Gaining Public Trust

         

 Mr. Ruel Perez was a former freelance journalist and news analyst before he worked for Radyo Inquirer as a field reporter. He is with the station for about 2 years already and he considers it as a privilege to be one of the competent news reporters of the station. The first thing that I asked him to share is his insight about the source – reporter relationship. The first thing he told me is to always introduce our self first and get their attention.  He also pointed out that the most important thing that should be established between the source and the reporter is trust. As a reporter, he said, we are the one in need of information from them, that’s why we should be able to build rapport between them and us so that they will feel at ease in telling us what they know about a certain story. We should be properly dressed and show them that we are credible and trustworthy enough to be given information especially those stories that are sensitive. He also told me, that the first question during your interview with the source is crucial because it may make or break the whole interview process. He stressed out that, as a reporter, the first question and the following questions should be logical because this is where the first impression of the source is based. He also told me that as a reporter there should be aggressiveness and in asking question and it should be in a straightforward manner. The next question that I asked him is his view about ethics in delivering news reports. In news reporting especially on sensitive cases, the usual rule they are following is to avoid offensive and foul words. The news report should be factual and as much as possible it should be 100% accurate. Delivering the news as it happens, meaning we should not add anything to it or remove some part of it just to make the story acceptable or favorable to someone. In cases like murder, sexual abuse etc, the identity of the victim should be treated with utmost confidentiality and should not be disclosed publicly. In news gathering, reporters should have the aggressiveness and eagerness to ask. As a reporter, we should be bold in asking for the information that we need, we should know the immediacy of the news. Getting the name of the witness in our story is also important and it should be confirmed and verified by a person in authority, either the police or the investigation team. Verifying and double checking of information should always be done before delivering the news.

            After my interview with Mr. Ruel, I was amazed at how dedicated he was in doing his job, or should I say his passion. I learned many things from his experiences on the field, how he handles the pressure of being a reporter and the character that a reporter should possess. I learned that being a reporter, knowledge and skill is important but it is also important that we know how to deal with people especially with our sources, because without them we will not be able to gather much information for our story.