5 Things Every TV News Reporter Knows, And You Should Too

Anchorman, anyone? Here are the thoughts and behaviors of a former television reporter aka broadcast journalist.

1. We zig & zag–running towards gunshots, eyes of hurricanes. We move quick. Our deadlines are daily, or constant in the case of breaking news. We work weird shifts, holidays and overnights like doctors and police–at the mercy of news that never sleeps. So we understand if you need to wake up at an ungodly hour or work overtime. And we’ll do it live! We can improvise like no other. We’re prepared for anything and live on adrenaline.

2. We are listening, selectively and sometimes impatiently, for the sound bite. Win us over with quotes. Say something controversial if you’re losing our attention. At the same time, don’t turn the cameras around and ask for our opinion on every subject. Our legalese mind can see both sides as we are trained to be objective. We like facts, exclusively.

3. It’s not glamorous. Generally, we do our own hair and makeup, unless you’re a top, national anchor. We’re starving informer-performers so on election day coverage, for example, free pizza turns us into college kids or moths to you know… We live on/off coffee. We are the local celebrities so big names don’t usually faze us. We have way too many jackets in our closets because we want to look structured, credible and older. The ladies have lots of bold-colored dresses.

4. We’re good at getting to the heart of a story, talking to random strangers and calling out public officials. This means we’re probably great party plus ones, armed with social maneuvering, interesting adventures and a little bravado. We know a little about everything. Call us professional amateurs.

5. When in doubt, we “keep it simple stupid.” This rule applies to most other arenas in life. Also, if our mom says she loves us, we’re going to check it out.