When it comes to reporting on your local area, all journalists want to break important stories quickly and accurately.
So how can you do that? There are some classic techniques which have stood the test of time, but in today's media market, journalists also have a wealth of digital tools are their disposal.
One of the most common tools is TweetDeck, notes First Draft News journalist Alastair Reid on this list of ten techniques to develop patch reporting.
"Every journalist who works online should really be using TweetDeck. It lets you build a dashboard of columns to monitor multiple feeds and timelines all in one go – perfect for those local lists," he writes.
Want to know how to use breaking news to grow your audience? Find out how at Newsrewired on 27 November at Reuters, London. Head to newsrewired.com for the full agenda and tickets
Free daily newsletter
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
