A news correspondent, also known as a reporter or news analyst, is responsible for gathering and preparing daily news for an audience. News correspondents are usually involved in each step of the news, including delivery. He or she may deliver relevant information to a local, national, or international audience, depending on his or her place of employment.
Depending on his or her specialty, a news correspondent will usually collect, organize, and disseminate news information. This information is typically published in the print media or online; alternatively, it may be broadcast on radio or television. Smaller venues may require a reporter to handle a wider range of tasks than a larger one, including advertising work, taking photographs, editing, and completing office work. Topics a daily news correspondent might cover include current events, public happenings, corporate news, sports, and special interest stories.
Reporters are often tasked with writing about topics of interest. They may have to compose a speech or an article about accidents, events, politics, or celebrity news. Investigative journalists may be required to spend multiple days or weeks working on a single story. Sometimes news correspondents work in teams, which can include editors, researchers, photographers, graphic artists, and other professionals.
Some tasks a broadcast news correspondent may be responsible for doing include presenting live transmissions from a scene outside the news studio, airing videotapes of relevant news stories, performing live interviews, or highlighting previously recorded interviews. Editing footage for later presentation may also be a task to perform. Some news correspondents give personal commentary and opinion to accompany national stories.
If a news correspondent specializes in weather, he or she may have a background in meteorology, in order to interpret weather forecasts from government agencies. If a national news correspondent specializes in sports, he or she may be a sportscaster, which involves delivering sports-related news, predictions, and analyses. Other specialized areas can include health, religion, politics, consumer affairs, science, and entertainment.
News correspondents must be prepared to work odd hours, as well as overtime. Traveling, meeting crucial deadlines, working under pressure, and maintaining a professional appearance are also expected. Most news correspondents carry busy schedules, and are required to spend a large amount of time rushing to meet deadlines.
The working environment of a news correspondent will also vary. Some may never work outside an office, while others work mostly on location at sites all over the world. Reporters with technical knowledge may work exclusively indoors with cutting edge technology. Working conditions in some of these locations, particularly those in the field, such as in a war torn area, can be very dangerous.
