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2.1.4: Reporter's Questions

  • Page ID
    360597
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    In order to get a comprehensive view of a topic, you might want to ask the five reporters' questions (who, what where, when and how) about a particular topic. This is an excellent strategy if you are unfamiliar with the subject. Asking reporter’s questions involves the process of asking questions that will generate new ideas and topics:

    Suppose your topic is social media. You might want to ask the following questions:

    • Who uses social media?
    • What is social media?
    • When do we use social media?
    • Where do we use social media?
    • Why do we use social media?
    • How do we use social media?

    Another example would be to ask questions about a topic such as euthanasia.

    • Who would be interested in euthanasia?
    • What is euthanasia?
    • Where is it practiced? Is it legal? in which states?
    • When do people consider euthanasia?
    • Why do people consider euthanasia?
    • How does a person commit euthanasia?

    Once you have answered these questions, you will have generated a variety of ideas on the topic. Next you will need to focus in and narrow your topic to the requirements of the assignment keeping in mind purpose, audience, and length.


    This page titled 2.1.4: Reporter's Questions was last modified on Fri, 26 Sep 2025 23:18:31 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Sravani Banerjee, Elizabeth Eckford, Nicholas Goodwin, Robin Hahn, and Binh Vo (Open Educational Resource Initiative at Evergreen Valley College) .