1. What is a beat?. Film Department Student Life Photo Department Student Government Activities Theater Department Clubs Events Any defined area of Coverage Creative Writing Graphic Design

2.  Define the beat  Make a list of initial key people to talk to, and possible story ideas  Set up interviews  Leave every interview with a story idea and the name of someone else to talk to  Start a “tickler” file

3.  What are the issues within your beat?  What entities does your beat include?  Who are the official people within your beat?  What kinds of public meetings/events happen in your beat?  What kinds of public documents exist in your beat?

4.  Top 10 people to meet.  What events are happening within your beat.  What written information is already out there?  What stories do the people within your beat think should be told?

5.  Beat reporting—literally: make the rounds  Reading the news Reading the news  Reading bulletin boards, virtual and real  Attending events and meetings  Press conferences  Monitoring groups and issues via the Internet

6.  Create a system for tracking who you’re talking to and what you’re working on: meetings, interviews, public requests. Share these with your editor or other writers to get more ideas.

7.  Make regular lunch, coffee, coffee, snack, cocktail (if you’re over 21) meetings with potential sources.  Get out as much as possible  Talk to people when you don’t need them.  Don’t rely on the Internet.

8.  Read other publications, looking for stories that you could do in your community  Read virtual and real bulletin boards to look for strange events, calls to action  Use Social Media to find stories and find sources.Social Media.

9.  A reporter’s knowledge of a story should be shared completely with the photographer  Work together to come up with ideas for the best way to visually capture the essence of a story, whether it’s a profile or a larger feature  The reporter and photographer should be together for this process  Try a variety of shots, from candid to more contrived