Depth reporting checklist

As you put the finishing touches on each of your depth reports, use this checklist to do your own personal assessment of your work. The best stories will have all the following characteristics.

Content

• You have addressed why (and perhaps how) questions about something in the news
• Your story provides people with the information they need to govern their lives
• You have addressed the trends and processes behind the news
• You made your news hook evident near the top of the story
• Whatever you are reporting, you have placed it in a meaningful context
• You have done 3D reporting
  • DIVERSE news sources – ALL the players – are represented
  • Appropriate DATA are used to provide context
  • You have cited relevant DOCUMENTS
• Your content is clearly aimed at / relevant to a West Texas audience
• You have followed a thoughtful research plan to arrive at meaningful questions and to help identify the best sources

Presentation

• You have made a factual presentation
• You have come directly to the point
• Your story is written in third person and avoids first person
• You have avoided the use of opinion and opinion-toting adjectives and adverbs
• You have turned in you copy on time
• Your copy is laid out according to the class copy format. Your hard copy should look like the sample
• The digital version of your copy has a file name that follows class convention
• You have suggested visual opportunities (realities for radio) for your story
• You have avoided the 50 most common errors for news copy
• You have turned in your research plan and appropriate notes