The Pet Beat: Foundations of Reporting for Pet Bloggers

Robin Bisha, Ph.D.

Texas Lutheran University

CheshireLovesKarma.com

Should you share that story?

Have all your facts straight before you publish a story.

There are at least two sides to every story.

• Know all the sides.

• Acknowledge various views, even when you are writing strongly in favor of one.

Sources make the difference between good reporting and

passing on a rumor.• Every story must have more than one

source. • Never write based on a single,

anonymous source. I don’t care how thrilling the story is.

• Corroborate stories, especially if they are given to you by unidentifiable sources, with at least two other sources.

How should you use information you picked up

from news or social media?

If one source isn’t enough, one news story is even less

than not enough.• Check the story for yourself, even if you

saw it in a highly reputable newspaper, magazine, website or program.

• Read a number of news reports.

• Add additional, original reporting that enhances the story

• Localize

Every story should answer ALL of these questions:

• Who?

• What?

• Where?

• When?

• How?

• Why?

Any exceptions to this rule?

• BREAKING NEWS– Happens unexpectedly– Is important or interesting enough to

tell the world about it NOW.– We may know the what, when and

where only, possibly who.– How? Why? And fact checking must

come later.

Where do you find sources?

• Newsmakers

• Spokespeople

• Experts

• The Web

• Official records

• Reference works

• Libraries!

• Ordinary people

How do you decide a website is a reliable source?

• Identity of author and credentials

• Affiliated with a reputable organization

• Contact information is provided

• Cites/links to sources

• Date of last update

• Active links

• Professional quality

Check for urban legends and other inaccuracies.

http://snopes.com/

http://www.thatsnonsense.com/index.php

How do you decide a human source is reliable?

• Find out how the person acquired the knowledge.

• Consider how well this person’s information held up in the past.

• Think about the source’s possible biases or self-interest.

• Check information against other sources.

Who are credible or authoritative sources on:

• Companion animal health?

• Dog behavior?• Cat behavior?• Small pet

behavior? • Bird behavior?• Dog fighting?

• Animal cruelty?• Dog and cat

overpopulation?• Dog racing?• Therapy animals?• Companion

animal food?

How do you get sources to talk to you?

• Contact the source to request an interview.

• Briefly state the topic and estimate the amount of time.

• Learn as much as you can about the source and the topic.

• Prepare a set of open-ended questions before the interview.

How do you conduct an interview?

• Arrive a little early.

• Have devices to record and take notes.

• Ask source permission to record.

• Take notes as well.

• Accurately note the spelling of name and title.

• Start with the prepared questions. Ask follow-up questions too.

The final two questions in every interview:

• What have I left out that you think is vital to understanding [this topic]?

• May I contact you again if I need more information?

How do you use the information you gathered?

• Quote accurately and fully.

• Check back with the source to verify quotes. (optional)

• Attribute and cite sources.

• Acknowledge holes in your knowledge rather than going beyond what sources tell you.

Network. Cultivate sources.

• Contact me if you have questions about reliability of your sources or how to proceed to get the best possible information to pass on to your audience.

• Check out the Web resources I have collected and evaluated on http://cheshireloveskarma.com

• Help me add to the Web resources!