How Do You Get A Reporting Job With A Newspaper?
• Get some experience at your college newspaper. Most are looking for new writers and editors. Your first assignments probably will be short “briefs,” but you may be asked to cover breaking news or important meetings. • If you’re not in college, look for other opportunities to generate a stack of “clips” or writing samples: newsletters, local magazines, etc. • Try to write a wide variety of stories — breaking or “spot” news, public safety (aka the “cops” beat), political/government coverage, feature pieces, sports, business, film reviews, etc. See what types of stories you like best, but make sure you develop a varied set of clips that show you’re versatile. • Ask for feedback from your editor and, even better, a journalism professor or writing teacher. The only way you’ll get better is to make mistakes and learn to avoid them in the future. If possible, sit down with your editor as she goes through your story to see what she likes and what she doesn’t. • Keep numerous copies of your
