How to Follow Up on a TV News Story

In TV news, you need new stories every newscast. When you get a good story, it is standard procedure to follow up on it as much as possible. This can be within the same day or on subsequent days. Reporters must be able to come up with new elements and angles to cover. Story generation is as important as story production. It is therefore essential for a reporter to learn how to follow up on a TV news story.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Identify a story that has "legs." That means the story can "walk" into future newscasts. While you are doing the story, look for ways to expand on it. Arrange future interviews and video opportunities while you are on the scene. If it is a good story, you want to "own" it. Don't let another reporter steal it from you. Having a follow-up story already set up makes it more likely you will be allowed to stay on it.

2. Show viewers what you were talking about in the previous newscast. Often, a breaking news story happens in one place but refers to another location. In instances like this, show viewers what you referred to but didn't have access to during the previous show. Go to a new location and demonstrate what happened. If it was important enough to talk about, it is important enough to show.

3. Find new people to react to the story. If there is any controversy in your story, then there will be others with an opinion on the subject. Seek them out and give them a forum for their views. Even if the story isn't controversial, you can still find new interviews with important input. For example, a school shooting can be followed by interviews with witnesses, investigators, parents, teachers, gun rights activists and people with experience from previous shootings.

4. Follow the people in the story as they move on. Stories of survival and struggle make compelling television. This is why people enjoy seeing what famous and infamous people are doing months and years after an event. Do follow-up stories with these people by showing what happened with their lives. This can be done a long time later or a few hours later. For example, you can accompany someone returning to what is left of his home after a tornado.

5. Be proactive and investigate the natural next step. Use your talents as a reporter to make things happen. For example, follow up a story about a victim of a scam by doing an ambush interview of the person accused of ripping them off. You also could seek out help for victims of crime or a natural disaster.