My experience writing outside my comfort zone as a community reporter

I see journalism as the perfect excuse to learn about something new. When I first started writing articles for student newspapers and online blogs, I initially only picked topics that I was already passionate about (which meant that I often wrote TV reviews and opinion pieces about pop stars). I loved, and still love, writing about these topics, however most of my information was based solely on my own experience. When I started responding to pitch callouts on subjects that I knew nothing about, my world awareness widened. I believe that this made me a better writer. 

Now, as a community news reporter at the Yorkshire Evening Post, I regularly write about subjects outside of my comfort zone. In fact, when I’m story sourcing, I deliberately try and investigate topics unknown to me. So far this has included PMDD, marathon running, and even feral cats.

It has been difficult at times to become familiar with what is completely unfamiliar to me, but also incredibly enjoyable because creating the article enables me to become a mini expert in my topic.

When I’m writing about something new, I start by considering what I want to know because chances are whoever is reading wants to know this information as well. Approaching a topic as an outsider means you match the likely perspective of your audience and therefore you’re less likely to have blind spots where you have assumed everyone already knows the information already. After I draft the questions, I then figure out how I can find out the answers. 

Sometimes the answers come through internet searches, but I’ve learnt that it is important to verify any information you find online, because on the internet anyone can say anything. However, more often than not, the answers are found through talking to people whether it be over the phone, over email, or in person. I did my first ever interview a few days into my job as a community reporter when I was covering a story about a community breakfast at a local Leeds church. Talking with someone transformed the article from a small summary of a charity event to an article where people, rather than place, were at the heart of the story.

Now, I do interviews with almost every article I write. I find them vital because talking to people fills in the gaps that Google leaves. They can fact-check information, lead you down avenues you hadn’t previously considered, and crucially they offer a human voice, something that an AI summarisation of a topic will never give you.

People buy newspapers to discover new information, not to read what they already know. I find the best way to deliver this as a community news reporter is to explore subjects that I don’t know about but would like to. I learn as I write, and I hope our audience learn as they read.