How to build sources on a beat

Whether you are covering cops, courts or anything else, one key to your reporting success is building rapport with your sources. In an article on the Poynter Institute web site, former Detroit Free Press reporter Jack Kresnak recalls the lessons he learned in his early days on the police beat. Says Kresnak: "Get to know people, treat them like individuals, treat them personably, and then you start getting phone calls from people." Chip Scanlan of Poynter Institute suggests reporters need to nurture sources before they need them. Kresnak, who covered juvenile justice for 20 years, often needed to get people to open up about sensitive, difficult topics. As a reporter, he says, remember your job is to be fair and accurate. Sources need to know you won't exploit them.