The best part of becoming a reporter is you can hide behind your notebook. Everything is always research.

In journalism school, they teach you to start with your most important fact. The inverted pyramid, they call it. Put the who, what, where, when, and why at the top of the article. Then list the lesser facts in descending order. That way, an editor can lop off any length of story without losing anything too important.

In journalism school, what they want you to be is a camera. A trained, objective, detached professional. Accurate, polished, and observant.
They want you to believe that the news and you are always two separate things. Killers and reporters are mutually exclusive. Whatever the story, this isn't about you.