How to Use the Internet as a Reporting Tool

How to Use the Internet as a Reporting Tool At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, let me explain what it was like to be a reporter in the days before googling was a verb. Back then, reporters were expected to find their own sources and interview them, either in person or over the phone (remember, before the internet, we didnt even have email). And if you needed background material for a story, you checked the newspapers morgue, where clips from past issues were kept in filing cabinets. Or you consulted things like encyclopedias. Nowadays, of course, thats all ancient history. With the click of a mouse or a tap on a smartphone, journalists have access to virtually unlimited amounts of information online. But the strange thing is that many of the aspiring reporters I see in my journalism classes dont seem to know how to appropriately use the internet as a reporting tool. Here are three main problems I see: Relying Too Heavily on Material From the Web This is probably the most common Internet-related reporting problem I see. I require students in my journalism courses to produce articles that are at least 500 words, and every semester a few submit stories that simply rehash information from a variety of websites. But there are at least two problems that arise from this. First, youre not doing any of your own original reporting, so youre not getting important training in conducting interviews. Second, you run the risk of committing plagiarism, the cardinal sin in journalism. Information taken from the internet should be a complement to, but not a substitute for, your own original reporting. Any time a student journalist puts his byline on an article being submitted to his professor or the student newspaper, the assumption is that the story is based mostly on his own work. By turning in something thats largely copied off the internet or not attributed properly, you are cheating yourself out of important lessons and running the risk of getting an F for plagiarism. Using the Internet Too Little Then there are students who have the opposite problem - they fail to use the internet when it could provide useful background information for their stories. Lets say a student reporter is doing an article about how rising gas prices are affecting commuters at her college. She interviews plenty of students, getting lots of anecdotal information about how the price rise impacts them. But a story like this also cries out for context and background information. For instance, what is happening in global oil markets that are causing the price increase? What is the average price of gas across the country, or in your state? Thats the kind of information that can easily be found online and would be perfectly appropriate to use. Its laudable that this reporter is relying mostly on her own interviews, but shes short-changing herself by ignoring information from the web that could make her article more well-rounded. Failing to Properly Attribute Information Taken From the Web Whether you are using online sources a lot or just a little, its crucial you always properly attribute the information you use from any website. Any data, statistics, background information or quotes that you havent gathered yourself must be credited to the website it came from. Fortunately, theres nothing complicated about proper attribution. For instance, if you are using some information taken from The New York Times, simply write something like, according to The New York Times, or The New York Times reported†¦ This introduces another issue: Which websites are reliable enough for a reporter to use, and which sites should she steer clear of? Fortunately, Ive written an article on that very topic, which you can find here. The moral of this story? The bulk of any article you do should be based on your own reporting and interviewing. But any time you are doing a story that could be improved with background information on the web, then, by all means, use such information. Just make sure to properly attribute it.