With looming deadlines and breaking news, time isn't always on a journalist's side. But there are a few tools that add efficiency and organization to reporting without skimping on the quality.
IJNet rounds up the top three time-saving tools highlighted on our site this year:
Leave the notebook at home. This digital reporting tool lets you take notes on your computer or mobile device and saves them in the cloud for universal or off-line access.
Waste no time transcribing interviews or decoding sloppy handwriting. You can record interviews, share your notes with fellow reporters and use Skitch to add quick sketches or shapes to underline a stand-out quote. All the information you save can be found with a built-in search engine.
Tap into this online inventory of sources when you need that extra quote for a story. Submit your query and deadline to the free site, and you'll hear from potential sources.
Experts and lay people make up the repository of more than 100,000 sources. A journalist's website must have an Alexa traffic ranking of one million or less to submit a pitch. News agencies that use HARO include CNN, Reuters and the Associated Press.
Keeping in touch with your social media audience can be a lifesaver for your online presence and a time drain for your social life. If you're plagued by information overload, get a daily summary of your social media feeds on Twitter, Facebook and Google Reader emailed directly to your inbox or as a direct message on Twitter. Check out this round-up of world news as told via social media.