Working From the Outside In

Steve Magagnini, a staff writer for The Sacramento Bee, wrote a serier of stories in 1997 on California's first inhabitants titled "California's Lost Tribes." During reporting on the story, he said, he learned many lessons about covering people of different cultures. He shared these tips with participants of Poynter's seminar, "Reporting & Writing the Untold Stories."

1) Be in it for the long haul. Be prepared to lay weeks and months into the groundwork.

2) Treat people the way you want to be treated: as individuals, and with respect. Be genuinely interested and willing to learn.

3) Tell the story through the voices of the credible, respected people, making sure all the major points of view are represented.

4) Let your sources play editor: ask them what kind of leads they might suggest, who and what they would focus on, what bothers them about media coverage.

5) Be aware of cultural differences.

6) Go cosmic. Find a trend.

7) Immerse yourself in the culture.

8) Go to events to make contacts, but don't let events drive your coverage.

9) Be proactive, not reactive. Tell stories that provide background and context FIRST.

10) Good yarns get good play. Stories stand on their own merits.