Multimedia Journalism: Cultivating Sources and an Audience
- Kristina Dillon
- Mar 31
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 1
Gaining trust as a reporter is one of the most important parts of telling a good story and being successful in this field. If sources don't trust you or even like you, they have less reason to be forthcoming, truthful, and vulnerable with the emotions they share. Without that vulnerability, your quotes will probably fall flat, which can ruin a story. Building genuine rapport with sources often turns a story that could scratch the surface into something much deeper.
I've built that trust professionally in Binghamton over the past academic year with WBNG News. I didn't expect to see the same people at so many different events or how often I'd be reaching back out to previous sources to help me find new ones. What's helped is that I've always tried to be kind, respectful, and personable in every interaction. That, plus the fact that my produced stories speak for themselves. I make it a point to honor sources how I'd want to be treated if I were part of someone else's reporting.
In Ithaca, where I'm working on the disability beat for Ithaca Week, I've had much shorter time, but the same approach has proved true. Almost all of my sources already work together, so they're able to guide me in the direction of who I should talk to next. Since my sources trust me based on the passion and knowledge I've shown for the topic, they can confidently refer one of their clients/colleagues/friends to chat with me. Which is key.
Most often, finding those first few sources is a gateway for the rest. They allow you to go deeper into a story. Once the story is well-researched and covered with interest, it resonates, and the audience responds. Not only do all your sources read and share it, but others also begin to chime in. I see this happen often at WBNG because we post all of our stories to the station's FB. Oftentimes, my sources repost it on their personal accounts, which feels great!
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