Reporting on Sports News Gathering

Overview This lesson is divided into two parts. First, we will cover the basics of gathering information for a sports story. Next, you will gather information for both an advance story on an upcoming event and a game report.

Planning To fully cover a sporting event, planning should be done well in advance to provide depth of coverage. Make your connections and plan to have both informal, on-background discussions, data collection, and game coverage information. Know how you will publish your story and consider photo, audio, and video needs.

Online Research Make sure you are able to find where your sports teams maintain statistical information. Does your school maintain an athletic website? Do the opponents do the same? Does your local newspapers cover high school sports? Do national sites such as MaxPreps and USA Today maintain records?

Coaching Staff The coaches are likely to be your expert sources. It is best to try to connect with a head coach, but an assistant coach may also serve as an excellent source for both an advance story and game report. Get to know the coaching staff and set up interviews. Be conversational and show genuine interest in their sport and team.

Team Statistician Find the person in charge of keeping the scorebook for your team. Make arrangements prior to the event to contact this person and let him/her know that you will cover the upcoming event. Try to have a moment at the game’s intermission and conclusion to discuss vital stats. Try to get a copy of game stats.

Team Members You will want to get reaction quotes from prominent players such as team captains, star players, and game impact players. However, any team member may help serve to provide on-background information. Find that team player who will hold detailed conversations with you. Find your insider source.

Opponents This is what will set your high school sports story apart from others. As a journalist, try to maintain objective coverage. Contact coaches or players from opposing teams to add perspective to your coverage. Use social media to make those connections.

Trends Look for season trends and let that become part of your advance coverage. See if the upcoming game report follows the trend. Identify prominent players from both teams. Get to know season stats and statistical trends from the past few games.

Collaboration Try to connect with a sports writer from an opposing school and work together to cover a sports event. Here is a chance to use open source reporting. Arrange to meet each other at certain points of a game, text each other, and share statistics.

Observation This is a vital news gathering technique for covering sports, especially a game report. While end-of-game stats help provide the overall story, it is important to observe action and reveal the highs and lows of the game, significant occurrences such as injuries, controversial calls, and turning points.

Live Coverage As you cover the event, and especially with game report coverage, consider the use of social media, such as Twitter, to provide live, updated coverage. With online news sites, try to post information immediately. Make arrangements to post a story within an hour after the event. Plan to provide updated info later.

Choosing Event Coverage Use the sports coverage reporting schedule to choose your sports coverage (at least once per semester). If needed, allow time to become familiar with the sport, the coaching staff, players, team statistician, and opposition. Go into advance story and game report coverage with a strong background.

Coverage Planning Sheet Once you have scheduled your sports event, begin collecting contact information using the provided planning sheet. Look for fellow staffers that will cover the same sport and collaborate.

Fact Checking When writing sport stories, you will handle a significant amount of data through stats, elements of time, and player identification. It is vital to cross check the data you use in your story coverage for accuracy.

Fact Checking Also, when conducting interviews, especially post game, consider the emotional quality of responses. As the reporter, stay in control of your reporting, but consider the use of read-backs to confirm the information gathered.

Final Note As you gather information, strive for objectivity. Provide equal coverage for both wins and losses, and strive to cover varying perspectives. Make sure opponent perspectives are included in your coverage. Here is a great opportunity to use open source reporting with counterparts from opposing schools.