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Much of a journalist's life is spent being stuck in the newsroom, and it is not helped by shrinking budgets and staffing, according to Leah Todd, New England manager, Solutions Journalism Network.

But some US news organisations seem to have cracked the code, notes Todd, as she offers some industry tips on how to let your reporter out of the newsroom for a few days.

When given the chance to get on the field, she advises reporters to make the most of it and plan thoroughly to accommodate for gaps in the workflow.

"Write boilerplate copy for co-workers who may cover breaking news on your beat while you’re gone. Plan interviews on the ground ahead of time, but leave flex time in your schedule for interviews that arise spontaneously while you’re travelling," she writes.

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