What term describes the areas of expertise a journalist covers regularly and in depth, such as politics or health?

• A. Beats
• B. Desks
• C. Bureaus
• D. Assignments

Answer: (A)

Beats are the areas of coverage a journalist follows regularly and in depth. Having a beat means a reporter builds ongoing sources and knowledge in that topic, tracks developments over time, and develops expertise that helps the newsroom predict stories, verify information, and report with authority. For example, a politics beat would routinely cover elections, policy debates, and government actions, while a health beat would monitor hospitals, public health issues, and medical research. The other terms describe different newsroom concepts: desks are where editing and production work happens, bureaus are separate office locations, and assignments are individual stories given to reporters. So the term that best fits the description is beats.