Breaking News Situations: What to do

This week, our lecture consisted much of creating reporting plans for breaking news situations. But, can you really ever be fully prepared in breaking news situations? It’s called “breaking” for a reason.

However, I do think there are steps you can take in order to put your best foot forward when covering these situations head on.

Step One:

Breathe. Take a step back and take a minute to process what you do and don’t know yet. Tip: Be transparent with your audience about what you do and don’t know through your whole process, too.

Step Two:

Figure out what is most newsworthy. This is what readers want to know first and foremost. Determine what the immediate news is versus what could be a follow-up story later.

Step Three:

Figure out who you can and should talk to. Who are the stakeholders of this piece of news? Find them.

Step Four:

Always, and I mean always, verify every bit of information. Whether it’s asking “how do you know that?” or verifying with an official source, be sure to never skip out on verifying information.

Step Five:

Start reporting and writing away!