{{Short description|In-depth journalism on an issue or topic}} {{Use American English|date = February 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date = February 2019}} {{redirect|Beat writer|the post-World War II literary subculture movement|Beat Generation}} '''Beat reporting''', also known as '''specialized reporting''', is a genre of journalism focused on a particular issue, sector, organization, or institution over time.
==Description== {{Journalism sidebar}}
Beat reporters build up a base of knowledge on and gain familiarity with the topic, allowing them to provide insight and commentary in addition to reporting straight facts. Generally, beat reporters will also build up a rapport with sources that they visit again and again, allowing for trust to build between the journalist and their source of information. This distinguishes them from other journalists who might cover similar stories from time to time.<ref>{{cite book |title=Fundamentals of News Reporting |author=Ralph S. Izard |author2=Hugh M. Culbertson |author3=Donald A. Lambert |publisher=Kendall/Hunt |chapter=11. The Specialist at Work: Beat Reporting |pages=215''ff'' |year=1994 |isbn=0-8403-7607-3}}</ref>
Journalists become invested in the beats they are reporting for, and become passionate about mastering that beat.<ref name=Ryfe>Ryfe, D. M. (2009)Structure, agency, and change in an American newsroom. 665-683</ref> Beat reporters often deal with the same sources day after day, and must return to those sources regardless of their relationship with them.<ref name=Scanlan>Scanlan, C. (2011). Beat reporting: what does it take to be the best. Poynter Institute.</ref> Those sources may or may not be pleased with the reporting of the reporters.<ref name=Scanlan/> It is pertinent that beat reporters contact their sources quickly, obtain all necessary information, and write on deadline.<ref name=Scanlan/>
According to media sociologists, beat reporting occurs because of the limited time reporters are given to cover stories.<ref name=Berkowitz>Berkowitz, Daniel A. (1997) Social Meanings of News: A Text-reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications</ref> For big scoops, beats are not necessarily as useful as other journalism types.<ref name=Berkowitz/> Some of the best inside stories, such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Watergate scandal, did not come from beat reporting.<ref name=Berkowitz/>
Beat reporters collect information from each person they meet while reporting.<ref name=Galbraith>Galbraith, K. (2010) The Capriciousness of Beats. Nieman Reports, 64(4), 5-6.</ref> They routinely call, visit, and e-mail sources to obtain any new information for articles.<ref name=Galbraith/> When reporters have experience on a specific beat, they are able to gain both knowledge and sources to lead them to new stories relating to that beat.<ref name=Galbraith/> Beats are able to help reporters define their roles as journalists, and also avoid overlap of stories within the newsroom.<ref name=Galbraith/>
In sports, many professional teams have beat reporters assigned, such as for teams within Major League Baseball (MLB) or the National Football League (NFL).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3454759/2022/07/28/nfl-training-camp-coverage/ |title=Covering NFL training camp: Six beat writers talk biggest challenges, storylines and more |first=Richard |last=Deitsch |website=The Athletic |date=July 28, 2022 |access-date=September 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2013778/2020/08/21/inside-info-our-mlb-beat-writers-identify-potential-changes-for-their-teams/ |title=Inside info: Our MLB beat writers identify potential changes for their teams |first=Michael |last=Beller |website=The Athletic |date=August 21, 2020 |access-date=September 2, 2023}}</ref> Many beat reporters work for major websites such as MLB.com or ''The Athletic'', or for major newspapers such as ''The Washington Post'' or ''Los Angeles Times''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://deadspin.com/the-best-and-worst-baseball-beat-reporters-according-t-1111597704 |title=The Best And Worst Baseball Beat Reporters, According To You |first=John |last=Koblin |website=Deadspin |date=August 14, 2013 |accessdate=September 2, 2023}}</ref>
==Etymology== The term comes from the noun ''beat'' in the sense of an assigned regular route or habitual path, as for a policeman. By analogy, the beat of a reporter is the topic they have been assigned for reporting.<ref>{{cite book |title=Handbook of Reporting and Communication Skills |author=V. S. Gupta |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |year=2003 |page=50 |isbn=81-8069-043-1}}</ref> Similarly, a beat reporter will follow the same routes or habitual paths in collecting new information on a specified topic. The role of the reporter is to deliver the news, show the story according to their perspective and observations, give us the insights, comment on it and to submit the report of the issues on the given period of time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beats in Journalism|url=https://www.nimcj.org/blog-detail/6-important-types-of-beats-in-journalism.html|publisher=Nimcj.org|access-date=2020-04-21}}</ref>
==Prizes== Several organisations award prizes for beat reporting, of which the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting, which was discontinued in 2007 before being reintroduced in 2026, is possibly the best known. Other awards that have a category for beat reporting include the Gerald Loeb Awards,<ref>{{cite web |title=Gerald Loeb Awards |publisher=UCLA Anderson School of Management |url=http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x3287.xml |access-date=2011-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320024623/http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x3287.xml |archive-date=2011-03-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Canadian National Newspaper Awards,<ref>{{cite web |title=List of winners since 1949: Beat Reporting/Journalisme spécialisé |publisher=National Newspaper Awards |url=http://www.nna-ccj.ca/wordpress_dev/wordpress/?page_id=64&lang=en#22 |access-date=2011-10-20}}</ref> and the SEJ Awards.<ref>{{cite web|title=SEJ 2011 Awards — Rules |publisher=Society of Environmental Journalists |url=http://www.sej.org/initiatives/awards/2011-rules |access-date=2011-10-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704044512/http://www.sej.org/initiatives/awards/2011-rules |archive-date=2011-07-04 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.onthemedia.org/story/on-the-media-2014-09-12/ Deadbeats] - On the Media radio program, 12 September 2014 * {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Reporting |short=x}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beat reporting}} Category:Types of journalism Category:Journalism terminology