But as actual journalists, we know the days of glitz and glamour have passed. The clicking of typewriters is no longer heard in our newsrooms, and the idea of a government official calling a secret meeting in a parking lot to help us reveal a scandal seems like a fairytale. We’re working in a time of budget cuts.

This Halloween, the RRJ wants to help you make your journalist costume as accurate as possible. Here’s what you need:

– A cell phone. Preferably a smartphone so you can log notes, snap photos, and make voice recordings. Smartphones also come in handy for on-the-spot Googling and time killing when an interview subject is running late.

– A notepad. One day this tool will be overturned by technology, but for now, we stick to it. There’s something about a paper notepad that brings out our professional side.

– A pencil. NOT a pen. Pens freeze in cold weather, and if you’re waiting outside city hall for two hours in the middle of winter with a pen, there will be no notes coming from you. A pencil sharpener would also be a good idea.

– An electronic voice recorder with a USB connector. Unrecorded interviews are like puppies: they’re exciting at first, but take a lot of commitment and work before they can be useful in any way.

– A trench coat. It’s a fashion classic! It also comes in handy for rainy day reporting and a generally mysterious appearance.

– Boots or water-savvy shoes. See above note on rainy day reporting.

– A cool hat with a press pass tucked into the ribbon. This will help you feel like an edgy detective, even if it’s a bit outdated.

– A lot of questions. Ask so many that your friends resent you by the end of the night. Be annoying, thorough, and unrelenting. That way, you’ll really feel like a journalist.