Payne was a tough investigative reporter who was one of the few black women covering Washington, D.C. in her time. Her peers referred to her as "The First Lady of the Black Press." She was the first African-American woman radio and television commentator employed by a national network. She wrote on desegregation laws and other civil rights issues, and remained passionate about those causes because she felt that journalists could not be objective about certain issues that directly affected them.
Like Alice Dunnigan, Payne wrote for the Chicago Defender and was a White House correspondent who irritated presidents with her difficult questions. And like Dunnigan, President Eisenhower wouldn't call on her during press conferences. A story she did on a crisis in adopting black babies won her the best news story in 1952 from the Illinois Press Association. She got the job while living in Japan, by giving her diary to a Defender reporter. It was published in the U.S., and revealed things such as illegal segregation within the military, and the hundreds of babies that American men fathered with Japanese women and then abandoned. The publisher liked her style so much that he offered her a job, so she returned to the U.S. and wrote on controversial issues such as unwed mothers. She worked for the Defender for 27 years.
Civil rights was always a priority to Payne, and she worked overtime on reporting civil rights marches, interviewing leaders in the movement, and watching desegregation laws take effect. Besides working on racial issues in the U.S., she travelled to Africa and reported on wars and revolutionary movements, and went to Vietnam to cover black soldiers. She also was a commentator three times a week on CBS radio and TV for 10 years, and wrote a nationally syndicated column after leaving the Defender in her late sixties. She never stopped working until her death, writing and travelling to places like South Africa, where she was arrested for taking part in anti-apartheid demonstrations. She is remembered as a tireless reporter that helped advance the cause of civil rights.
Payne got her first reporting job because she kept detailed notes in her diary. Try keeping a journal for a few weeks, and report on what goes on around you. Don't simply write about what you do every day, but what issues are discussed at school and at home, and what unusual events happen. For example, if your class goes on a field trip to a government building, try to write down everything you learn and notice. If you get to talk to a government official, write down everything she or he says, and ask lots of questions. By paying close attention to detail and issues, you can become a better reporter.