Journalism what is a beat

Beat reporting is considered an important aspect of journalism and this is seen by the awards that are given to successful beat reports.

For example, there was the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting. People crave information about food. One great food blogger could cover this beat, but in a larger newsroom, this beat could be divided among a gardening columnist, a restaurant critic, a recipe writer and a reporter covering nutrition and agriculture. Properly executed, the food beat — and the audience it connects with — can entice significant advertising support from local food producers, markets and restaurateurs.

Education defines lives of young people and parents within your community, and news about education is their primary information need. And yet, most news organizations give little coverage to education, beyond easy-to-cover issues such as prep sports, police calls to a campus and state-released test scores. Student safety regulations limit access to students. Overworked and underpaid teachers have little time for outsiders.

District personnel have grown used to the media portraying academics negatively, if they cover it all. But the reward for a news organization that can fully cover a school district is huge. Heck, maybe more comprehensive coverage of their schools might entice more than a few students into a habit of reading the local news. We eat. We learn. We work. Business stories typically focus on the management side. But what about the pocketbook and workplace politics issues that employees face?

What are people doing in your community to get hired, to get promoted or even just to keep their jobs? Make it a daily habit to check that information at city hall, or wherever such notices are filed in your community. The Business journalist or reporter covers in-depth reports about the latest in business, launch of products, stock markets etc. For instance, the business news section might be divided into separate beats for specific industries such as manufacturing, high-tech and so on.

News outlets that can afford to produce their own science sections may have beat reporters who cover such fields as astronomy and biotechnology. There are several advantages to being a beat reporter. First, beats allow reporters to cover the subjects they are most passionate about. If you love movies, chances are you'll be excited at the chance to be a film critic or cover the movie industry. If you're a political junkie, then nothing will suit you more than to cover politics at the local, state or national level.

Covering a beat also allows you to build up your expertise on a topic. Any good reporter can bang out a crime story or cover a court hearing , but the experienced beat reporter will know the ins and outs in a way that beginners just won't. Also, spending time on a beat enables you to build up a good collection of sources on that beat, so that you can get good stories and get them quickly. In short, a reporter who has spent a lot of time covering a particular beat can write about it with an authority that someone else just couldn't match.

The downside of all this familiarity is that a beat can sometimes get boring after a while. Many reporters, after spending several years covering a beat, will crave a change of scenery and new challenges, so editors often switch reporters around in order to keep the coverage fresh. Beat reporting is also what distinguishes newspapers — and some news websites — from other forms of media, such as local TV news.

Sammendrag Beat reporting refers to thematic specialization and routines places to go, people to see in journalism. The term reflects the distinction between general assignment reporters and specialized beat reporters covering a specific area beat as well as the subject-matter or geographic divisions between areas of reporting by which media organizations seek to structure the social environment they cover.

Beat reporting marks the beginning of modern journalism. It was invented at the end of the 19th century in the United States with the aim to increase the efficiency of journalistic work.

Thus it relates to the professionalization and rationalization of newspaper journalism and the transformation of newspapers into a mass product. Being a beat reporter means you need to know everything you can about your beat. That means talking to people in the field and doing lots of reading. Also, when it comes time to write your story, understanding the subject well will make it easier for you to translate it into terms everyone can understand. Beyond just getting to know the people on your beat, you need to develop a level of trust with at least some of them to the point where they become reliable contacts or sources.

Why is this necessary? Because sources can provide you with tips and valuable information for articles. A big part of cultivating contacts is just schmoozing with your sources. So ask the police chief how his golf game is coming along. Tell the CEO you like the painting in her office. They are usually the guardians of important documents and records that can be invaluable for your stories. So chat them up as well. Reporters who cover a beat for years and develop a strong network of sources sometimes fall into the trap of doing stories that are only of interest to their sources.