Ross Markman: Tips of the Trade

By Elizabeth Flores

 The reporting perspective of Ross Markman, one of three reporters in The Havre Daily News in Montana, offers some useful tips. He is mostly assigned to stories on county government, city government and local schools. He was discussing a recent article he had written about parking regulations and was able to finish his story within thirty minutes of the meeting ending. Behind his quick reporting is, understanding the topic and being well informed on it by contacting city and school officials for information.

He also says it is important to know what is newsworthy and what is not, because the more people affected the bigger the story will be. I think this is a very savvy preparation method he utilizes for each story; by having background information on the topic he is able create perspective in his story. Preparation is a fundamental key to everything and reporting is no exception; a good reporter will exhaust all resources to write a truly informative piece.

Markman says he often writes a B copy, or background copy, which is basically a compilation of facts on the topic; in his case it would be information on parking, the regulations, etc. After the meeting what he would do is take the B copy and insert the new information he learned from the meeting. I think this is a great idea, not only does it cut down time but it makes the story packed with information while incorporating the most important details pertinent to the reader. I believe it is this process that makes it easier for Markman to compile a detailed story quickly, by having the background information already written.

Something that also caught my eye from this article was something Markman said: “Real work experience is most important.” He said he learned a lot from his internship but nothing like what he learned from his hands on experience working for The Havre Daily News. I do believe that although internships give you experience and confidence in your field they don’t give you the experience that a real working experience provides. By him reporting on his own he was able to understand the reporting process and figure out a method right for him. In totality the article was very informative and I appreciated reading about another journalist’s reporting process and some tips he gives us that we can apply to our own lives as well.