Tag Archives: reporting

Credible Sources

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I want to look at something in the media that commonly gets overlooked when it comes to writing a good article or giving a good interview. The most important part of every interview/piece of writing is to be factually correct. This sounds like one of the most simple and easy steps when it comes to reporting but it is commonly overlooked and can get you into some serious trouble. You need to always check your facts and then check them again in order to make your work respected and to keep it legitimate. Here are some tips to make sure you always have the best and most reliable reports.

First things first when it comes to making sure you trying to be factually correct is to check your sources before you do anything. A lot of times people fall into the trap of using a source that may not be credible. Your sources should be people that are respected by the team or payer you’re talking about or they should come right from the source directly. Most of the time it’s a good idea to use multiple sources if you do not come from the source correctly.

When trying to get an interview that comes off as credible you should follow the same type of formula. Interview credible sources that would have the best input on whatever story you’re reporting on. It would be a good idea to use multiple people to get all sides of the story. It is a good idea to use all these people to paint a better picture of the story you’re trying to cover.

A lot of times in writing people fall into the trap of using false sources to cover their stories. I have seen people from local newspapers all the way up to ESPN use false sources and get the story wrong. This not only makes you look bad as a reporter but it also makes your company look bad. This could result in you being let go and thus making it difficult for you to receive a new job. Remember once you look bad on paper it’s something that everyone can see for the rest of your career so be sure to double check.

Writing a credible story isn’t hard if you decide to put the work in. Using multiple sources takes a bit longer yes but in the long run is so much more rewarding for your finished product. Why cut corners in something so simple you’re only hurting yourself! Do you have any of your own ideas for making you’re stories more credible? Leave them in the comments below and remember, Never stop reporting!

Social Media and Sports

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We all have them (well most of them) and even if we don’t then it’s almost impossible to go on without hearing about them. Of course I’m talking about what rules modern society, social media. Social media has grown exponentially in popularity in the last 10 years and it only seems to be growing. With the constant growth of this platform of course sports have jumped right on board. Sports media has become a staple of social media and it’s important to learn how to use it properly to be the best reporter you can possibly be. Here are some tips on how to make your sports social media pages the best they can be.

First things first when it comes to running a sports social media page it must be kept up to date and be constantly updated. The people following your page follow it for a reason and want their news when it happens. You have to follow whatever your page is about constantly. If you’re covering a specific team, cover their games, keep the people posted with up to date scores for people that may be unable to watch the games. Cover all of the major stories that are going on with the team. Remember you need to let people know everything they need to know and you need to do it quickly.

Say you aren’t covering a specific team, you’ve chosen to center your social media page on a specific sport. This is also a great choice but again comes with some major work! Now when covering an entire sport you have the luxury of being less specific. Sure, you want to cover as much as possible but try to pick and choose your stories. You don’t need to report on everything that happens in the sport but it is a good idea to keep up to date on most major stories. You should use this same broad strategy when it comes to covering individual games as well. There is no need to post about small games that the average fan would have no interest in. It is better to cover a game that the casual fan would enjoy watching there is no need to get to in depth about everything.

The final thing you need to worry about is how you are going to set up your social media page. You need to give it somewhat of a professional look. Try to add a biography that lets people know your credentials. People aren’t going to listen to just some random no body tweeting about sports, that seems to be half of social media as it is! Another key thing to remember for your biography is to keep it short but make it something that catches others attention.

With social media growing so much its something that is unavoidable in the sports world. Whether your future career as a sports writer, broadcaster or anything else, social media will be involved. You need to learn how to use the social media platforms to gain your following. The more people that see you online the more people will look into who you are and exactly what you do. What are some of your favorite social media sites and do you follow any sports media people on them? If so who? Leave some comments and remember, Never stop reporting!

Beat Writing

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One thing I haven’t really touched on in all of my blogs is one of the most interesting writing aspects in all of sports reporting, beat writing. You may be asking what exactly is beat writing you may ask? Well beat writing is popular in all aspects of journalism as well as sports. Beat writing is when one focuses solely on one particular aspect of a sport, whether that be a specific team, player, or even a coach. Beat writers are very popular in sports reporting and are commonly where die-hard fans get their up to date info on all of their favorite teams.

Let’s first breakdown the act of focusing on just a specific team when it comes to beat writing. To me this is the simplest form. You need to focus on all things that happen with this team. You need to inform the reader on all aspects of everything that is going on. Beat writers for specific teams focus on all the players and report everything. For this type of writing you need to get as close to the team as possible. You need interviews, you must attend all of the games, you need to speak to the coaches. Remember fans look at specific beat writers for all of the news on their teams year-round.

Now you can also look at beat writing by covering a specific player. You may be asking yourself “wouldn’t covering the team be enough for me to learn about all the players?”, Well yes and no. Some people want to learn everything about star players in their respected sports. People want to know anything and everything there is to know about specific players. Star players leave teams all the time and its your job to get the inside scoop as to why they want to leave or why they want to stay. Beat writers are also much more popular when it comes to younger players such as players in high school or college. These players usually have a lot of decisions to make on their future and it’s your job to keep people up to date.

These same principles of beat writing can apply to coaches. Coaches just like players change where they go all the time so people need to be caught up on them. Another big aspect for covering a specific coach is getting all of their tendencies down. Talk about what type of coach they are and just how they do their job.

Remember covering a specific team player or coach shouldn’t limit you. These things should be something that you can excel in but you should always branch out into other endeavors. Beat writing is always something to get started in but writers that truly succeed can write about everything! Wat are some topics you would find interesting to beat write about? Leave some comments below and remember never stop reporting!

TV vs. Radio

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In my first two blogs I’ve gone over some of the keys to sports reporting. I spoke on some tactics to help you stick out in a crowd and I also spoke briefly on how it is important to never quit on what you want to do regardless of failures. Today I want to focus on choosing a field that fits you best when talking about reporting. You need to decide if you would be best suited for television, radio or the possibility of making a splash in both.

When it comes to sports reporting one thing you cannot avoid is having to write about the events that you attend. Writing comes with the business so it’s something you’ll have to deal with whether you want to focus on television or the radio. Aside from that and a few other similarities there are many different aspects that impact both fields in separate ways.

First things first you need to look at all of the different positions there are when it comes to reporting sports on television and the radio. You need to look at the off-air positions and see if they interest you. Remember the aspect of getting the program you’re reporting for on the air is just as important as the people that are seen on the broadcast. Producers and directors are commonly overlooked when it comes to a production and this may be one of the biggest oversights in media. Even working on the sidelines is something that can help you to get into that top position in that spotlight that you have been trying for.

Now that we have looked at the behind the scenes aspects of both fields let’s talk about the thing that everyone looks to become, the on air positions. Though both fields (radio and television) contain similar speaking positions they also have many many differences. Let’s focus on how to convey you’re event on both of the outlets.

Let’s start with radio because ive found this to be the more difficult of the two. Obviously, the biggest issue with radio is that the viewer can’t see what you are looking at. Because of this you need to paint a much more vivid picture. You need to describe everything that happens at all times. You need to be speaking constantly. In some cases, talking to much can ruin a broadcast but here it only helps the picture you’re trying to create.

Now television is a bit of an easier outlet but nonetheless takes some work and you need to speak with distinction and convey a vivid picture of what’s happening around you. However, the thing about television that’s most obvious is that, They’re watching it on television! You obviously still need to be descriptive but the picture you paint can be less vivid and you can let the action speak for itself.

All forms of media outlets require a large amount of work and it takes a committed person to be good at it. But with practice anything can become possible. What kind of position do you think would best fit you in the field of sports media? Leave a comment below and don’t forget to subscribe!