Dear rexperez,
I don't know in which beat you wish to serve or learn because government beat means, Crime, politics, bussines, Information technology, diplomats etc...... any way the most important thing to select a department where you wish to work.... else for whole goverment would be some difficulties.... but the important is that you have to visit all related department and meet their offocials top to bottom regularly or at least call them once a week......
when you get the chance to cover any press breifing by any government official or leader you must know the back ground of the related topic and select a small but comprihensive question and ask politly.............
One more thing:
In my 10 years of reporting experience I have eshtablished thousands contact and they all remember me by name and face and but I have managed a decent relation and never treated them as a freind because where the freindship invilove the reporting would be turn into a favour.....
Thanks
regards
Ali Kazim (Karachi)