What it Takes to Report News

A news article appears on our screen overnight, but the work behind it often spans weeks – sometimes months. Journalism begins with a lead, a suspicion, or a tip. What follows is hours of interviews, research, fact-checking, and the kind of editorial collaboration that never makes the front page. Across the world, quality journalism is recognised both within the news industry and amongst millions of news consumers who want news reporters and editors to help navigate a path between facts and fiction.

As a stark reminder of this, the 2025 Press Awards recognised that top-quality news reporting requires stamina, skill, and a deep commitment to public service. Whether it’s The Times’ M.E. Awareness and Reform campaign, praised for its social impact, or the Sunday Times’ world-exclusive interview with Sir Chris Hoy, a piece of journalism becomes powerful when it is human-driven, responsibly sourced, and creatively delivered.

Even in today’s hybrid media landscape—where podcasts, newsletters, and interactive explainers extend the story across formats—the foundation remains unchanged: original reporting, guided by professional ethics, and grounded in public interest.

In the NMC’s ongoing campaign What it Takes, we call attention to the hidden labour behind the headlines. That applies to reporters just as it does to photographers and videojournalists. Journalists aren’t ‘content providers’ for generative AI—they are investigators, communicators, and guardians of public knowledge. They need protection, credit, and fair reward for their work.

Ursula von der Leyen, the German defense minister, speaks to journalists after being elected president of the European Commission on July 3, 2019, in Strasbourg, France. (Frederick Florin / AFP/Getty Images)