Get Close To The Action

If there is a motto that reporters should apply as often as possible to reporting it is this -- get close to the action. As a reporter it is important to go to the scene to be able to report the real events as they unfold or at least talk to people at the scene after the event.

Many reporters do just that. If a demonstration takes place, they go there and talk to participants. If a bomb explodes in a public place, they go to the scene to interview witnesses.

BEING ON THE SPOT Getting up close and personal matters. Stories gain measurably from reporters being on the spot. Quite often what you see provides the action or description for the "lead"or beginning of your story. Some of the best stories come from reporters who were at the event and were able to convey the story through description and quotes.EXAMPLE

SEE FOR YOURSELF Being at the scene can help in verifying the authenticity of an event. You may get the chance to talk to primary sources - key players in the event or incident. How reliable and how detailed can secondary sources be? Secondary sources are usually people not directly involved in the event or action. There are times when these people have their own agenda, they have a bias, and unless you are actually able to go to see for yourself, their views can give the wrong impression of events. This happens in international media reports more often than you might expect. Shoddy reporting results in misleading stories. Sometimes reporters can be plain wrong. [ Top ]

DON'T RELY ON THE PRESS Take a story of an event you have read in newspaper. Often going to the scene of the event completely changes your initial approach to the story. Many stories "evolve" out of on-the-ground contact with the people and the subject. What you find may be different from what has been published in the newspaper. Much of the best groundbreaking journalism comes from journalists who don't follow the "pack." Avoid the "herd instinct." [ Top ]

KEEP AN OPEN MIND Not that visiting the scene will guarantee you get the story right. Think before you rush out the door and think while you are reporting. This may sound obvious but there is a danger that some reporters, in the rush to get the story, might fail to open their minds to what they are reporting. Pay attention to your preparation for the story. Even if it is rushed, try to make sure you have done some research and understand the background to the events that might unfold before you. Draft a list of questions to ask at the scene, even if you end up modifying those questions due to the real-life circumstances you encounter. Ask yourself what the story is really about. Delve deep. Keep an open mind. [ Top ]

KEY PLAYERS Even if you miss the event or incident, try to get as near to the action or as high up the ladder, in terms of talking to key players, as possible. Take the example of a social worker injured in a demonstration. You may have missed the protest but you could go to the hospital where the injured person, in this case a woman, is recuperating to try to talk to her. Ideally, it is better to talk directly with her than with the nurse who is looking after her or her family waiting outside with flowers. Their comments may be valuable but they are secondary sources. The woman with the bandage on her head is the person to talk to. [ Top ]

COLOR On-the-spot description can bring the story alive. You will have the opportunity to include what you see and hear when you go to the scene. There is the opportunity to include description to make the story more interesting to read, though try not to clutter your News Report with adjectives - those colorful, descriptive words (see use of color in a later Reporting module). [ Top ]　EXAMPLE

SHOW, DON'T TELL Description obtained from being at the scene matters if you are to follow the story writers' directive "show, don't tell" when writing the story. This is where you take your first-hand observations and use the description to illustrate an issue or point in the story. [ Top ]　EXAMPLE

CAUTION On-the-spot description may indeed bring the story alive. But you need to be alive to tell the story. Don't put your life at risk. Bear in mind the local sensitivities in reporting a story in your country. In some countries in Asia , danger to life and limb is greater than others. In some, there may be a danger of being jailed.

By calling on you not to put your life at risk, we are aware that some reporters do take risks. But sensible and exerienced reporters take "calculated risks," stepping into dangerous situations that they know they can get out of. There is a fine line between care and folly (which we will discuss in a later Reporting module). [ Top ]

THAT EXTRA MILE Naturally, reporters have to be practical. It may not be possible to cross the country to visit the scene of an event or incident. Time or expense may prevent it. It may be impossible to meet directly with the main players. For example, how easy is it to just drop in on your country's prime minister and ask him directly about a burning issue. The political situation in the country may pose serious censorship challenges, preventing the reporter from covering issues that are too "politically sensitive." But try as much as the local situation allows to get as high up the ladder as possible and as close to the issue as you can. You may find it worthwhile going that extra mile (or kilometer!). [ Top ]

WITNESSES Often the real story can be found in the lives of those directly affected by the words and actions of people in power. People at the scene of an incident or development may provide telling first-hand accounts. You may not be able to talk directly to the person who issued the directive, who made the speech, or pulled the trigger. But you could talk to the people who have been affected by the action - the people helped, the people evicted, those who witnessed the event, or the man lying in a hospital bed in agony from a bullet wound.

Finally, bear in mind the spin-off benefit for the reporter of visiting the scene. Apart from being able to provide more insight into the story, it can be personally satisfying. If you get close to the action, you may find yourself a witness to history in the making.

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