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Is it a good idea to . . .

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by SoSueMe, Jan 25, 2007.

  1. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    ... well, yeah, unless you're uglier than Otis Nixon. In which case, the emails are doing them a favor
     
  2. It's always good to let your contacts put a face to the name or voice over the phone. And it's also good to let them see you when you're not there with your notebook open looking for a story.
     
  3. Piotr Rasputin

    Piotr Rasputin New Member

    Just don't EVER call them "coach." That completely cedes control of that and all future interviews to these guys.
     
  4. FishHack76

    FishHack76 Active Member

    I think face time is very important on a beat. There's a certain amount of time that people take to start feeling comfortable. The more they see you; the more they get to know you. I think it's a good tip to also get to know the people on the edges of your beat. There the ones with the real information to share and no hesitation to share it. I've gotten countless information from say the guy who supervises the ballboys at high school football games, the school trainer, coach's stepson, personal pitching instructors, wrestling school directors, club coaches. That's more for high school sports obviously.
    But like anything else, you obviously have to know who's for real and who's full of crap.
     
  5. Martin_Lane

    Martin_Lane Member

    A true story on this subject:

    Radio station going all-news (from "music of your life" format) hires a couple of sports staffers, who go out to introduce themselves to the NFL coach in the area.

    Coach: "You're from WZZZ? You're not going to change the f-ing format, are you?"

    Reporter: "Not at all, coach. We're just dropping ALL the music."
     
  6. Twoback

    Twoback Active Member

    Absolutely meet with these people. Better yet, take them out to lunch, even if it's on your own dime (i.e., your company is too cheap to understand the benefits). Getting to know the people you cover is important; allowing them to get to know you is even more important.
     
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