ABSTRACT
Being comfortable in front of a microphone or camera is an obvious requirement of working in broadcast news. The types of presentation skills that are useful for all reporters include being able to conduct an interview for broadcast, being 'good talent' in an interview for broadcast and being able to present stories directly to camera. There are several story formats that require reporters to appear in front of the camera: prerecorded, short, pieces to camera to be used as part of an edited package; short, self-contained pieces to camera for use on air or online; and questions and answers interviews from a news scene. Reporters, who are accustomed to asking questions rather than answering them, sometimes find themselves on the other side of the microphone or camera. There are also stories—such as stakeouts—where there is no one else to interview except other reporters. This is considered a pretty poor form of journalism, but sometimes there's no other choice.
