Listening to the voices in your head

Bart Pfankuch is an investigative reporter for South Dakota News Watch. Write to him at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.

Make it a mantra: ‘Get one more source’

Bart Pfankuch is an investigative reporter for South Dakota News Watch, online at sdnewswatch.org. Email him at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org
Jim Stasiowski, writing coach

Slow-learner, brick-by-brick approach to collecting facts

Jim Stasiowski, writing Writing coach Jim Stasiowski welcomes your questions or comments. Call him at (775) 354-2872 or write to: 2499 Ivory Ann Drive Sparks, NV 89436.It took 12...

“Hey you: Get the heck out of the office!”

In the Internet age where information is easy to get, it may seem almost quaint to seek out first-hand, up-close, eyes-on experiential reporting opportunities. With...

Meaningful meeting reports demand substantive leads

Newspapers smartly are promoting their roles as government watchdogs to reinforce their strengths in the fractured media landscape. I join the chorus: Vibrant coverage...

Assume the attitude of a lifelong learner

More art than science. More craft than vocation. More a calling than a profession. All these statements are true about our chosen field of journalism....

Making a plan to write a terrific news story

Bart Pfankuch is an investigative reporter for South Dakota News Watch, online at sdnewswatch.org. Write to him at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org Every...

Six essential steps to trend reporting

A major goal of news reporting is to keep readers abridged of things, so it makes sense that uncovering and understanding trends should be...

Plan now to recognize first responders

Are you looking for a project that can energize your news staff, generate new advertising revenue and underscore the value of a local newspaper...

All hail the hard-news lead

We all love a good yarn, a tale told with colorful detail and interesting characters who face challenges and change over time. For years, both...