Reporter
A reporter is one who observes the passing show in the widest sense of the word and pictures
its detail for the benefit of the whole society.
A reporter may be accurate, conscientious, a good citizen and take part in moulding the views
of other people, but he cannot play his part successfully unless he keeps his eyes open and his
mind attuned to the present, future as well as the past. He is a leader of men in many senses of
the word.
He must not express his own views in what he writes-he must know in most sets of
circumstances-but everything he writes must express his mind and its condition. He holds up a
mirror and how much clouded or clear it is, depends on the truth or a twist of the truth which
he makes in accordance with his nature and mental equipment.
A good reporter seldom sticks to a newspaper for long. Usually he passes on to news agencies
or gets promotion to look after other aspects of newspaper production like a news editor or a
chief correspondent.
A reporter's mind is like a sponge, paying a good deal of attention to purely mundane things
but learning something every day and cleaning his mind of matters not upto the mark. He must
organise his knowledge and codify it. He must understand the principles of government in
general and in some details.
He must know general history, particularly the history of his area. Though he can pick up these
things as he goes along his duty, it is better for him to supplement his knowledge by a planned
study.
Duties of a Newspaper Reporter
A reporter is the gatherer of news, and as such performs an important function in a newspaper
establishment. As he has to gather news, he is required to be on the move most of the time
usually within the area allotted to him.
He has to interview persons and attend public functions and meetings, press conferences and
law courts to investigate events of public interest, to collect news and to ascertain news on
contemporary events.
The nature of the job being such, an 'up-and -doing" type of person proves successful in this
line. Naturally, persons who prefer fixed working hours and regular routine in daily life are
unsuitable for this job.
His work changes daily; as such he should be prepared to handle any assignment and move
anywhere. He should have special knack of meeting all sorts of people in all types of
circumstances.
A person of snobbish, uppish and patronising temperament has little or no chance of success
in this line. A shy and a reserved type of young person is totally unfit to become a successful
reporter. He must possess abundant self-confidence, so as not to be over-awed by the rank or
position of an individual. He should be a man of initiative and should not be easily disheartened
or discouraged.
He should possess mental and physical perservance. He should be able to grasp the situation
quickly and reduce it into writing in the shortest time and in a readable form. But while
reporting news he must be able to judge its authenticity and then report the news so collected
with absolute honesty. The narrative should be attractive so that the readers should enjoy
reading it.
He should be able to record the happenings and incidents in a condensed form, as he has to
take into account the space available in the newspaper for it. Suppose, he has to write a report
on some important meeting which lasted for over two hours. In such a circumstance, he must
have an eye for the important discussions/ decisions which are to be included in the report,
omitting all other unimportant/irrelevant matter.
He must be temperamentally so framed that he does not get irritated, even if at times he has to
wait for hours to meet an important person or come across an event. When a news-worthy
occasion does come he should be able to grasp it quickly, and write it out with great speed.
Many reporters specialise in reporting particular types of news such as those relating to political
events, commerce or sports, theatre, etc. In large newspapers, there is also a Chief Reporter
responsible for allocating and coordinating work of different reporters.
Summary:
Basic Responsibilities of a reporter:
1. Social responsibility:
Inform people
Fair, balance, truthful, inspiring
Creative
2. Legal responsibility:
Keep the organisation trouble-free
Avoid libelous and defamatory writing
Maintain professionalism
3. Professional responsibility:
Truthful presentation
Unbiased
Accountable
Editors/newspapers guidelines
Duties of a Reporter:
Seek truth
Defend freedom of information, freedom of criticism
Avoid publishing info of which the origin is unknown
Respect professional secrecy
Rectify mistakes
Respect human dignity
Avoid commercial advertising
Avoid dishonest methods to obtain information
Disregard anonymous or unfounded accusations
Different Types of Reporters
Assignment Reporters
Assignment reporters, sometimes called general assignment reporters, cover the notable
incidents in their news coverage areas. Working as an assignment reporter means writing
stories about community news events, such as car accidents or celebrity visits, as they are
assigned to you by an editor.
Beat Reporters
A beat reporter specializes in one area of interest, from shopping to the environment to
education. Sometimes called reporter specialists, these reporters keep up-to-date so they can
find stories and inform the public of new developments.
Columnists
While assignment and beat reports must tell the facts as they are, columnists get to insert their
opinions. They may specialize in a particular field in order to make their opinions well-formed.
Sports and Weather Reporters
Most media outlets have specialists in the sports and the weather. Many of these reporters are
highly trained, such as weather reporters who have degrees in meteorology or sports reporters
who have played or studied sports at the college or professional level.