4. Sources of Information

One of the key skills you need to develop in order to write for the press is to be able to uncover information. Like TV detectives, every journalist normally has a network of contacts that they can call upon for leads, clarification and corroboration, and so on. They also rely heavily on in-house resources like cuttings libraries that can bring up all previous coverage on a subject in a matter of minutes.

If you are involved only in the occasional piece of press writing and are doing it from your normal workplace rather than at the offices of the publication in question, it is unlikely you will have access to either the resources or the networks used by other journalists. Nevertheless, there is still a couple of perfectly good research tools at your disposal. First of all, an internet search will give you information on relevant organisations and any widely-reported news to date. Secondly, both the phone book and the Yellow Pages can be invaluable in providing contact numbers that will act as a starting point for your investigations. If you are based outside London, it is probably worth getting hold of both directories for the capital because of the number of global businesses that have their headquarters there. You can also access directory enquiries online, although I find the paper directories are often easier to work with if you know what you are looking for.

Following up story leads, or developing feature ideas, is often a bit like working your way through an Agatha Christie murder mystery. You may well have one or two preconceived ideas regarding your subject matter, but your conversations with sources should help lead you towards a more truthful picture of what is going on. Remember that you are aiming for a balanced, accurate view. Speak to as many people as necessary to get that view. And make sure that you have made notes to back it up along the way.

How many people do you need to speak to?

Getting to the bottom of a story can take no time at all, or as much time as you can possibly spare. It all depends on the length of the copy and, usually, the importance of the subject you are writing about.

A new product launch that is being written up as a filler story can sometimes be despatched in a couple of lines culled from a press release. A typical news story, say of a couple of hundred words, may merit one or two phone calls if the information you need is fairly easy to come by. When writing a feature, however, you may wonder how much research is needed before you can be satisfied that you have come up with a well-rounded picture of your subject matter. Again, it can vary from one single interview (for example, if you are doing a profile piece) to up to a dozen or more for an investigative feature. One thing you need to be aware of is that the research for any given article is likely to take just as long as, if not longer than, the time it takes to write up the story.

You will also come across different levels of willingness to help, depending on your subject matter. As a general (and hardly surprising) rule, individuals and businesses that stand to gain from exposure in the article will normally be relatively keen to help. However, if your subject matter is sensitive in any way then you will need to allow for a degree of resistance from your contacts. I once had the bright idea of writing about layoffs for a magazine around about the time of the dotcom crash but, after getting the commission, found it nigh impossible to get anyone in business to talk openly about the subject.