Since the pandemic put the brakes on meeting up for face-to-face conversations, journalists have had to change how they approach people for case studies and interviews.
Social media can do a great deal of heavy lifting, but tempting though it may be to broadcast a request to the Twittersphere and hope that the quotes will come rolling in, this laid-back approach can come at the cost of finding the most relevant, unique voices for your stories.
"You just get a load of journalists, who are also just sat on Twitter, replying to you. It's self selecting," says freelance writer Sophie Gallagher, quoted in this Journo Resources article from Faima Bakar on scouting for sources.
The article provides a number of tips on how to break out of the journalistic echo chamber, from taking advantage of Twitter's advanced search features to combing government petitions and crowdfunding sites for interesting cases - and, crucially, building a rapport by reaching out to potential sources personally.
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