No Business Beat is Too Tough to Handle

All beats are tough if you plan to be the type of reporter who uncovers information your subjects don't want public. But beat reporting, unlike general assignment stories that flit from topic to topic, requires special skill. Even after your hard-hitting story runs, you want these folks to take your calls.

The first step to starting a new beat is investing the time to build key relationships. I always like to have a half-dozen folks positioned strategically around my beat who serve as my go-to people, the ones I can rely on in a pinch. When I first started covering the defense industry, for example, I had two folks over at the Pentagon, one in the Air Force, another in the Navy and a few others sprinkled at the companies that were major defense players.

You must get out and meet folks so you can figure out who will be helpful. If you're covering a company or an agency, set up meet-and-greet interviews with its decision-makers and make yourself visible. Attend industry conferences. If someone seems particularly knowledgeable or chatty, grab a quick coffee or drink to cement the bond. Set up appointments around a meal where the discussion will be off the record. Have a drink or two. Swap stories. If you tell an embarrassing story, they might tell one as well. And even if it's off the record, that information still could prove useful in sizing up this person or writing a profile down the road. A CEO once told me off the record a few stories that I'm sure he'd never have wanted in print, but it helped me to understand his background and what made him tick. If something's worth following up on, ask if they would mind. Rarely does someone object and you get brownie points for asking.

Identify the folks who are positioned close to decision-makers and think they're smarter than everyone else. Whether they are or aren't smarter is irrelevant. As long as they think they are, they'll usually be prone to waxing on about the other guy's shortcomings and why this business decision or federal policy will or won't work in their opinion. The best way to cover Microsoft is to talk to Intel, IBM and its biggest suppliers and rivals. The best way to cover a federal agency is to talk to the companies it oversees and the congressional folks who oversee it.

Build a connection with your sources, the way you would with anyone with whom you want to have an ongoing relationship. Get to know the person and let them get to know you. Be pleasant. No one wants to talk to someone who's rude. Remember: you're often asking folks to break company policy, or even the law, by giving you information. They won't risk that with a stranger. Keep your word. Breaking it might get you one big story, but it likely will be your last. Your reputation is all you've got and most industries are pretty incestuous. If you burn a source, others will find out faster than you can say Mea Culpa.

At the same time, it's essential to remember everyone has an agenda. Yours is to get a great story. But what's theirs? Always try to figure this out so you can put the information they give you in its proper context. Then triangulate it. Joe Smith might've told you something because he has an axe to grind. But facts are facts. So check them with somebody who doesn't. And then, for sanity's sake, check it one more time so you won't be up all night worrying.

Be fair. People are always going to complain if your story makes them look bad. They'll parse words, say they didn't like the tone of the story. But they'll have little to say if you've told them what the story is about, even when it's really negative, and given them a chance to respond. People hate surprises more than they hate negative stories.

And have fun. Most people are pretty pumped up about their jobs and they get really chatty when they think you're excited about their jobs as well. Sometimes, they'll get so enthusiastic they'll say things they didn't plan to. I interviewed a three-star Air Force general once and talked animatedly about how I'd shot down 6 MiGS in the F-22 fighter-jet simulator. He extended the interview to discuss my experience and slipped in that the Australians were thinking of buying the aircraft now too because of how cool it is. Um, General, isn't U.S. policy NOT to sell the F-22 overseas, at least at first????? Gotcha.

Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism