To See Who’s Having the Conversation:
Reporting is all about the facts; and facts come from experts. In order to report on an issue, you must know who is discussing the issue at the moment. You need to do your research to see who is involved in the topic, which is exactly who you should be talking to. You need facts from prominent people who have the authority to give out such information. For example, if I was reporting on the latest shoe trend for spring, I would look for a fashion designer or an editor from a high-profile fashion blog to cite my sources for the latest trend. If you don’t have a reliable source, your name will be tarnished going forward in your career. People look at your report as a source for reliable information, so you need to give the readers what they deserve from trustworthy sources.

To Have the Conversation Face-to-Face:
In order to report all of these key facts as mentioned above, you need to interview. And I have learned that to get the best interview out of a subject, it is ideal to do the interview in-person. I have done the interviews over e-mail and have found that the answers lack depth and personality. You can’t ask on-the-spot follow-up questions via the internet. We are all busy and I know it is difficult to make time for a sit-down interview, but that is the only way you will get all of the information you need. Even if it is on Skype or Facetime or telephone, whatever you can do to have an instant conversation with someone will get you the best results. With an face-to-face conversation also comes the character traits of the person you are interviewing. It is best to notice how they talk–do they use big hand gestures? Are they poised? These are also ideal to note because it adds personality to the story that you will be writing. This type of information is usually not easily noticed if you do your interviews in front of a computer screen.

To Start the Conversation:
Now that you have researched, interviewed, and observed, you are ready to write your feature story. So, let’s go back to the shoe trend issue that we discussed earlier. You interviewed an up-and-coming shoe designer and noted their sassiness and quirky style. You have added all of these key ingredients to a feature story profiling the designer and his new shoes to be released for the upcoming spring season. You’re article will be published in the March issue of Vogue. It is your words that viewers are reading. You are starting the conversation for others about the latest shoe style. Your words have more effect than you might think. Your words are causing people to think about something different, something they might share with their friends and so on. Your words have importance. Somebody somewhere is reading them; all of your hard work has paid off. You have shared knowledge with others, and that is the bigger picture of reporting.