On Monday, my colleagues at Poynter began publishing the report “Shut Out: Strategies for good journalism when sources dismiss the press.”
Parts 1 and 2, which published Monday and Tuesday, are full of good ideas, advice and best practices. Here’s the full report, which comes from a symposium from the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at Poynter.
I don’t have to tell you why this matters, but I do love the way that my colleagues Fernanda Camarena and Mel Grau sum it up:
“Relationships between public officials and journalists have always been fraught. There has long been a tension over how and when to make public the, well, public’s business. But that tension has deteriorated to unabashed hostility. The result: Journalists are denied access needed to hold the powerful to account, and the public is denied information about how its money is spent or about the actions of those elected to serve.”
Using case studies and gathering what’s working for journalists facing these issues (the majority work in local news), this report offers several ways to continue doing the work when traditional methods aren’t working.
The project also includes a handy toolkit for dealing with being shut out. Today I want to share one of those tools: Build new sources.
Here are the tips from the report:
• Start a relationship with your sources as early as you can — in person. Having a relationship is an opportunity to educate them on your work and intentions.
• Expand your network of sources beyond the “official” and into the community. Get out into the field, gather firsthand accounts from community members and stakeholders. This offers new ways of getting at the story.
• Expand your routine beat coverage. Do stories that feature the community or address issues the people in the community feel are important.
• Cultivate relationships. Take initiative and be proactive when interacting with sources.
Have you been shut out by sources? What’s worked for you? Reply to this email, I’d love to hear from you.
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