — Follow the instructions for your assigned format. Written stories, video stories, photographs, audio, and other projects may require different approaches.
• Check your work — Verify names, titles, dates, times, locations, facts, sources, and quotes. Make sure you answered the main questions, explained why the story matters, and completed every required part.
• Submit it for review — Turn in all required materials by the deadline. If Mr. G requests corrections or revisions, make the changes carefully and return the updated version promptly.

Remember: corrections and revisions are a normal part of newsroom work. Every assignment is an opportunity to become a stronger reporter.