Attributes of Reporter

Off the record

Information given "off the record" is for the reporter's knowledge only and is not to be aired or made public in any way. The information also is not to be taken to another source in hopes of getting official confirmation.

Guidance

Information given as guidance is to help reporters with the status or timing of an event. The information is considered to be similar to "on background" statements. When the source of information for a story says nothing about being quoted, the reporter can presume that the information is on the record. After all, the subject is talking to a reporter about a developing news story. Sometimes, a source asks to go off the record, and it is up to the reporter to decide whether to accept the information on this basis. (Some reporters will tell the newsmaker that as a reporter, any information could find its way into a story. Because of that, I will not listen to anything told me "off the record.") Once the reporter allows the person being interviewed to go "off the record," he or she may not use the material.

Some reporters refuse to accept material with the condition that it may not be used in any form. They may bargain with the source, asking if they can go to another source to obtain confirmation. Or they may ask if the material can be used without using the source's name. A source may ask to go on background, usually so that the source can provide the reporter with information that will clarify an event or situation.

The source cannot be named but may be described as a "city hall official," "a state legislator," or some other general term. To some sources, background means no direct quotes; others permit direct quotes. The reporter must be clear about the terms of the agreement with the source. You need to be aware that different stations may have varying policies towards attribution. Many editors and news directors refuse to accept copythat contains charges or accusations with no named source. They will not acceptattribution to "an official in city hall" or a "company spokesperson." You need to be aware of the policy of each newspaper or station you work for.

Problems with Attribution

The reporter who accepts material with the promise of anonymity for the source or absolute off-the-record status for the information must realize that he or she is trading the public's need to know for his or her access to information. It is a calculated risk. Background and off-the-record information pose problems for the conscientious reporter because he or she knows that backgrounders can be used to float "trial balloons." These are stories that are designed by the source to test public reaction without subjecting the source to responsibility for the statement. Reporters, eager to obtain news of importance and sometimes motivated by the desire for exclusives, may become misleading or self-serving information. All a reporter does when attributing information is to place responsibility for it with the source named in the story. Attribution says only:

It is true that the source said this.

Follow ups in news

Business news stories can be described as hard news, follow-ups or backgrounders. An example of a hard news story would be the announcement by Apple Computer that it is taking a second quarter loss of about $700 million. These events often result from company announcements, but enterprising reporters also can unearth breaking news. In the case of the Apple announcement, journalists had known and anticipated a significant loss but they didn't know its size and composition until Apple made the announcement.  Another form of hard news story is the quarterly earnings report, which is often treated perfunctorily. Earnings reports, however, can often be the starting point for solid follow-up or analysis pieces.

Follow-up stories add detail to stories that have already been reported.

In the Apple example, reporters might have had enough information to write a hard news story for one day but might have needed to follow-up with other details the next day. Both hard news and follow-up stories lend themselves to a treatment that some editors call the "forward spin."

This approach is especially favored by weekly business journals that can find it difficult to compete with the daily sections on breaking news. In the forward spin, the writer looks at a story as having three elements: action, impact and counter moves. The action component means that some event happened. The impact component means that the reporter tries to find all of the parties affected by the action. And in the counter move, the reporter tries to anticipate how the affected parties will respond. This model clearly is an attempt to answer any question a reader might have about what an action or event might mean to her or to a broader audience. 
The elements of follow-up stories may include:

History — the writer should ask questions like: Does the main theme developed have roots in the past? What are they? Are there historic detailst hat can be used to lend points of authenticity and interest to the story?

Scope — How widespread, intense and various is the development the reporter is writing about?

Reason — All contemporary causes to explain why something is happening now. Causes might be economic, social, political/legal or psychological.

Impacts — what are the consequences of a development?

Countermoves — how might the affected parties be responding?

Futures — what might the future hold?

A backgrounder often explores the "how" or "why" an event occurred. It might spin off a news event or it might appear after the reporter has collected enough information on a topic.

Profiles have the profiles of people or companies. Before writing the story, the reporter should develop a main theme statement that provides guidance by developing a "well shaped idea." The main theme statement is brief (two or three sentences); emphasizes action, impacts or countermoves; is written to stress the most important element or elements; and is very simple, omitting all details.
Source: Internet