Covering a beat: What you need to know to get started

You've been hired as a beat reporter in a community new to you. Panic is beginning to set in. How do you tackle a new beat in a new town? John Rains, writing coach, at the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina, offers a guide for new reporters. And seven experts talk about ways to develop a variety of different beats in this Charlotte Observer training newsletter.No matter what the beat - city government, schools, religion or cops - much of the advice holds true for all reporters. Chad Livengood, a young reporter at the Jackson Citizen Patriot, writes about education. After nearly two years on the beat, he says he's coming up with so many story ideas on his own, he rarely gets an assignment from an editor. And his ideas often turn into Page 1 stories. Livengood will follow his own advice this spring when he moves to a larger paper in Missouri to tackle a new beat - state government.