Teen Reporter Handbook: How To Make Your Own Radio Diary

Since 1996, the Teenage Diaries series has been providing tape recorders to young people around the country so they can report on their lives for National Public Radio (NPR). The teen diarists conduct interviews, keep an audio journal and record the sounds of daily life—usually recording more than 30 hours of raw tape over the course of a year. Each diarist has final authority over what ends up in the story. All of the material is then edited into the 15-30 minute documentaries that air on NPR's All Things Considered.

According to Joe Richman, Producer of Teenage Diaries on NPR, "The Teenage Diaries series was founded on the principle that everybody has a story to tell". Based on his radio production experience, Richman has written a handbook to help teenagers learn how to express themselves and tell a story using radio. The author covers everything from the basic principles of radio reporting, technical tips, and interviewing suggestions to a list of the gear/equipment needed to create a radio diary."Being a reporter is like having a passport", says Richman. "It's a license to ask questions, be curious and explore new worlds – and radio is the perfect way to do all of this and here's why:

• The equipment is relatively inexpensive and easy to use.
• A microphone is less intrusive than a video camera. People can be morenatural – more themselves.
• Radio is intimate. When you hear someone's voice on the radio,it feels as if they're talking directly to you. It's like getting a phonecall from a friend.
• The limitation of radio is actually its greatest strength: there are nopictures. Radio forces you to be creative and pay attention to words,sound and language. Radio requires you to be not just a journalist,but a poet and a good storyteller....

Click here to read more and download the handbook in PDF format.