Follow-up reports and How to Write one.

• Follow up report: The follow-up report is made in the context of an event/issue or incident on the previous situation, it is also called the ‘second-day story’. There are several cases, conflicts, or things that don’t wrap up automatically. They have continuity and evolution. Follow-up reports are critical in journalism for collecting details of a first-day event, incident or issue to provide the public with further creation of the same.

• Its importance: There are several significances for this form of reporting:

1. Focusing repeatedly on a social problem so that the authority and the persons concerned are aware of their obligations and responsibilities

2. The authorities are always obsessed with their rights and responsibilities

3. A good change may happen in society

4. Wrong-doers are warned or the suspect

5. People know what their rights are.

• Writing up a follow-up report:

A follow-up report follows a certain structure:

• Intro: An ‘intro’ is written for the new changes in the details that arise since the first-day incident/event

• Body: Descriptions of recent accidents/events

• Tie-In: A short snap of the previous incidents is presented to link up with the latest developments in order to remind the audience of the fact/event. You can put tie-in before ‘body’ too.

Structure Example:

Intro: Any initiative to set up two schools in district ‘X’ is yet to be taken. There was some disappointment among the district neighborhood folks about this.

Tie-in: It is worth noting here that the minister of education declared that three colleges would be set up in the district within three months.

Body: The matter was addressed in a teacher’s forum in the district’s ‘z’ area yesterday. The forum speakers said they were disappointed as there was no government effort to create schools, as the minister announced three months earlier. The representative of the parent Mr. R said they were planning to set up new schools, and felt the question of admission should be gone. The speakers called on the minister of education to enforce his comment made in a district public forum.

The Report:

One initiative to set up two schools in district ‘X’ is yet to be taken. There was some disappointment among the district neighborhood folks about this.

It is worth noting here that the minister of education declared that three colleges would be set up in the district within three months.

The matter was addressed in a teacher’s forum in the district’s ‘z’ area yesterday. The forum speakers said they were disappointed as there was no government effort to create schools, as the minister announced three months earlier. The representative of the parent Mr. R said they were planning to set up new schools, and felt the question of admission should be gone. The speakers called on the minister of education to enforce his comment made in a district public forum.