Friday, 11 March 2011

Challenges and Solutions that go hand-in-hand with sources

As a journalist you depend on sources to actually publish any piece that you write. The sources that you use can actually make you or even break you. Here follows a list of challenges you may face when looking for sources.

  • You a student and people actually hesitate to give you any information when you ask them
  • When people hear the word 'journalist' they actually freeze when you ask them a random question
  • Sometimes you don't have access to media like books or the internet
  • Sometimes you think you've spoken to the right people and you just end up with a lot of crappy information.
  • Time-management plays a big role in finding sources. You might have limited time to actually interview someone or the person just does not have time to speak to you.
  • If you are maybe in a financial crisis it difficult for you in terms of transport to actually go places and go see people.
Here follows a list of solutions to finding sources and making things much easier for you:
  • Don't reveal immediately that you a student, that might just mess up things a little bit.
  • Try to work out a schedule for yourself to make sure that you don't sit in a crisis where you don't have enough time to get to everything.
  • Try to interview more than 2 people just to be on the safe side and to make sure that you are satisfied with the information that you got from people.
  • Try to build up contacts, then you know who to ask the next time you need someone
  • Always be prepared and what I mean by prepared: rejection
  • Always make sure you keep record of all your sources

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