Journalism Tipsheets - International Center for Journalists

Transcription

Journalism Tipsheets
By Doug Cosper, Michelle Fulcher and Nadine Alfa
Produced by the West Bank Project at the University of Colorado School of
Journalism and Mass Communication April 3—May 14, 2005
Published by the International Center for Journalists with support from the Center
for International Private Enterprise
About the International Center for Journalists
The International Center for Journalists, a non-profit, professional organization,
promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that independent, vigorous
media are crucial in improving the human condition.
Since 1984, the International Center for Journalists has worked directly with
more than 50,000 journalists from 176 countries. Aiming to raise the standards of
journalism, ICFJ offers hands-on training, workshops, seminars, fellowships and
international exchanges to reporters and media managers around the globe.
At ICFJ, we believe in the power of journalism to promote positive change.
Contents
4
News Judgment
5
Separating Fact from Opinion
-Michelle Fulcher
-Michelle Fulcher
9
Covering Speeches
8
Writing from News Releases
and Conferences
-Doug Cosper
-Doug Cosper
6
Lead Writing
7
Hard News Story Structure
8
Interviewing
10
Quotes and Attribution
12
Complex Story Structure
-Doug Cosper
-Doug Cosper
-Michelle Fulcher
-Doug Cosper
-Michelle Fulcher
11
Math for Journalists
11
Internet Research
19
Photojournalism
99
Interviewing for Television
88
Reporting Breaking News for
TV and Radio
-Michelle Fulcher
-Jason Crawford
-Doug Cosper
-Nadine Alfa
-Nadine Alfa
15
Covering Elections
-Michelle Fulcher
88
Television and Radio News
Writing
-Nadine Alfa
16
Covering Beats
-Doug Cosper
77
Television Reporting and
Package Production
-Nadine Alfa
18
Covering Meetings
-Doug Cosper
International Center for Journalists
News Judgment
Identifying and weighing the elements that make a story important or interesting
to a reader can help you decide whether to pursue a story, what to emphasize in
the lead and how to organize the story.
Among the elements to consider:
Importance/Relevance:
• Consider whether the issue under debate will have a major impact on the
community—a potential change in government or policy, for instance.
Timeliness:
• The story is more interesting and relevant if it happened recently and if it will
quickly result in change.
2
Proximity:
• The story is more meaningful to
people if it happens close to them—
geographically or in terms of their
personal interests.
Prominence:
• Stories that involve well-known
people offer attract reader attention.
If the subject is prominent, identify
him or her in the lead. If someone is
not well-known, focus on the event
and place the identifications in the
second paragraph.
Audience:
• If a large number of people are
affected by an event or issue, it is
more important to the reader.
• If a large amount of money is at
stake, the story has added “weight”
as well.
Conflict:
• Stories that show a strong
disagreement or a clash between
individuals or groups draw more
attention.
Novelty:
• Stories about highly unusual
situations are intriguing. The old
dog’s tale says it best: When dog
bites man, that’s not news. When
man bites dog, that’s news.
Separating Fact from Opinion
Set a balanced and neutral
tone:
• Respect your readers’ or viewers’
rights and abilities to form their own
opinions from a factual news story.
• Conduct research on all sides of the
issue, and present your findings
fully.
• Work to find sources on all sides
and ask equally probing questions.
• Represent your sources fairly in the
story—don’t quote the side you
agree with heavily and neglect those
with different positions.
• Present statements in context—
make sure your story fully reflects
the intent of the source’s remarks.
• Quote sources accurately and
completely.
• Attribute every quote and all other
information other than common
knowledge.
• Keep opinion on the opinion pages
and news on the news pages.
Avoid words that reflect
bias or a judgment about a
source’s credibility:
• Use neutral attributions: “said”
rather than “claimed” or “insisted,”
which imply questionable credibility,
or “noted,” or “pointed out” which
imply the source is stating fact
• Use neutral words in copy: Don’t
say the government “refused” to
pass a tax increase; say the council
voted against the increase. Don’t
say something that happened was
“unfortunate” or that someone is
engaged in a “scheme.”
Avoid conflicts of interest:
• Do not affiliate with any organization
or advocate for any issue that might
cause a reader or viewer to question
whether you can write a fair and
impartial story.
• Do not cover issues in which you
have personal or financial
involvement.
• Do not cover issues, companies or
other organizations in which family
members are involved.
• Fully disclose any potential conflicts
to managers.
4
Lead Writing
A news lead:
• Is the first sentence or paragraph of
news stories.
• Captures the ESSENCE of your
story.
• Answers the question: WHAT IS
THE STORY?
• Hooks the reader and pulls him into
the story. Remember, the easiest
decision a reader can make is not to
read your story.
• Is the hottest point of creation in the
profession. Journalists are only as
good as their leads.
Check list for writing
clear, powerful news
leads:
• First ask, “What is the story?”
• Include only essential information.
Most details belong lower in the
story.
• Try to express only one thought,
usually in one sentence.
• Keep them short and sweet—25-35
words.
• Keep your sentence structure
simple—subject-verb-object.
• Write in past tense.
• Use the active voice when possible.
• Always include the time element in
hard news leads.
• Try to write your lead before
continuing with your story. If you
can’t write your lead, you probably
have not done enough reporting.
• If you get stuck on your lead on
deadline, imagine that your mother
or wife or husband asks you when
you get home from work, “What
story did you work on today, dear?”
The answer is probably your lead.
Remember:
• Journalism is founded on the
principles of accuracy, fairness and
balance. These principles also apply
to writing leads.
• No matter how skilled a writer you
are, you cannot make a good story
out of a bad idea.
• No matter how skilled a writer you
are, you cannot write a good story
unless you have done the reporting
well.
• Think of writing as a process.
Finding good ideas is writing.
Reporting is writing. The actual act
of writing is only the last step in a
longer process of creation.
Hard News Story Structure
Checklist for writing clear,
well-structured hard news
stories:
• In the inverted pyramid structure, it’s
first things first, second things
second.
• Begin with a strong lead that
summarizes the story.
• The second paragraph should
support the lead, adding more
details. OR, a strong quotation
supporting the lead can be very
powerful here.
• The third paragraph should
support the first two, adding yet
more detail, and so on
throughout the story.
Remember:
• Think of each paragraph flowing
from the source, or essence, of the
story down the pyramid until the
end.
• All of the 5 Ws and H usually don’t
belong in the lead. Lead with only
the essence and include the rest in
later paragraphs.
• Paragraphs at the bottom of your
story may be cut to make the story
fit the allotted space.
• The inverted pyramid structure
helps the reader get as much of the
news as he can as quickly as
possible and allows him to stop
reading whenever he chooses.
• Be sure your first attribution is in the
lead or second paragraph.
• Use simple sentence structure—
subject-verb-object.
• Keep sentences brief.
• Make only one point per paragraph,
and limit paragraphs to one or two
sentences.
• Write in the active voice as much as
you can.
• Write in the past tense.
6
Interviewing
Before the interview:
• Research your subject and his or
her field of expertise, so you can
ask thorough questions, understand
the answers and pose follow-up
questions. Showing your interest
also encourages the subject’s full
involvement in the interview,
producing a stronger story.
• Arrive on time and dress
appropriately.
• Always identify yourself as a
reporter. Schedule a personal
interview instead of a telephone
interview, if possible. This allows
you to observe how the subject
reacts to questions, and to glean
colorful details.
• Explain to the source generally what
your story is about and the
information you seek. If you have
written similar stories, send copies
so they can see that you are serious
about your work.
• Consider taking a tape recorder so
you’ll have complete quotes and an
accurate record in case of dispute.
Some reporters, however, find it
unwieldy to review an entire
conversation before writing the
story.
• If you will be accompanied by a
photographer, inform the source so
he or she can prepare. Explain the
story to the photographer so he or
she can plan a photograph that
illustrates the story well.
During the interview:
• Start with a few minutes of casual
conversation. This helps the subject
relax and is a good time for
background questions.
• Prepare a preliminary list of
questions, in order of priority. Check
the list during the interview so you
ask the most important ones and
have the basis of a story. Don’t
restrict yourself, however. Your
source’s responses may generate
follow-up questions, or he may offer
information that leads to an entirely
different line of questioning.
• Structure questions. Avoid those
that produce yes/no answers
(“closed-ended” questions) in favor
of those that require thoughtful
responses (“open-ended”
questions). Don’t ask, “Will you vote
for the president?” Ask “Who do you
think is the best candidate, and
why?”
• Establish the ground rules. In most
cases, your source will speak “onthe-record” and will be quoted by
name. Sources may ask to go on
“background,” meaning they cannot
be quoted by name. Instead, you
would attribute the information more
generally, to a senior government
official, for example, or an expert in
a particular subject area. The
source may ask to go “off-therecord,” meaning the source is not
quoted at all, but you may query
other sources, and, if the
information is verified, publish it
without the original source’s name.
• Use follow-ups. When you get an
answer, think about what further
questions it might spark for the
reader—and ask.
• Listen carefully. Is the source
offering even more information than
your question required? Sometimes
this provides the most interesting
material. Don’t miss it because it
isn’t what you expected.
• Clarify if needed. Don’t be afraid to
ask what sounds like a “dumb”
question if it will save you from
making a mistake in your story.
• Be accurate. Ask the source to spell
names, titles, etc., as they arise
during the interview. If the source
says something you don’t
understand, clarify.
Ending the interview:
• Ask, “Is there anything I forgot to
ask you?” “Is there anyone else I
should talk to?” This gives the
source a chance to elaborate on
earlier points, volunteer information
or suggest additional experts for
your story.
• Ask the source if you can call him if
further questions arise. Ask for
home and mobile telephone
numbers or e-mail addresses. This
is a good time to get personal
contact information not ordinarily
shared with reporters.
• Pause if necessary to catch up on
your notes, and to give the source
time to think further about your
questions.
• Don’t inject your own opinion into
the interview or into the story.
During the interview, consider your
subject’s opinion with an open mind.
Always keep yourself out of the
story.
• Control the interview. If the subject
strays from the topic or avoids a
question, repeat it until you are
satisfied with the answer.
• Save the sensitive questions for
last. If a question might prompt the
source to end the interview abruptly,
ask it at the end of the interview.
8
Quotes and Attribution
Attribution:
Quotations:
Keeping yourself out of your
story
Bringing stories alive
Always stay out of your story. Let your
sources tell the story to your readers.
The facts are more powerful than your
opinion.
Good use of quotations:
• Give stories credibility and authority.
• Make stories feel more human by
putting readers in touch with the
speaker.
The importance of attribution:
• Clear attribution tells readers where
the information came from so they
can make up their own minds about
what or whom to believe.
• Gives visual relief by the reader in
the story.
• Attribution protects the journalist.
• Makes stories come alive. Readers
can hear, see, taste and feel the
words.
When not to attribute:
• To protect a source. Don’t overuse
unnamed sources, as this robs
credibility from the story and invites
unethical reporting.
• If you do use an anonymous source,
tell readers why it is necessary.
Some attribution tips:
• Keep attribution simple. “He said,”
usually is enough.
• Tell your readers enough about the
source to allow them to decide
whether to believe them or not. This
is especially true of “experts.”
• Support information in the lead and
throughout the story.
• Adds variety to the pace of the story.
Use the good quotes and
avoid the others.
Good quotations:
• Contain strong feelings or images. “I
know how to do two things in life:
catch fish and eat fish. My father
fished and so will my sons.”
• Summarize a situation or illustrate a
point well.
• Contain live words, not dead ones.
• Show something about a person’s
character. “The veteran wept when
he saw his old friends gathered at
the battle site.”
Use good quotes when:
• Someone says something unique.
• Someone says something uniquely.
• Someone important says something
important.
• If someone important says
something important in a boring
way, paraphrase it or use a partial
quote.
Know your publication’s
policy on changing the
content of quotations and
follow it.
Ask Yourself:
• Did you find the most qualified
sources for the story?
• Are there enough sources to tell the
whole story and all sides of it?
• Is all the information clearly
attributed?
• Could points have been made better
with direct quotes?
• Is everything inside quotations
worthy of being in quotations?
10
Complex Story Structure
The inverted pyramid summarizes the
essential facts in the lead and then
explains them in order of importance.
The person pointed a sawed-off shotgun
at Kirklin's head. ‘And boom,’ Kirklin
recalls, ‘he shot me in the face.’
Other, more in-depth stories may be
written differently. They may begin
with:
The Columbine High School massacre
had begun.”
• An anecdote, or “story within a
story,” that illustrates the story’s
subject:
In a story about a teenage boy
whose face was disfigured by fire,
the anecdote established that the
boy was so self-conscious he had
never had a mirror in his room.
After the boy had facial surgery, the
closing scene showed him posing
for his yearbook picture at school.
• A chronology:
A story about a mass shooting at a
high school begins:
“The next minute would change his life,
but Lance Kirklin never knew it was
coming.”
Kirklin steps outside his school, hears
gunfire and watches his friends fall.
Then, “Kirklin turned his head to the sky
and saw someone standing over him.
‘Help,’ Kirklin said.
‘Sure, I'll help you," a voice replied.
• A description or observation:
A story about Mexican immigrants
who die crossing the scalding desert
to sneak into the United States
begins:
“Among the carnivorous insects that
flourish in the arid sandscape west of
this city are beetles that feast on human
skin…”
Any one of these options allows the
writer to tell the story of an event, an
issue or a personality. They can even
be used to tell complicated stories
about science or business.
The lead can effectively evolve quickly
to a “nut” paragraph that
summarizes the story and explains its
importance. This may be more than
one paragraph, but it must be succinct
and clearly explain the story’s themes.
The “nut” in the story about the boy
simply asks the reader to relate to the
child.
“You find yourself instantly … pulled
past the deformity and into the world of
a completely normal 14-year-old. It is a
window into the world where Sam lives.
You can imagine yourself on the other
side of it.”
The rest of the story alternately details
the boy’s concern about this
appearance and his journey through
life-threatening surgery.
“With four guns, 67 bombs and two
hearts full of hate, classmates Eric
Harris and Dylan Klebold shocked the
world April 20 with the worst school
shooting in American history.
… The Denver Post interviewed dozens
of students, teachers, investigators and
parents to reconstruct the way two
youths, cloaked in black trench coats,
killed 13 and wounded 20 before fatally
shooting themselves in the head.
The eyewitness accounts are full of
terror and courage, heartbreak and luck.
They tell a story of senseless tragedy on
the 110th anniversary of Adolf Hitler's
birth that stole the lives of the strong
and popular as well as the handicapped
and lonely.
From these recollections, a chilling
picture of Harris, 18, and Klebold, 17,
emerges: These two suburban
teenagers enjoyed killing. They laughed
about it. They celebrated it. Time and
again, they were savage enough to
spray a classmate with bullets, hear the
moans of pain, and then silence the
cries with a final gunshot at point-blank
range. Other times, they pointed their
guns at a classmate but spared him for
no apparent reason.”
The mass shooting story takes longer
to summarize its themes:
The rest of the story weaves the
eyewitness accounts together in a
chronology of the day.
“The U.S. Border Patrol says at least
151 immigrants died attempting to
illegally cross from Mexico into the
United States during a 12-month period
ending Sept. 30. Human rights groups
put the toll higher—at 205—saying that
Border Patrol figures do not include all
the bodies found by local law
enforcement officers. Last year, at least
145 immigrants died on the trek.
In July, at the height of summer,
temperatures regularly exceeded 105
degrees. On a single day—July 15—
eight people died in separate incidents
along the state's 350-mile border with
Mexico.”
The “nut graph” in the immigration
story uses numbers to illustrate the
depth of the problem:
The story then focuses on the debate
over immigrant smuggling.
12
The ending:
While the inverted pyramid simply lists
the facts in descending order of
importance, the more complex story
has an ending—often described as a
“kicker”—to reemphasize the story’s
key theme or provide a last emotional
punch. The ending may return to the
scene or event described in the lead:
“Harris had taken off his trench coat
sometime earlier, and was wearing a white
T-shirt. Klebold, who wore a vest and
ammo belt over his dark T-shirt, had
dropped his trench coat onto the library
floor.”
The school shooting story, for
example, returns us to the killers,
each having shed the trench coats
they wore in the opening scene:
“About 4 p.m., Denver paramedic Troy
Laman was ushered into the library.
Warned that bodies might be boobytrapped with bombs, he felt gingerly for
some sign, any sign, of life.
One girl, facedown, was warm. The
paramedic rolled her over and found open
eyes full of tears.
Lisa Kreutz had survived.
Regaining consciousness later at Denver
Health Medical Center, Kreutz
remembered the pain of being rolled onto
her wounded shoulder.
‘That's when,’ she told her father, ‘I knew I
was still alive.’”
The final scene briefly describes the
fate of each student Harris and
Klebold encountered in the course of
the story, naming 10 students who
died and ending with a girl named Lisa
Kreutz, who was shot in the shoulder.
A writer has greater freedom in
fashioning these stories, but the
basics of journalism still apply: The
story must be accurate, balanced and
unbiased; facts and quotes must be
complete and correct.
Some Tips:
Tell a story with a purpose:
• Every story must provide valuable
information and insight to the
reader. Don’t let your writing ego
overcome the story you are trying to
tell. If the facts are strong enough,
they will carry the story. If they are
not, you probably don’t have a story.
Report carefully:
• If you think you’ve talked to enough
people, talk to two, three or a halfdozen more. They may offer
valuable information, quotes or
detail than you need at the end, but
that leaves you to choose the best.
• Ask open-ended questions that
produce detail and description.
Use your senses:
• Use the senses of sight, hearing,
feel, taste, smell to observe all that
is going on around you. Choose
vivid words to share those
observations with the reader.
Write!
• Don’t restrict yourself to “who, want
where, when, why and how.” Identify
the elements of conflict, drama,
setting, character, dialogue or
common themes and consider
building the story around them.
• Take this time to experiment with
words and structure—is there a
better way?
• Every word counts—make it as
descriptive, active, direct and
colorful as it can be.
• Vary the length of sentences and
paragraphs.
• Read key sentences and
paragraphs back to yourself: Are
they clear? Do they contain dull,
repetitious or expendable words?
Are they nicely paced?
Rewrite:
• Take a break after you finish the first
draft. Clear your head and look at
the story again for clarity and
writing.
14
Covering Elections
Be fair:
• Strive for equal coverage of each
candidate and issue. If you focus on
major candidates or issues,
establish a uniform coverage plan to
ensure voters have a basic
understanding of everything they’ll
see on the ballot.
• Place remarks in context. Quote
sources accurately.
• Avoid words and descriptions that
convey bias.
In reporting elections:
• Push beyond routine coverage of
press conferences, speeches and
rallies.
- Cover the issues as well as
the candidates.
- When an issue is under
debate, do your own research
and call on neutral experts to
explain the facts as opposed
to claims of supporters or
- opponents.
In the case of a candidate, do
the research that will allow
you to pose tough questions.
If the candidate makes an
error in fact, give him or her
the chance to explain, but
inform your readers of the
mistake.
• Use multiple sources, supporters,
opponents and experts. Give
readers the information to predict
what the candidate might do in
office and what concrete change will
happen if a ballot issue is approved.
• Follow the money: Identify who is
supporting the candidate or issue
financially and why. What policies
are they promoting? What potential
conflicts of interest do they have
(the desire for government contracts
on a project the candidate
promotes, etc.)?
• Inform the readers of the political
affiliations of those you quote.
The numbers:
• Be skeptical of polls. Determine who
sponsored them; whether the
questions were worded to
encourage certain responses,
whether the sample size is
adequate and reflects voter
demographics. Explain polling
methods and accuracy rating to
readers.
• Don’t trust candidates’ crowd
estimates. Ask police or other official
sources. Better yet, estimate it
yourself using the block method if
you were there.
• Don’t trust candidates’ claims about
government budgets or other
financial information. Verify their
arithmetic.
Covering Beats
• Beats provide the publication the
best opportunity to lay its fingers on
the community’s pulse — to probe
society and culture. Parachute and
brush fire journalism can’t do that.
• Most big stories are broken by beat
reporters because beats are rich in
hard news and feature story ideas.
• Your readers depend on you to keep
them informed about what their
public officials are doing or are not
doing. The system depends on you
to keep it greased by living up to
your responsibility to your readers.
• Develop a network of sources —
secretaries and night watchmen as
well as the top officials. The depth
and breadth of your source network
largely will determine the depth and
breadth of your stories and your
success as a beat reporter.
• If you earn the readers’ trust, you
can expect good telephone tips from
strangers.
• Be physically present on your beat.
Almost daily contact is essential.
Several phone calls every day are
necessary on some beats,
especially law enforcement or other
beats that may have quickly
developing news.
• When working a beat, don’t let
yourself drown in routine. If you
can’t cover everything, don’t try. Go
for NEWS and miss a few small
meetings if you have to.
• Keep a current file of office, home
and mobile phone numbers.
• Remember to write for your readers,
not your sources.
• A word about sources: People are
not tools or objects or merely means
to an end. And they are usually not
stupid. They know when they are
being “cultivated,” and they don’t
like it. Would you? Establish honest,
open relationships with your
sources. After all, you must trust
them, and they must trust you.
Tips on getting started on
a new beat:
• Study documents relevant to your
beat and people on it. Study the
organization’s budget, calendar and
founding papers if there are any.
They are filled with story ideas.
• Review the morgue, or publication
library, for past stories. Some of the
best ideas come from following up
forgotten old stories.
• Read the competition.
• Get on the mailing and emailing lists
on your beat.
• Keep a tickler file for follow up
stories.
16
• Formally introduce yourself to the
chief sources—the secretaries and
their bosses. Let them know that
you are a professional and that they
can expect you to act like one. Get
to know other sources in the course
of your frequent beat checks.
• Show your sources you care about
them and their work by frequent
visits and sound, responsible
reporting.
• Help your sources with a little public
relations when you can.
Remember:
Everything that happens on your beat is
your responsibility. Don’t miss it!
Covering Meetings
Watch for the News
Listen Between the Lines
• Meeting stories don’t have to be
dull. Remember to report the NEWS
that comes out of the meeting. Don’t
just tell the readers that someone
had a meeting. Who met where,
when and why belongs in the
second paragraph.
• Listen for hints of developing trends
or anticipated announcements
hidden or accidentally dropped by
speakers. Then ask them to
elaborate after the meeting.
Sit Up Front
• Merely recording what is said at a
meeting is not reporting. Ask
participants to elaborate or follow
new angles during breaks and after
the meeting is over. Don’t ask
questions during the public portion
of a meeting. Let the audience do
that.
• On the front row if possible. If you
can’t hear and see, you can’t write.
Make a Participation
Seating Chart
• Outline the seating arrangement
and assign each player a number
for quick attribution to quotes in your
notes. Be sure you get names and
titles down accurately.
Good Writing Begins with
Good Reporting
• Keep in mind that reporting is really
just an extension of writing. It’s all
one process. You already are
sculpting your written report as you
listen and observe, as you decide
what to write in your notes, and as
you think of the right follow-up
questions. If you gather solid,
exciting information and
observations, you will write a solid,
exciting story.
Ask Questions
Ask More Questions
• Watch for the authoritative and
colorful speakers from the audience.
Find them after the meeting for
follow-up questions and their phone
number for more questions later.
Write for Your Readers
• Keep in mind who will be reading
what you write, and write directly to
them, to their interests, to their
needs, maybe to their passions.
5 W’s and H
• Ask yourself before you leave the
meeting if you have the Who, What,
Where, When, Why and How.
18
Chances are, the speaker didn’t
give you everything you need in the
public portion of the meeting. Be
sure you understand the issues
before you leave the building.
Remember, the only stupid question
is the one you were afraid to ask.
Use the Good Quotes
• When you fail to use quotations in a
story, especially a meeting story,
you rob it of its humanity, of color.
But use only the best quotes—the
ones that made an impression on
you. Dull words are best
paraphrased.
Story Organization
• Most meeting stories are complex
stories. Lead with the main news
story, then, in the second
paragraph, give the reader a hint of
the other main elements you will
flesh out after the main story is told.
Put the least important paragraphs
at the end of the story.
If You Are Writing a Story
of Record
• Get every official action that occurs
during the meeting. Most of it will
play at the end of your story, as
explained below.
Covering Speeches
• Be prepared, do the research on the speaker.
• Arrive early, leave late.
• Sit up front where you can see the action.
• Note the mannerisms of speakers and audience.
• Get business cards for correct spelling of names and titles.
• Cover the event—look around the edges at the audience (size, reaction).
• It’s OK to clarify quotes after the speech, also to get new quotes and angles.
• Be sure you have the 5Ws and H in your notes.
• WRITE WHAT WAS SAID, NOT THAT SOMEONE GAVE A SPEECH.
20
Writing from News Releases and
News Conferences
“A reporter must go out and
capture the news. Only
publicity comes to the
newsroom to surrender.”
News releases can be valuable
resources for reporters, but remember
that they are produced for one primary
purpose: to influence the opinions of
your readers through your story.
News conferences can be valuable
resources for reporters, but remember
that they are produced for one primary
purpose: to influence the opinions of
your readers through your story.
Tips for covering news
conferences:
• Be prepared. Do your homework.
• Arrive early, leave late.
Tips on writing from a
news releases:
• Sit up front where you can see and
hear the action.
• Treat it as a news tip, usually little
else.
• Get business cards for correct
spellings and titles.
• Check for the 5Ws and H.
• Look for what is new and
interesting.
• Look for unanswered questions,
holes and what is NOT said.
• Call the contact people for
verification, elaboration, clarification
or a new angle.
• Call sources who might provide
balance for the story.
• Talk to people whose lives are
directly affected by the release.
• Add background and context.
• Consider putting the information into
a calendar of events or briefs if it
doesn’t make a story.
• Note the mannerisms of
participants.
• Cover the event—look around the
edges at the audience (size,
reaction).
• It’s OK to clarify quotes after the
conference, and always best to get
new quotes and angles. Remember,
if you ask a question during the
conference, everyone will have the
answer. If you wait until afterwards,
you will have the scoop.
• Be sure you have the 5Ws and H
before you leave the building.
• WRITE WHAT WAS SAID, NOT
THAT SOMEONE HELD A PRESS
CONFERENCE.
Math for Journalists
Percentage:
• Percentage change: Old number
minus new number, divided by old
number.
• Percentage increase: The budget
rose from $50 million (old number)
in 2004 to $60 million (new number)
in 2005. Therefore, $60 million-$50
million = $10 million divided by $50
million = .20 or 20 percent increase.
• Percentage decrease: The budget
fell from $60 million (old number) in
2004 to $50 million (new number) in
2005. Therefore, $60 million—$50
million = $10 million, divided by $60
million = .166 or 16.7 percent
decrease.
(To convert a number to a percentage,
move the decimal point two places to
the right.)
• Percentage points: The difference
between two percentages.
A percentage point reflects a share
of a larger number. (If 4 percent of
babies are born prematurely, for
example, then 4 of every 100 babies
were born prematurely) If that rises
from 4 percent to 5 percent, it is not
a 1 percent increase, so the
difference is described as an
increase of one percentage point.
Rate:
The relationship between the number
of incidents and population or some
other base number, as opposed to the
relationship between a number and
100. For example, a community’s birth
rate may by 65 per 100,000. If that
were 65 of 100 it would be 65 percent.
It is, in fact, .00065 percent—more
often expressed as 65 per 100,000.
Average:
To find an average number, add a
group of numbers together and divide
by the sum of the numbers: 12 + 24 +
36 + 42 = 114
114 divided by 4 = average 28.5
This number is useful when all of the
numbers are generally in the same
range so an extreme number does not
influence the average.
Median:
The midpoint in a series of numbers; it
varies depending on whether there
are an odd or even number of items in
the sequence:
In a series containing an odd number
of items, the median is the number
halfway between the highest and the
lowest: 2 + 24 + 30 + 36 + 60. The
median is 30, because there are two
numbers higher and two numbers
lower.
In a series containing an even number
of items, the median is the number
midway between the two middle
22
numbers: 20 + 24 + 30 + 78. The
median is 27:
(24 +3 0 = 54 ÷ 2 = 27)
This number is more useful when
there is a number at the extreme
(such as 78) that might otherwise
distort the average. For example, if
you are trying to show how old most of
the people in a town are, and the
majority range from 20-30 but one
person is 78, the average will provide
a distorted picture. (The average will
be 38 when most of the ages are
between 20 and 30).
Public Opinion Polls:
• Who sponsored the poll? Avoid polls
generated by interest groups, as the
results may be biased. If you must,
identify the sponsoring group and its
position on the issue fully.
• Are the questions neutral or slanted
to generate a certain response? The
best questions address one topic
and ARE limited to a “yes/no”
answer, as broader questions
generate less specific answers that
are open to interpretation.
• How are respondents chosen? Polls
generally should reflect a range of
ages, races and other demographic
factors. Participants should be
chosen entirely at random. Calls
should take place during both day
and evening (so the poll isn’t limited
to those who are home during the
day) and should include both listed
and unlisted numbers.
• Because polls measure a sample of
the population, there is a statistical
probability of error. This probability
is described as the “margin of error.”
The larger the sample, the smaller
the margin of error and the more
accurate the poll.
• If a poll shows that Candidate A has
52 percent of the vote, and
Candidate Y has 49 percent of the
vote, with a 3 percent margin of
error, Candidate A may actually
have anywhere from 49 percent
(minus 3) to 55 percent of the vote
(plus 3 percentage points).
Candidate Y’s total could be 52
percent or 46 percent. Because
each candidate’s total might be 49
percent, this race is too close to call:
You would report that candidate A
appears to be leading, but that the
race is statistically too close to call.
Internet Research
By Amy Webb, Webbmedia Group,
October 2008
Places:
Sometimes, the amount of results
from a standard search query can
offer too many results. There are
many alternative engines that will help
you to search more specifically:
• Blogdigger
(http:/.www.blogdigger.com) Search only blog content
• Technorati (http://
www.technorati.com) - Search only
blog content
• Search.Twitter.com searches Twitter
feeds TweetScan (http://
www.tweetscan.com) searches
Twitter feeds by keyword
• Everyzing (http://
search.everyzing.com) searches
audio and video content
• PolyCola (http://www.polycola.com)
allows you to search multiple search
engines at once and look at the
results in a split-screen format
• Search for information from a
particular domain: by country
(site:jp, site:de, etc.), by type
(site:org, site:gov, site:mil, etc).
• Search for particular filetypes using
commands: filetype:xls,
filetype:doc, filetype:ppt and all of
the new extensions (docx, etc.).
• Search for particular keywords using
commands: intitle, inurl.
Techniques:
Evaluating online sources: Do you
know who’s behind a website? Who
registered the domain? Why are they
publishing the information? Has the
site been hacked? Where it’s located?
The best way to start your search is
using the WhoIS database at http://
www.networksolutions.com/whois.
Unless the site has been registered
using a proxy, you should be able to
find the name, phone number and
email address for the site’s registrant.
The “Dark” Web
Did you know that much of the
information available online is hidden
because search engines can’t find it?
There are many ways to search for
specific kinds of files, just within
certain organizations and more. For
example, if you wanted to find a
municipal budget for the city of
Chicago, you might try using the
following search: site:gov filetype:xls
budget Chicago.
24
Some Sources:
International Journalism
Resources:
By Jason Crawford, West Bank
Project, University of Colorado at
Boulder, April 2005
• http://www.ifj.org/
• Palestinian members: http://
www.ifj.org/default.asp?
index=1507&Language=EN
• Google: http://www.google.com/intl/
ar/
• Google text translation tool: http://
www.google.com/language_tools?
hl=ar
• CIA World Factbook: http://
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/
factbook/ (English)
• United Nations: http://www.un.org/
arabic/
• U.S. National Institutes of Health:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
(English)
• Centre of Islamic and Middle
Eastern Law: http://www.soas.ac.uk/
Centres/IslamicLaw/Materials.html
(English)
• Middle East Network Information
Center: http://menic.utexas.edu/
mes.html (English)
• Middle East Maps & Encyclopedia:
http://www.i-cias.com/e.o/atlas/
index.htm (English)
• A handful of blogs
• http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/
(English)
• http://www.ihath.com/arabi/
• http://www.nasser99.com/
• http://www.wpfc.org/
• http://www.ijnet.org/
• http://www.freedomhouse.org/
• http://www.ifex.org/
• http://www.icfj.org/
• http://www.apfw.org/
• Arab Code for Journalists: http://
www.al-bab.com/media/docs/
intcodes.htm - fed
Section Title Here
Social Network Research
October 2008. An early version of this
article was originally published in
Uplink on 10.20.2007.
more efficiently and towards finding
those esoteric bits of information that
separate a good story from a
spectacular achievement.
It isn’t enough to simply rely on
Google to return comprehensive,
relevant information, not with the
number of new content added online
every day. And while Google, as well
as other major search engines such
as Yahoo!, indexes web pages
regularly, it often misses the content
that is hidden deep within discussion
boards, blogs, podcasts and other
social networking tools like Facebook
and LinkedIn.
Before you go deep, keep a few things
in mind. First, many people can spot
a reporter without much prodding. If
your story absolutely requires details
about Jane Doe’s personal life and
you’re convinced that her Facebook
page is the place to visit, don't try to
“friend” her without an introduction.
Same goes for LinkedIn and other
personal/ professional social
networks.
Part of the problem is technology:
Standard search engines are
programmed to look for certain bits of
code on websites. The other obvious
problem is volume: web pages rise
within search results to some extent
based on keyword relevance and the
number of times users click on that
particular link. So if you were working
on a story about a high school football
scandal, chances are pretty good that
you might miss out on local chatter
between students without also running
a pointed search through the social
web.
There are dozens of new web tools
that now enable you to search across
networks and deep within social
networks to find information.
Incorporating a handful of alternative
search tools into your daily reporting
routine should help you work faster,
On the other hand, you should
absolutely establish accounts with
these and other popular services.
Keep it professional, join relevant
groups and follow those people/
organizations who contribute to your
beat. (For more information on how to
get started, keep reading!)
Second, be honest when commenting
within blog spaces or discussion
forums. An easy way to find yourself
blacklisted from an online community
is to lurk in the background, ask an
occasional question, and then publish
your findings. It’s okay to participate
in the discussion – but share your
identity when acting as a reporter, with
others. If you wouldn’t do it in person,
you shouldn’t do it online either.
26
Book Title Goes Here
Getting Started
Create free accounts with a
number of social networks.
We’re asked often why someone
should join a bunch, why s/he can’t
just use one. The reason is because
you never know what your sources
might be using. While one person
favors Delicious, someone else might
rely only on Facebook. The only way
to participate is to join. And since
these services are free, there’s no
reason not to at least try them.
We cannot stress this enough: If
you’re going to use it for work, keep
your network 100% professional.
Don’t post photos of your kids or talk
about your latest spaghetti dinner
masterpiece. You can certainly create
pages on networks that are intended
only for your friends and family, but
work networks should stay exclusively
work-based.
Delicious is a social bookmarking tool
(http://www.delicious.com). Just as
you “bookmark” web pages in your
browser (that would be Firefox or
Internet Explorer or others), you can
store your bookmarks online. You can
tag and categorize them and share
them with others. You can also write
summaries of the pages you
bookmark, and others can add their
comments as well.
Delicious can function as an intranet
for your reporting team. You can post
important websites or other content
online, and share those links via
delicious only to those you invite. You
can use Delicious as an online
sourcebook and store all of your
sources’ web pages and other
information in one place. With
Delicious, as long as you can get
online, you’ll always have your
bookmarks with you - even if you don’t
have a computer! Delicious also
works on mobile phones.
Ning (http://www.ning.com) is a social
networking tool that will enable you to
set up your own network. This means
that you can easily create your own
website that offers a calendar,
discussion features, blog, photo
gallery, video gallery and a number of
other tools. In addition, users can
create their own profiles, just as they
would on Facebook or LinkeedIn.
You can use a Ning site for your beat.
For example, if you cover city hall, you
can create a city hall Ning site and
invite your regular sources, insiders,
elected officials and
others associated with that beat. You
can use your Ning site to solicit
feedback, story leads and more. And
at Ning you can keep the site private
and unlisted.
LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com) is
designed as a professional networking
tool and is a good way to search for
connections within your network of
contacts. If you need to bypass the
PR folks at Comcast and want to talk
to someone directly, you may be able
to find a name and phone number
through someone within your network.
You can also pay a premium monthly
charge for the ability to email folks out
of your network directly.
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com)
was originally created for college and
high school students, however it has
recently opened to everyone. The
tone of profiles on Facebook tends to
Section Title Here
be more casual, and the site offers
groups and discussion boards, where
users talk about issues that interest
them. Examples include professional
organizations (Online News
Association), alumni groups
(Columbia Journalism School New
Media Alumni) and pages for specific
topics (D.C. Tech Talk). People often
post news and local events here, and
that can serve as a wonderful tool to
help you meet new people and to
learn more about various subjects.
You can also create a Facebook group
page to serve your beat. If you cover
fashion, you might create a local
fashion group where users comment
on collections, offer feedback and
links to additional material. You can
also use your group to announce an
in-person meeting, so that you can
gather people together to talk more
about moves in the fashion industry.
Twitter (http://www.twitter.com) is a
microblogging tool. Essentially, that
enables users to send a message of
140 characters or less out to a large
group of people. The message, or
“tweet,” is only delivered to those who
follow you - however if you make your
Twitter URL available, anyone can
view your messages on the web.
Twitter can be a great way to survey
the zeitgeist, find additional sources,
monitor your beat and solicit
comments and ideas. There are a
number of incredibly useful Twitter
applications that can be applied for
journalism.
While all of these web tools can be
used as reporting tools, they are
primarily meant to function as social or
professional networking spaces. It’s
best to check sites you’re registered to
at least once every day. Or try
FriendFeed (http://
www.friendfeed.com) and aggregate
many of your social networks into one
site!
Search the Blogosphere
Blogdigger (http://
www.blogdigger.com)
Blogdigger is a powerful search tool
that digs only through blogs to retrieve
information.
A reporter’s tool: Some bloggers/
blog sites typically break news before
local journalists even hear about an
event. Examples include TechCrunch
and Slashdot. Find the bloggers who
cover your beat and read what they’re
saying.
Technorati (http://
www.technorati.com)
This site indexes and tracks who’s
linking to who throughout the
blogosphere.
A reporter’s tool: You can search by
keyword, by broad topic, by blog
name and by Technorati user. An
easy way to develop reporting on a
specific topic would be to simply follow
links.
Everyzing (http://
search.everyzing.com/)
Originally called Podzinger, this site
indexes video and audio content.
A reporter’s tool: Search by keyword
– results are returned with the
sentence where the keyword occurred
and the time on the audio or video
track. Rather than listening through
an entire 45 minute podcast of a
28
Hillary Clinton speech on health care,
you could “zing” it to find the exact
phrase and surrounding context – and
then play the recording from that point
forward.
Search the Zeitgeist
Omgili (http://www.omgili.com)
Search through what people are
saying in forums and discussion
boards.
A reporter’s tool: What are people
saying about this particular topic? Are
they mentioning other names/
companies/ websites? Will they point
you more towards what you’re
researching?
StumbleUpon (http://
www.stumbleupon.com)
StumbleUpon is actually a toolbar that
can be installed on any web browser
and, based on a set of your
preferences, delivers new web pages
you may like.
A reporter’s tool: Just as looking
through the footnotes of SEC reports
can produce interesting story ideas,
so too can rummaging through user
comments.
Wikirage (http://www.wikirage.com)
This site tracks pages in Wikipedia
that are currently receiving the most
traffic and edits.
A reporter’s tool: When a story
breaks, it may be worthwhile to check
out what users are contributing at
Wikipedia to help inform your own
reporting.
Search People
Spock (http://www.spock.com)
Spock is now in public beta and
delivers thorough results on people. It
pulls content from other websites and
allows users to enter their own
information, wiki-style.
A reporter’s tool: Because this is a
wiki, people have the ability to enter
and edit information about
themselves. Additionally, others may
edit information, too, so you may be
more likely to find leads on people
here than by using a simple Google
search.
Pipl (http://pipl.com/)
Pipl searches the deep web to find
information hidden within databases
and other areas that standard web
crawlers can’t or won’t search.
A reporter’s tool: This search engine
aggregates databases for you, which
can be a plus when searching for
information on deadline.
Wink (http://www.wink.com)
Wink is a smart search tool that pulls
information only from social network
sites such as MySpace, LinkedIn,
Bebo and Friendster.
A reporter’s tool: This is an easy,
efficient way to search through social
networks, however you will need to
enter both a name and a location.
Spokeo (http://www.spokeo.com)
Spokeo searches across various
social networks and tracks people
using their email addresses.
Section Title Here
A reporter’s tool: You’ll never
believe what’s out there if you just
know how to look. This tool is so
powerful you’ll be surprised at what
you can find on virtually anyone!
Search Across Networks
Sputtr (http://www.sputtr.com)
Sputtr offers single search window
with many different options: Type in
“Second Life” and search through
YouTube, Flickr, Digg, etc. by
selecting your button of choice.
A reporter’s tool: Use this to find
multimedia files very quickly.
Whonu (http://www.whonu.com)
At Whonu, search through images,
videos, news, maps, blogs, books,
calendars, notebooks and more.
After, you can share or bookmark your
search results.
A reporter’s tool: If your newsroom
doesn’t have an intranet, you can
potentially use Whonu as a way to
share reporting resources on a
particular story, on a beat or on a
geographic area.
More Search Ideas
Midomi (http://www.midomi.com)
Need to find the name, title and artist
of a song fast – but only remember
the tune? Midomi allows you to hum a
few bars of a song into your computer
and it matches your rendition to its
database, returning the original song
information.
30
Understanding and Using
Twitter
October 2008.
What’s all the fuss about
Twitter? What can it do, and
why should you care?
Twitter is one of the newer
micropublishing tools, and it can be
used to both collect and disseminate
information. Want a better handle on
microblogging as a viable
communication platform? Have a look
at this study from the University of
Maryland. http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/
paper/html/id/367/Why-We-TwitterUnderstanding-Microblogging-Usageand-Communities. Their findings
aren't necessarily earth shattering we connect with others because we
either have something in common or
want their knowledge - but the paper
does a great job of explaining how we
stay in touch, digitally.
Try harnessing Twitter as a reporting
tool and see what new information you
can uncover. The information below
offers basic advice on Twitter along
with a list of useful Twitter
applications.
TwitterFeed
Got a blog? This will automatically
update your posts to your Twitter
account. If you're not sure how to
effectively Twitter at your news
organization, create a basic Twitter
account - like BaltimoreNews. Then,
you can automatically send out
announcements of your new blog
entries to everyone who's following
you. http://twitterfeed.com/
Twhirl
This is a nice desktop application that
allows you to update and read your
Twitter account. This application really
functions more like an instant
message client. Still, it can help
reporters stay on top of breaking
news. http://www.twhirl.org/
Autopostr
You can use Autopostr to post Flickr
photos to Twitter and also send a
tweet to your followers.
http://Autopostr.com
Twellow
This is a search engine that you can
use to browse people and other
topics, uses Twitter and other social
networking tools. http://
www.twellow.com/
Twitter Answers
Ask Twitter a question, find an answer.
http://www.mosio.com/twitter/
Summize
Twitter’s own search engine.
http://search.twitter.com
TwitterTroll
Yet another search engine, TwitterTroll
also shows the most popular searches
at any given time. Can be useful to
search the zeitgeist.
http://www.twittertroll.com
Snitter
This is a popular desktop client, but it
requires Adobe Air to run.
http://getsnitter.com/
Section Title Here
Twitteroo
Desktop client, works best on PC.
http://rareedge.com/twitteroo/
Mobypicture
Shares photos via Twitter, enables
you to post directly to Flickr and your
blog. http://www.mobypicture.com/
Twitterrific
Desktop client for mobile or desktop.
http://iconfactory.com/software/
twitterrific
PocketTweets
This tool enables you to post and read
tweets via your iPhone.
http://pockettweets.com/
Twadget
If you're a (blech) Vista user, this is a
gadget that will track and send all new
tweets from your account.
http://arsecandle.org/twadget/
Twitter Tube Tracker
Track the status of London's Tube
trains and get delays sent to Twitter.
http://tommorris.org/blog/
2007/02/22#When:12:43:46
TwitterGram
Tired of just sending out 140
characters? Use TwitterGram to send
mp3s tweets. Use it for journalism:
This could be a fantastic way to share
breaking news audio reports. You
might also consider using it to send
out quick advertisements every X#
tweets. http://www.twittergram.com/
TwitterLit
This application will send out the first
line of a book and a link to Amazon.
It's part trivia - can you guess the
author and title? - but mostly a
marketing ploy to get Twitter users to
buy more stuff on Amazon. But it's
effective - and lots of people are using
it. Mimic this application for use in
your own newsroom. Tease new
stories. Use quick-hit trivia to drive
traffic to your site. What about
promotions? Selling photos or
archived video? http://
www.twitterlit.com/
TwitterLocal
Filter out tweets from just a certain
area. Reporters can use this as
source material to find out what's
happening within a certain range of
miles, postal code, state, city, etc.
http://www.twitterlocal.net/
Twittervision
Twittervision displays random updates
from people around the world. It's a bit
like watching an aquarium, and it's
addictive. Want to get included? Add
TwitterWhere, which will automatically
post your tweet location.
http://twittervision.com/ and http://
twitterwhere.com/
Twitzer
Want more than 140 characters?
Twitzer works with Firefox and will
allow you to type in longer posts. Be
warned, though. Twittering is meant to
be is micro-sized, and some of your
followers may not want long, rambling
posts from you. http://shorttext.com/
twitzer.aspx
Twubble
Want to follow more people but not
sure where to start? Twubble will
make recommendations based on
who you currently follow and your
geographic location. This is a good
way for jurnos to get started using
Twitter, especially if they're not sure
who to start following just yet.
http://www.crazybob.org/twubble/
32
Tweet Scan
This is another search engine for
tweets. Again, you're not quoting
directly from folks - just looking for
leads and additional context to aid in
the reporting process. http://
www.tweetscan.com/alerts.php
Twitbar
For our Linux friends, a Twitter client
for Gnome users to post from the
Deskbar. http://philwilson.org/blog/
2007/03/post-to-twitter-from-ubuntudeskbar.html
Photojournalism
Photos guidelines:
• News photos also tell a story.
• News photos, like news stories, are about people, so include people in your
photos—people doing something that tells the story.
• Get up close, then get closer.
Cutline guidelines:
• Cutlines describe the action and identifies the main characters by name in
the present tense.
• For example, on a photo of a football player making a point: State’s Jan
Johnson scores a last-minute goal against Tech.
• It may contain second or third sentences of background, but these are
written in the past tense.
• For example, on the photo of the football player: State’s Jan Johnson
scores a last-minute goal against Tech. The score meant that State will
compete in the Cotton Bowl in April.
• Every photograph must have a photo credit. This is the name of the
photographer who took the picture (photo by Billy Bob Johnston) or credit
given to the source of the photo, such as: photo courtesy of the Department of
Education.
34
Interviewing for Television
Person on the street:
• Make it colorful and diverse. Talk to
old people, young people, women,
men, etc.
• Ask the same question in exactly
the same way.
• Ask a simple question. “What are
you doing here today?” “What do
you think of the latest legislation
passed?” “Are you for or against this
law and why?” “What are your
thoughts about this?”
• Don’t phrase your question in a way
that invites a “yes” or “no” answer.
• For editing purposes, change your
location behind the camera for each
interview.
For example, first you are to the
right of the camera, next to the left of
the camera, and so forth. Keep this
process up every time to avoid jump
cuts.
Sit-down interviews:
• Do not talk to your character about
the main topic BEFORE the camera
starts rolling. This ruins the fresh
momentum of the interview, or the
character ends up saying things
later like “as I told you before…”
• Always start the interview with a
sound check. Ask your character to
state his or her name and title and
have them spell it out for you on
camera.
• Start with soft, easy, general
questions. Make your character
comfortable.
• Sit close to the lens of the camera,
either to the right or immediate left.
• Make sure the mic isn’t in your
frame.
• Do not interrupt the interview with
reaffirming comments to make the
interviewee feel more comfortable
For example, don’t say “uh-huh,
yes, I understand” etc… you ruin
your sound. Just NOD in
agreement. Same affect.
• If they ramble or talk too long, do
not be afraid to ask the question
again and say can you “briefly”
summarize that for me.
• If you miss something, say, “I’m
sorry, I didn’t understand that. Can
you explain it to me again?”
• Ask: “So, what’s the bottom line?”
“What’s your main goal?”
• Don’t be afraid of awkward silence
or emotional, teary interviews. Look
concerned, sympathetic, but do not
stop the taping. That can be your
best on-camera moment.
• The less you talk, the more they will
talk.
• Don’t be afraid to ask the tough
questions and play devil’s advocate.
Say: “Some people we spoke to
about this have said such and such
about you. How do you respond to
these allegations?”
• Listen well. Think sound bites.
• Take notes. Write down the quotes.
Take the time code.
• Put a star or two stars near the
sound bites that you think are
powerful and useful.
• In closing, ask them if there are any
concerns or anything more they
want to add or say.
• Make sure you have set-up and
cutaway shots.
• Never fake your setting. Do not
rearrange the furniture and put a
“flag” or “picture” behind your
interviewee so that it appears in the
shot. Many do this, but it’s unethical
and theatrical.
• If you cannot independently confirm,
attribute.
• Tell the viewers you are checking/
trying to confirm other reports.
• It’s more important to be reliable,
credible and accurate than to get
the story first … and false.
• Be honest. If you don’t have the
answers, never assume or
speculate or analyze. That’s not
your job.
• Describe the mood, the scene,
what’s happening around you. Use
fresh choice of words.
• Always remain collected and calm
under pressure. Remember the
viewer does not know— nor care —
about all the difficulties and
obstacles you are facing behind the
scenes.
• Do not make any promises you
cannot or do not want to keep. If
they ask for a tape of the interview,
say you cannot provide it, but that
you can let them know when the
piece will be aired so that they can
record it at home. Just Be Honest!
• In breaking news deadlines: make
air, not art.
• Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.
• Go with the facts.
• Go with what you know, and no
further.
36
Reporting Breaking News for
Television and Radio
• Get the story out — and get it right.
• A lead makes one point. And one
point well.
• Your story should be loyal to your
lead.
• If you cannot be loyal to your lead.
Dump it.
• The lead should grab and capture
your audience immediately.
• Shock value is crucial. Remember:
Impact, Familiarity
• Singular of “News” is New.
• Always try to relate the news to your
audience, the “you” factor. Your job
is not only to tell the new, but to
connect it to the familiar.
• Ask yourself, “Why should I care if I
was watching/listening to this?”
• Write to the pictures and for your
audiences’ ear.
• Smooth transitions are what keep
your audiences hooked and tuned
in. It’s like keeping the romance
alive in an old relationship.
• Always try to advance the story.
Don’t say what happened today if
you know what is scheduled to
happen tonight or tomorrow. Right
now is much more appealing than a
stale old story that happened
“earlier this morning.”
• Always use present active voice.
• Always use a conversational tone.
Speak to your audience as if you
are there in his/her living room.
Don’t use fancy words and language
that you would never use with your
brother/sister/friends.
• Scripting: Use sound and pictures to
help tell your story. Let the pictures
and sound and writing go hand-in
hand, complimenting one another
but NOT repeating or stating the
obvious or stupefying your
audience.
• Remember only a “good“ picture
can be worth a thousand words.
• Try to always start and end with
your most powerful pictures. The
first picture will grab them, and the
last can make your piece
unforgettable.
• Use sound bites or quotes for
dramatic effect, not to explain the
story.
• Be fair. Be brief. Be concise.
• Always put yourself in your
character’s shoes. Would you be
happy if portrayed the way you are
portraying him or her?
Television and Radio News Writing
• Do not try to “please” or be “liked”
by everyone.
• Aim to be respected, not liked.
Gaining people/sources/officials’
respect is much more valuable than
having them like you. They will then
know they can trust you—even if
they don’t agree with you.
*(by John Dinges. The Rules.)
Some television shorthand:
MOS
Man on the street
SOT
Soundbite
BSOT
Butted sound bites (backto back interviews/
connected)
• Don’t repeat.
FS
Full screen or graphic
• Don’t slavishly attribute if any idiot
would know where you got the
information.
VO
Video
NAT
VO
VO with natural sound
Bird
Satellite feed transmission
TRT
Total Running Time
OC
Outcue
PKG
Package
DNT
Donut
VO
Reporter's bridge, VO
• Revise. Revise. Revise.
• Don’t repeat unless for emphasis.
• A long story is like a house. It must
have four walls and a roof.
Remember that a wall not
connected to the roof probably
doesn’t belong to that house.*
• Nothing signals poor journalism like
poor grammar and spelling.
• If you cannot get the easiest,
simplest facts right, your audience
won’t believe you got the whole
story right.
• A delayed lead is more interesting
than a straight lead. If it isn't, dump
the delayed lead and go straight.*
• Journalists don’t know what people
think. They know what people “say
and do.”*
38
Television Reporting and Package
Producing
• Research your story BEFORE
heading out of the bureau.
• Know your story well.
• Prepare a draft script. It will help
keep you focused. But remember,
it’s only a draft—not set in stone. It
can be changed.
• If there’s no time to write a draft
script at least prepare the first,
middle and end stages or topics of
your piece.
• Prepare a shot-list. Think of the
possible elements you may need to
compliment the script you are
thinking of.
• Make sure you have all the right and
appropriate equipment. It’s your
responsibility to tell the
cameraperson what to bring, how
long you think you will be on the
shoot (batteries), what type of
lighting you might require (indoors
or outdoors), whether you will be
doing a sit-down interview or “man
on the street” sound-bites (mics).
• Make sure you communicate well
with your cameraperson about the
story. Inform him or her of your
ideas and needs—ask for
suggestions. It’s all about team
work. You need your cameraperson
on your side!
• When you are out shooting footage,
try to log and keep track of all the
images and shots your
cameraperson is taking. This will
save you a lot of time when you get
back to the bureau.
• Before you leave, ask your
cameraperson what he or she shot
so that you can then, and only at the
end of the shoot, suggest what more
you need and what may be missing.
• Do not interrupt your cameraperson
when they are working unless it’s
really necessary.
• If you do need to suggest
something, just tap him or her gently
on the shoulder. Then speak up.
Don’t shake or surprise them. That
will only ruin YOUR SHOT.
• Do not over shoot. It’s a waste of
your time and energy. Stay focused
on your story line, on your elements
and what you need. Don’t get sidetracked.
• As you are shooting elements,
always keep your script in mind. You
are writing for pictures.
• Also think of your first and end shots
when you are out in the field.
• Shoot your stand-up at the scene of
the action. The seminar, the protest,
the airport, the market etc.
• If you are not sure whether to do a
bridge or a stand-up, do both. You
can choose your best one later in
the bureau.
• When writing your bridge or
standup, it’s easiest to just mention
the facts of what you know. For
example, make an estimate of how
many people attended a protest.
Strive to be accurate. It’s better to
go with the lowest safe number than
be wrong: “At least 500 people
gathered here today in front of
Martyrs Square,” or say “no one is
exactly sure of the exact number of
people gathered here today but as
you can see behind me they are in
the hundreds.” Do not say,“around
800 people gathered here today.” It
may turn out to be less. Numbers
are always changing. Be safe and
accurate. You can always add the
exact figure by the time you get to
the bureau and have it in your toss.
• Your bridge should always be
something that’s factual yet flexible
enough to be worked into a
transition.
• Your stand-up, on the other hand, is
your ending. It can either be a
forecast of “what’s next” or a simple
summary.
• Back in the bureau, you log your
tapes. Write your script, voice it.
40
1616 H Street, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20006
www.icfj.org

Journalism Tipsheets - International Center for Journalists

Transcription

Similar documents

urbanjournalismworkshop - Washington Association of Black

Chapter Three: Muckraker Origins

View From the (Lingerie) Sideline: A Journalism Career Still Worth

concertation tour of the ncc in the west and northwest regions

Print`s future, June 2012 - Oklahoma Press Association

Bhattarai named Journalist of the Year

Science Journalism - Open School of Journalism

William Allen White - The University of Kansas

Re-dissemination of news and public debate on social networks

Alumni Working Abroad Enjoy Challenges |New

Reviews A recipe for journalism`s fight back for public interest

Conference Summary New Economic Models for News

London Drugs Case Study

Announcing the 2001 Casey Medal Winners

READ LEARN DISCUSS Электронный архив библиотеки МГУ им

English - Frauensolidaritaet

Media Guide file in PDF format.

5. `Four Worlds` news values revisited: A

state of the newsroom

v56#2 NRsummer02 part1-live - Nieman Foundation

Journalism education in an AGE of radical CHANGE

Best love quotes