LECTURE THREE
DEPARTMENT MEDIA STUDIES
BS SECOND SEMESTER
COURSE CODE 604 CREDIT HOURS THREE
Subject : REPORTING
TEACHER SULEMAN RAJA
LECTURE THREE
SET UP OF A REPORTING DEPARTMENT
A major newspaper organization has the following set up of a
Reporting Department
It is headed by a Chief Reporter
Chief Reporter is assisted by a Deputy Chief Reporter
There are number of other Reporters who work under them.
Who is the Chief Reporter?
Any senior and competent Reporter having wide experience in the field of reporting can lead the Reporting Department and known as Chief Reporter.
Who is the Deputy Chief Reporter?
Any senior and competent Reporter can be appointed as Deputy Chief Reporter, he or she also enjoys wide experience in the field of reporting.
Reporting Department has several reporters’ who are guided by the chief reporter and deputy chief reporter.
DUTIES OF CHIEF REPORTER
As mentioned earlier a senior reporter heads the reporting department but he or she needs to be competent as well.
The duties of the chief reporter are to lead his team of reporters’.
Ensure that policies of the newspaper he represents are strictly followed.
Assigns duties to reporters’.
Allocates them beat or beats’.
Check their filed report or reports’ (news stories) and if needed improves them and even rewrites them if required.
In short Chief Reporter is the boss of the reporting department, he ensures that the policies of the newspapers are strictly implemented, he has the authority to give any assignments’ to his reporters’, check the news reports filed by the reporters, has the authority to make changes in their news stories in order to make them impressive and up to the mark, he can even reject them out rightly if he thinks it is not up to the required standard and not fit for publication.
Chief reporter also plans special coverage of the expected news and assign it to reporters. He has to see that all the activities are covered properly and nothing important is missed by the reporters. Most of the invitations for press conferences, public meetings, demonstrations, agitations and strikes are addressed to him. He deputes his reporters to cover these events. The Chief Reporter also receives a lot of information from Government handouts, press releases and other publicity material for publication. He selects and assesses their news worthiness.
DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER
Deputy chief reporter assists the chief reporter, carries out any duty assigned by the chief reporter and in the absence of chief reporter heads the Reporting Department and performs the same duties of chief reporter.
ASSIGNMENT REGISTER
It is not necessary for a reporter to meet the chief reporter on daily basis, at times the reporter is out in field covering different assignment or working on a story and same can be said for the chief reporter or deputy chief reporter who is also busy.
During this time an invitation is received by the newspaper i.e. a Press conference, a meeting, product launch, public meeting, protest meeting etc, etc.
Chief reporter in the absence of a reporter just writes the details of the function i.e venue and time in the assignment register and also mentions the name of the reporter and photographer who are assigned to cover the function.
The reporter is required to go through the assignment register on daily basis so that he or she does not miss the event.
EXAMPLE
jULY 20, 2020
1. Chief Minister Jam Kamal to inaugurate Helpline at main PDMA office at 3 pm/ Reporter Sohail and photographer Arshad to cover.
2. Prepare a detailed report on Corona Virus in Balochistan/ Reporter Taimoor.
Difference between Journalist & Reporter
Journalist is a wider term. A sub-editor, a columnist, an article writer, an anchor or any person who is working as newsman or working on news desk can be called a Journalist. The term reporter applies to a journalist who covers field stories report from the site. Reporter is a specialist form of a journalist. We can say a journalist who is responsible for gathering information and present it on mass media is called a Reporter. Reporter is supposed to be the explainer of complicated issues in simple and communicative manner. The main role of reporter is to present news in digestible format for readers or viewers. Reporters gather information in variety of ways. Tips, press releases, witness events, Interviews, Public records and other sources. Reporter covers the event which is assigned to him by his chief reporter/newspaper . Reporters split their time between working in his office and going in the field to witness events or interview people.
QUALITIES OF REPORTER
To be a good reporter one should have special qualities. One of the basic qualities of a reporter is to have an IPTB. IPTB means “it pays to be inquisitive”. He should have the quality to be curious his eyes and ears should always be in search of News. He should have the quality to sniff the news.
In life every one has a story to tell: A reporter should have a quality to compel others to tell the newsworthy story. A reporter should always take care of accuracy of news. He should be quick to report. He also has to take care of reader’s interest in the news item.
Reporter should be cool headed. A cool head means he should be calm, cool and collected. He must have the ability to work in an atmosphere of hurry and excitement. Reporter must be physically fit to move around. Reporter should have the quality of awareness (alertness). He should be quite vigilant enough. Reporter must possess technical knowledge of the application of equipment. It will help him to establish command over technical staff.
Reporter should be a dedicated worker and have the quality of Resourcefulness. Resourcefulness is a quality of being able to cope with a difficult situation. He has an ability to deal with unusual problems. Reporter must take care of time management. He should utilize maximum time to achieve his goals. The quality of decision making on the spot is a great quality. One decision on time can save many upcoming problems. In-fact decision making is a process of recognizing a problem and provide an opportunity to find a solution.
ADDITIONAL POINTS
QUALIFICATION OF A REPORTER
• At least master degree in Journalism
• Be an articulate speaker
• Be free from bias
• Writing skills
• Ridicules stamina
• Keen news sense and skepticism (dubious of fake or planted news story
• Knowledge of technical terms and its uses in the field
• Determine and flexible
. Vast knowledge
Duties & responsibilities of News Reporter
• Be attentive and alert
• Good public relations
• Creating and uploading news contents for news paper website
• Working closely with news sub editor and other member of the department
• Attending press conferences and ask relevant questions
• Interviewing people in range of different circumstances
• Producing concise and accurate copy according to the style book of that publication dep't
• Analyze and collect information through various sources
DIFFERENT TYPES OF REPORTER
There are basically different types of reporter ,which are sub divided in different beats some of them are discussed below
• Press reporter
• Radio reporter
• TV reporter
• News agency reporter
• Online/web
CORRESPONDENTS: There are different kinds of correspondents who work for newspaper; they are deputed outside the city from where the newspaper is printed, in other provinces or even abroad.
THE LINER: The liner is not a full time journalist. From time to time he may send news stories to the newspaper. Liners are paid on the basis of lines of the news stories published in the newspaper.
THE STINGER: The stinger is not a full time journalist. His whole time profession is quite different. He is attached to a newspaper through a string. He is generally paid some fixed amount to retain him for the newspaper.
- Teacher: Suleman Raja