Find the perfect story idea
OK, so once in a blue moon the perfect story will fall right in your lap. But don't sit around expecting it. Seizing on a hot story most often includes going out and digging it up. But whereas a professional journalist constantly gets press releases plunked on his desk and has an assignment editor looming overhead, the citizen journalist may have to work a bit harder to ensure he's at the right story at the right time.
Cultivate your sources
What's better than having a great, reliable source? Having a source who has sources! But you don't just pull a little black journalist's book out of thin air. You have to work to build your roster of sources -- and then take care to not burn them through overzealous or careless reporting.
Conduct an interview
Knowing how to talk to sources means getting just what you need for your story. A good interviewer knows that practice makes perfect, and a reporter with sharp interviewing skills will be able to get just the right information out of sources in just the right amount of time. Everybody has to start with these basics, though.
Also: Best ways to get your quotes and get story facts straight.
Consider the potential for photos when out doing interviews
Don't leave that office without a digital camera in your pocket! Thanks to the digital revolution in photographic technology, everyone from professionals to citizen journalists can capture the moment and quickly upload the shot for all the world to see. But what makes a good news photo? When out on the scene reporting, when should you start snapping away?
Also: Learn how to spot the newsworthiness in photos and learn about cool tools to touch-up photos.
Write a great lede
The lede is where you hook or lose the reader. What are you going to put in the first few paragraphs of your story that will inform the reader and make him or her want to keep reading? Bowl over your editors by submitting stories that pay attention to the need for sharp ledes.
Make sure your story adheres to the highest journalistic standards
The responsibility of building a reputation for fairness and integrity starts with every reporter, editor, photographer, and designer. Check your work for bias, avoid plagiarism, and ensure you never libel or slander.
Also: Is it OK to describe a person by race, sexual orientation, disability, etc.?
If appropriate, slap on a hot headline
Think about it: A news story is gray sea of 10-point text. What can draw readers to the piece like the headline? And if you're writing a story for a blog, aggregates such as Technorati will display the headline you wrote, so which punchy words will make surfers pick your post over the others?