Before throwing away my notebook from the High School Journalism Institute at the University of Texas, Austin this summer I thought I would pass along these tips from reporters at the Austin American Statesman daily newspaper:
Print out your story and do a line check.
Read your story aloud.
Include a detail, a piece of description about the person or the room
Pretend you are a foreign correspondent: why is this story important?
Don't be afraid to ask questions. If it's not in your notebook, you can't write about it.
If using a tape recorder, don't listen to the whole thing. Write down where on the tape something important is.
Ask for a phone number, so you can double check your information later.
And finally, from Jeff Cohen, the editor of the Houston Chronicle:
"At the end of the day, you can change the world with a newspaper; you can change the world with a high school newspaper."
Cheers to finding and reporting more great stories in 2010!
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