The New Yorker’s George Packer breaks down how he handles reporting his prize-winning stories:
- Don’t go in cold — research, learn the history of the subject or place
- Find a guide to show you around — get a local to introduce you.
- Ask your interviewees who else you should talk to
- Go in with a question, not an answer — too many reporters are looking to prove their point, not learn something new.
- Capitalize on your outsider status — ignorance can be an asset, allowing you to see everything with fresh eyes.
- Capture your fleeting thoughts — “Our thoughts don’t stay with us if we don’t write them down.”
It’s always interesting to hear an expert discuss his/her process.
- via Steve Myers, Poynter.org