JOURNALISM 101

DOING RESEARCH: TALK, READ AND GO

As mentioned in the article, Jon Wells’ system for research involves three areas: TALK

Who can he talk to (or interview)? Many journalists talk to university professors, because they usually focus on a particular field and know a lot of very up-to-date information about it. For instance, psychology or sociology professors might be good to interview on the subject of “happiness.” Authors are also excellent sources, because of the large amount of research they will have done to write their book about a specific topic. Journalists also talk to people who have been involved in some way in what they’re writing about. For instance, for a story about a forest fire, a journalist could interview someone who lives near the area.

READ

Books, newspaper articles, and scientific journals are excellent sources of information for news articles. Journalists take care to check the origin of any written material they use, to make sure the person who wrote it really is an expert in it. Many journalists use polls and studies, and must take extra care to determine whether the poll or study has been done scientifically or is just “anecdotal.”

GO

An article can often be enhanced with details about the location where the event being reported on takes place. For instance, for an article about a forest fire, a journalist would likely want to (assuming it’s safe) visit the fire scene and then describe it, using as many details as possible. That helps the reader picture it in their mind and could help them better understand the article.