Breaking News- Broken Writing- Reporting vs. Really Reporting
As journalists we’re an edgy bunch- we’re rushing to get what we need for
the 8a.. the 12 o’clock.. the 6 o’clock.. maybe the 5.. the 10 o’clock.. the
11 o’clock news… and if you’re all digital make that your 86,400
second day.
What’s worse- the networks and news services often measure success by the
clock- who broke the news first? By how many minutes?
Unfortunately writing and journalism judgment sometimes get caught in the
frenzy and take it on the chin.
The Gulf Oil Leak: After Memorial Day we had a frenzy of breaking news.
Information came from a Coast Guard press conference: The oil flow has
been stopped! This was the case as they spoke. It sadly proved
to be short-lived. Using a little phrase like ‘right now’ or ‘so far’
or ‘it appears that’ or ‘at [9:35 this morning] [source] announced that’
could sometimes be an accuracy-saver- and spare us from news break-in number
2- which serves to correct the first one.. which was linguistically correct
at the time.
We’ve been saddened and angered by this story.. I’ve been squinting for days
at those underwater videos of the oil leaking.
But- it wasn’t until I first saw the emotion in the face of a fisherman- and
heard him struggle to explain his thoughts- that I felt punched in the
chest.
Seeing the oil gushing and hearing official updates has been important- but
I think we’d all agree that also telling the story through the protagonists
of the news- whether they’re human or animal- is mandatory for the most
powerful reporting.
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A Reminder about Reporting vs. Reporting
From the big stories to those equally important on a smaller scale- eg.
flooding.. fires.. accidents.. health and medicine.. crime.. human
interest.. essentially any local story deemed significant enough to be
considered ‘news’- ‘just the facts’ are invariably only part of the story.
Heads-Up to many of the first-time journalists I have the honor and pleasure
of working with: the video and sound you bring back are not just obligatory
elements to collect. You are not in a scavenger hunt to prove you’ve
‘been there’.
a- Get as much of your information as you can directly from the people in
the know. This may be government workers or officials.. building
owners.. fire chiefs.. law enforcement.. company owners.. but you
don’t have to ‘prove’ that you went to a source by using a ‘talking head’ as
a SOT.
b- Please please please don’t forget that the initial information you
are collecting or hearing about is only the first piece of your story.
In most cases people are telling you what they believe to be true or what
they want you to know. Getting information from one source is the
beginning of your reporting.
c- Speak to more people.. do your research. What other
associated factors might be connected to - or should be raised by- this
story? Are you speaking to other people who most likely see things
differently? Might there be a cause for what is happening that merits
investigation? Are elements of this story suspiciously coincidental
with those in other stories?
d- Who is affected by or part of this story? That’s whom we want to hear
from. What video.. what sound embodies the story? That’s what we want
to see and listen to.
e- Caveat! Given that many rules are most often guidelines: keep
your camera (or audio recorder) running even when interviewing ‘officials’.
Sure- I spend too much of my time watching your packages and wailing “I
don’t need to watch this person telling you!” BUT-
Any SOT may prove to be newsworthy depending on how a person words
something.. how they’re ‘coming across’ as they talk to you.. or- They may
drop a bombshell! Who knows?
And amid the frenzy to get it right.. write well.. put it together so that
it flows and carries us along.. and of course- to meet your deadline:
The Stop Technique! Sanity saver to about 93% of my clients.
Joanne Stevens
Previously featured on
the Radio Television Digital News Association
as the News Coach blog series.
