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What the first 100 days are really about
The first 100 days as a reporter are not about producing the defining story of your career. They are about demonstrating that you are reliable, curious, coachable, and can produce publishable copy consistently. You are building two things simultaneously: professional credibility with the colleagues who will influence every opportunity you get, and foundational knowledge of the patch, beat, or subject area you have been assigned.
The instinct to prove yourself immediately with a big exclusive is understandable but often counterproductive. New reporters who spend their first weeks chasing unlikely stories miss the steady byline-building and relationship-forming that creates the conditions for bigger stories later. Do the work in front of you well. The opportunities will follow.
Week-by-week milestones
Week 1
Orientation and first byline
- ✓Learn the geography of your patch — drive, walk, or map it.
- ✓Read the last three months of the publication's output in your area.
- ✓Introduce yourself to every colleague: editors, subs, photographers, admin.
- ✓Ask your news editor: who are the ten people I should call this week?
- ✓File at least one story — short is fine; the goal is to start the byline record.
- ✓Find out where the courts, council chambers, and police press office are.
Week 2
First real challenges
- ✓Attend court and produce a court report.
- ✓Attend a council or planning meeting and produce a report.
- ✓Try your first death knock — go with a colleague if possible.
- ✓Submit your first FOI request — even a simple one builds the habit.
- ✓Begin building your contacts book: add every source's mobile number.
- ✓Identify the three stories you want to break in your first month.
Weeks 3–4
Building rhythm and attempting first break
- ✓Establish a daily routine: who you call, which feeds you monitor, how you review the night's news.
- ✓Push for your first genuine exclusive — a story nobody else has.
- ✓Ask a senior journalist to review one of your pieces and give feedback.
- ✓Start a beat diary: a private record of developing stories, sources, and leads.
- ✓Send five story pitches in writing to your news editor — practise the pitch format.
Month 2–3
Building beats and deepening sources
- ✓Have at least three ongoing story threads you are actively developing.
- ✓Have at least one source relationship solid enough that they call you with tips.
- ✓Review your error record honestly — what patterns do you see?
- ✓Begin identifying the specialism or beat area you want to develop.
- ✓Attend a training event or webinar in a skills area you want to strengthen.
- ✓Request a formal feedback conversation with your news editor.
The things that will define your reputation
- 1Reliability: filing on time, answering calls, showing up — these matter as much as skill in the first months.
- 2Clean copy: subs remember reporters who make their lives easier. Be accurate. Spell names correctly. Follow the style guide.
- 3Willingness to do the unglamorous: the planning agenda, the fete, the court mention — everyone notices who does the work without complaint.
- 4Asking good questions: curious, specific questions show intelligence and interest more than any amount of enthusiasm.
- 5Not overreaching: a reporter who turns every brief into a major investigation before they can handle it wastes editorial time.
- 6Honesty about errors: every journalist makes mistakes. The ones who acknowledge them and correct them quickly are the ones editors trust.
Red flags to watch for in yourself
- Working 12-hour days every day and treating this as a mark of dedication — it is a path to burnout.
- Not recording your errors — if you do not know what went wrong, you cannot fix it.
- Saying yes to every brief without prioritising — learn to discuss workload with your news editor openly.
- Avoiding the uncomfortable tasks (death knocks, cold calls, difficult interviews) rather than practising them.
- Comparing your first month to a colleague's third year — experience takes time.
- Not asking for help when you are struggling — silence is not strength in a newsroom.
- Building the habit of cutting ethical corners under deadline pressure — it compounds badly.
100-day progress checklist
- Have at least 15 published bylines in your first two months.
- Have filed at least three court reports from direct attendance.
- Have attended at least two council or public authority meetings.
- Have submitted at least one FOI request.
- Have at least ten sources in your contacts book who have spoken on record.
- Have had at least one piece of feedback conversation with your news editor.
- Have contributed at least one genuine news lead to the editorial morning meeting.
- Have started a beat or story diary — a private record of developing leads.
- Have reviewed your error record at least once and identified patterns.
- Have introduced yourself to every colleague in your newsroom.
Tools for new reporters
Use our training resources to brush up on media law before your first court case, and our FOI tools to start your first request.
Common mistakes in the first 100 days
- Prioritising the big exclusive over consistent, reliable output — editors notice the second more than the first.
- Not introducing yourself to sub-editors until you have a problem with an edit.
- Treating the contacts book as an afterthought — it is the most important professional asset you will build.
- Not starting an FOI habit from week one — early FOIs often yield stories in month three.
- Missing byline opportunities by declining unglamorous stories.
- Letting imposter syndrome prevent you from asking for help until a serious error has occurred.
- Not recording your early errors in a private learning log — they are the most valuable lessons you will get.
Related guides
Local Reporter Career Path
Where the first 100 days lead — the full career ladder.
Portfolio Examples
Recording and presenting your early bylines.
Choosing a Specialist Beat
Begin identifying your specialism in your first three months.
Newsroom Interview Questions
Reviewing what you committed to in the interview helps guide day one.
Primary sources
Frequently asked questions
What should I prioritise in my very first week as a reporter?
In week one, prioritise orientation over output. Learn the geography of your patch — drive or walk it if it is local journalism; read everything your publication has produced on the key beats in the last three months if it is national. Introduce yourself to every colleague in the newsroom, listen more than you speak, and ask your news editor which sources you should call first. File at least one story, even a short one, in the first week — establishing early that you can produce publishable copy matters.
How do I handle my first death knock?
A death knock — approaching the family of someone who has died for comment — is one of journalism's most uncomfortable and important skills. In your first attempt, go with a more experienced colleague if possible. Always be brief, honest, and respectful: identify yourself, explain what you are working on, and make clear you will take no for an answer. Never doorstep in groups. Accept rejection graciously. Many families, given time, do want to speak — leaving a card or a phone number often leads to later contact. Record your approach and outcome in your notes.
What is a good target for first bylines?
Aim to have at least five published bylines in your first month. In regional journalism, this should be achievable within the first two weeks if you are attending court, council, and community events. In a national or specialist outlet, the bar for each piece is higher, so two or three strong pieces in month one is realistic. The goal is to demonstrate you can produce publishable copy consistently — volume matters less than reliability.
How do I deal with imposter syndrome as a new reporter?
Imposter syndrome is universal in newsrooms — even experienced journalists question whether they belong. The most practical remedy is output: file stories, make calls, and find your first exclusive. Evidence of capability is the most effective antidote to the feeling that you do not deserve to be there. Find a senior colleague who is willing to answer your questions and give feedback. Normalise asking for help — it is not a weakness, it is a professional discipline. Record your errors privately, learn from them, and move on.
How do I build a good relationship with sub-editors?
Sub-editors are often undervalued by new reporters and overworked in every newsroom. Build goodwill by filing clean copy: correct spelling, no factual errors you could have checked, accurate quotes, and proper formatting according to the publication's style guide. When a sub makes a significant change, ask why — not combatively, but as a learning opportunity. Thank them when they save you from an error. Never publicly criticise a sub's edit; take any dispute privately to the news editor. The sub-editor relationship is one of the most important in a reporter's early career.