Other News Sources

The remaining input of news stories comes mainly from freelance contributors, foreign correspondents, material based on press handouts and official reports, and from pooled services within newspaper groups, to which reporters on each paper contribute.

Freelance contributors: are self-employed journalists, often specialists who sell their work to various newspapers either for a one-off payment, or on a contract basis for a fixed programme of work, or for payment for shifts worked. Their main use is on work for which a staff reporter is not normally available. They might also work on stories such as those covering crime or medical or technological matters where their special skills are useful.

A few freelance writers might sell an idea to the editor and then be paid to write the story, but more often they are employed on a regular contract over a period because of their skills or contacts for a particular type of work. Sometimes they might work as part of a team including staff reporters. In other cases they might be engaged for holiday relief work on a casual basis for payment per shift worked [Whatever the arrangement, most freelances, even the most successful ones] seek to establish themselves by a number of regular connections with newspapers, sometimes accepting an annual retainer in return for an option on their services when needed.

Foreign correspondents: are mostly staff journalists, though they can freelances. In a newspaper giving a good deal of space to foreign news such as The Times or the Daily Telegraph foreign correspondents are part of the network of coverage of key centers around the world and work under the direction of a foreign editor. In the provincial press and most popular national papers, foreign news is considered less important and full-time correspondents are rare and are often part of a group sharing arrangements, with direction coming from the news editor. In such cases while the correspondent will file the main stories, coverage is often ordered to suit the needs of particular news situations.

Hand-outs and Reports: There is a steady flow of handouts and official reports into newspaper offices from company press officers, public relations agencies, nationalized industries and Government departments. In cases where their contents might contain information of news value to the readers they are given to a reporter or, in some cases, a specialist sub-editor, to form the basis of a news story.

Official reports on social issues such as racism, poverty, unemployment and housing can be very important news stories in their own right by reason of their publication.

Geoffrey Harris and David Spark note in Practical Newspaper Reporting:

‘You will find in the course of time that it is not unusual for someone to drop a 50,OOO-word report on your desk and expect a 1,OOO-word report by lunchtime

Such writing requires a rapid assimilation of the material and an eye for those parts of it, which are of concern to the readers – plus the ability to render this material quickly into a news story.

Talking Newspapers: Talking newspapers are important sources of news for radio and TV Stations The concept is still foreign to India but it is ruling the media scene in a major way in Europe Talking newspapers are newspapers and magazines in an audio and/or electronic format accessible and navigable by blind and partially sighted people, and others with a disability preventing them from reading the written or printed work.