Writing news for television and radio

Eeekkk!

That's all I have to say about chapter 19 right now....aghhh!

So as you can tell I'm slightly intimidated by writing for the television/radio medium. It's just that this baby journalist finally was starting to feel at home in her new skin as a print writer. I was starting to feel that I was getting it...tight ledes and what exactly a nutgraf is as apposed to a theme paragraph. I had hiked the mountain of "rookie" and starting to approach the valleys of decent writing.

And now I'm slammed with writing for broadcast. It's funny because I read this chapter in intro-journalism -- the two books are basically the same things so alot of the information was familiar to me. But I have to wonder how do you on dedicate one chapter on this genre of writing, even the formatting is complex to me. What do you mean I don't have to work about APstyle as much?!? My head is spinning!

But the reality is that hopefully with a good base in print journalism I should be able to make the transition smoothly...right? I'm hoping so because right now I'm feeling like the minow in the sea again.

The criteria for news is the same; timeliness, information, and important people. I get this...this is good. But then there is the added need for audio/visual impact with each story.

The writing style is also very different. Instead of writing in the past tense we are suppose to write in the present to emphasize the immediacy of the news. Writing tightly is also key -- there is no room for wordiness. This especially worries me...I love my adjectives like a love peanut butter cups -- I real and it's deep people.

And how the heck do you cue listeners into paying attention as the chapter suggests. Do I yell, "Hey listen!" Of course not. I'll have to come up with some catchy news lede that will be completely different from what I've been struggling to master for print.

What's a baby journalist to do?

Get ready kids....

I'm about to criticize Hillary Clinton.

I know -- take a second to digest all of this -- I know it's a big day for you all but please try to not scream and disrupt anyone around you.

I've gotta tell you, I didn't get a chance to see the debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday night because I was too busy spending hours trying to save Ithaca College at the Student Government meeting (you sophomores have no idea what I go through for you!)

So I only am getting this from second hand media coverage that I always tend to be a little wary of quite frankly. But as I was getting ready for class yesterday morning I was watching the Today Show (my guilty pleasure) and they were discussing Clinton's beating she took at the debate from pretty much everyone. Automatically I went into operation defend Hillary but then the more I thought about it I smiled and thought, "Hell ya they're attacking her, she's the front runner." And, "maybe this is what she needs to show the world how tuff and smart she is."

But instead she comes back with a lame video about the "pile-on politics" on her opponents?!? Hillary please! You're not helping me with this crap! Instead of standing up and taking it like the strong woman she is, she basically tried to stretch the debating into an attack on her gender. I've got to say that this is not helping her case. Why point out that she is different, everybody already knows it. As The New York Times points out this tactic only shows her ability to dodge questions. I've never been one to hide the fact that I understand Clinton's politics, secrecy.

But normally these things work for her, she's able to ride bellow the radar and let the other candidates fall apart around her as her machine rolls by. And to be honest I think that is what I've always loved about her...and what so many hate. But this new tactic of asking why me makes me shake my head. Maybe we need that old Hillary to throw on her headband, you know the one -- the First Lady that marched up the steps of highly powerful Republican Capitol Hill and fought for health care. The one that wore a pantsuit in her official White House portrait -- the first of the First Ladies. But instead she seems to be pulling back when right now the nation needs to see her push forward.

Clearly...I'm very upset about all of this...hold me.

Investigative Reporting

So this is why we all join this silly profession in the first place isn't it? Maybe we watched too many episodes of Superman and related with Lois Lane. I don't know what did it for me but every image of journalism I had as a child was of some muckraking son-of-a-gun reporter who wouldn't give in no matter what.

So why is that when faced with the idea of investigative reporting I get suddenly nervous and scared? As addressed in Chapter 18 this is one of the number one things that holds reporters back from doing a good job when investigating. And why is that, because I myself am guilty of that thinking also. I'm not saying that everyone feels this way but I'm sure some of us new baby journalists have to shudder a little at the thought of getting down and dirty.

Perhaps the reason is that when one is writing an investigative piece there is no room or margin for error. This is true no matter what type of story you are reporting on but the stakes are much higher when exposing someone or something like one does in an investigative piece. As pointed out in the chapter getting multiple sources to go on the record is one of the most concrete ways to avoid a libel charge. But come on, I've seen "All the President's Men," 800 times like the rest of you...what do we do with Deep Throat!?!

Ok -- I'm getting a little ahead of any journalistic possibility I might encounter coming out of school. But it has to be brought up. Sources. Hmm....such a tricky subject. The chapter gives a list of possible sources for a story one of which was the enemies of whoever you are writing about. That made me scratch my head. How do you know they aren't being completely biased? And even worse -- making everything up for fun? But to counter that the chapter also suggests speaking to the friends of your subject. So I guess that bias would balance out the other. But all so intimidating!

Another interesting thing I noted in the chapter was the mention of how investigative reporters feel like the writing in the chore they save for last. I found that oddly surprising. After all of that hard work wouldn't you be rushing to the good ole' typewriter to pound out the truth as you've found it to be. Call me a romantic but that's how I see it!

In the websites I thought it was a very interesting resource for reporters. One of the things that I thought about while perusing the sight was how did all these reporters come up with these ideas? Some of them including the one about the animal shelter throwing dead animals into a dumpster, must have been tip offs from citizens. But one that impressed me was the study of how athlete's weights may have an effect on them later on in life. The reporter was resourceful enough to use old rosters from the football line up from a span of 10 years to come up with an alarming growth. I thought that was pretty cool.

I was also impressed with the length of time some of these reporters were given to write the investigative pieces. On one story reporter Loretta Tofani was given 12 months to look into working conditions in China. To be committed to one story like that for so long doesn't even seem real to me. The patience and organizational skills one must have to conduct a controlled investigation is enormous.

Also to conclude I really liked the database of different story ideas and the links provided. Such things as agriculture, bus accidents, ferry accidents and Dam resources were on the large compiled list. Having those resources so easily organized and available makes you wonder what reporters ever did before the Internet!

Happy Birthday Hillary...

Ok -- so the many other Hillary haters in the class can just stop reading right now...I mean it...I don't want any more blog comments criticizing my humorous take on the politicians that no one seems to love on this campus. So STOP READING!

Ok -- now that I've gotten that out of my system I have to admit, I completely forgot it was the Presidential candidate's birthday today. Thank God I was perusing the Washington Post website and found an interesting article not only pointing out that today is the day she celebrates her 60th (and by the way -- I only hope I look that good after surviving scandals, Monica Lewinsky, and the Iraq war vote the way that woman does!) with the 40th anniversary of John McCain's capture as a POW in Vietnam.

Isn't history funny like that. Especially after you look at what has recently happened in the last week. Both New York senators were caught earmarking funds for a Woodstock museum in upstate NY. Now I have to admit, I'm basis when it comes to this. Unlike the rest of my idealistic classmates, I understand that the earmarking of funds takes place all the time however unethical it may seem. And as a child who remembers the woodstock of 1996 and how badly my sister fought with my parents to let her go (thank God they didn't...remember the nastiness?) I appreciate Hillary and Chuck's attempt at giving upstate a jumpstart to its economy. We need it.

But anyways I'm getting off topic here. Why it is ironic is because as Hillary is supporting money that will go somewhat resemble her days as an anti-war protester "hippie" McCain was at the other end of the spectrum surviving in a POW camp. And her birthday and his anniversary fall on the same day. To be honest...you can't write this crap for a movie....people wouldn't believe it!

But this is why I love politics so much...it has the slightest resemblance to hollywood but with not-so-goodlooking people.

The moral of the story is...thank you John McCain for sounding the alarm on this country's practices in torture. And Happy Birthday Hillary -- ya' know I love ya'.

Keeping the Beat

I'm not going to lie people...this whole beat thing is starting to freak me out. The idea that I'm going to be constantly thrown into topics -- such as the ever complex world of court reporting -- without having a clue is making my knees rattle.

But like Chapter 14 said, reporters who do well in the biz have a healthy appetite to try new things. And hey...I've always been game for new things -- it's just that my job never depended on it before!

Some of the principles discussed for coving a beat seemed pretty straight forward -- the ever popular "be prepared" was there. But I guess they can't beat that into our little journalism brains enough. Because whenever I think I'm prepared I suddenly am thrown a curve ball and have to stammer some form a of on-the-spot question. So yes...be prepared!

The author also brings up the very important point of how to connect with sources. I find in interesting in beat reporting how important your relationship is with your source. But that can lead to some tricky reporting if you think about it. But as the chapter pointed out you just have to remind yourself that you're not writing for your sources, you're writing for your readers. Also it is important and useful to find something in common with the person you are trying to get information from.

All of the beats mentioned we had read about previously except for schools and religion. The religion one made me scratch my head a little. Perhaps we could discuss that one in class more. I've never heard of the religion beat. It sounds complicated to me.

The school beat was one that I had heard of before but because I grew up in such a small community with only one...cough...newspaper...if you could call it that -- I never really thought about the newsworthiness of the school budget. But it's true, citizens are interested in what is going on in their town's institutions, epically in something that effects them so directly as their children's school.

Now onto the web information. These two chapters were a little harder to digest than the first three we read last week. Maybe because it didn't have all the excitement of a crime scene and more resembled a watered down version of Judge Judy. But I did learn a quite a bit though not much sank in because of the confusing legalese.

I did not know that motions were a good source to find out what was newsworthy. I liked that the author explained the different types of motions and what each meant. My personal favorite was the Mental Competency one, which asks for a psychological evaluation to take place. Let me tell you -- there are times when I wish I could pull that one out in everyday life!

The tip on being there for the jury selection was also very helpful. I always thought that those were boring, long, tedious and had no real advantage to going to. But as the author pointed out -- going to the selection can give you helpful tips on how to contact the juror after the trial is over to get an interview. Another way to be creepy and sneaky...I like it.

In covering the civil courts I was wondering how many papers actually have reporters on the civil court beat. As the author mentioned civil courts are not regularly where one finds a newsworthy piece. But as was mentioned there are those occasional "golden nuggets" that can make for an interesting story.

The tip about being careful of reporting damages being sought was a good one. So many times you read some outrageous figure in a news article and automatically you are basis against the defendant. But the reality is that we don't understand the actual damages that took place or what kind of strategy the legal team has using that figure.

Also I did not know that settlements can be public knowledge or kept a secret at the discretion of the presiding judge. Who knew? I certainly didn't. I do feel that sometimes when the figure is not given in high profile cases involving huge corporations it is not serving the greater public by withholding information about a company they may hold stock in or buy products from.

Just a thought...

Covering Crime

So I have to say...this web reading was probably the most interesting thus far for me. Especially since last night I spent four hours riding around in an Ithaca City Police car.
Chapter One-The Crime Beat:
I thought it was really interesting how the author explained the writing for the crime beat automatically has the ability to produce great stories. I guess I never thought of it that way -- like the article said, its got everything: sex, violence, rage, revenge, victims, and occasionally happy endings. There's a reason why so many top TV shows in America are based off of police crime stories -- audiences like it and are interested. The same goes for news stories of the same genre.

I also didn't know that the crime beat was something I should be expecting as a more than likely job placement my first years out of the fish tank. The whole idea that the beat was used as a "sink or swim" technique was surprising to me. But I'm glad the author explained that so I could be prepared.

I also agreed with the whole "cops are leery of journalists and journalists are leery of cops" idea. Last night while riding along with one of Ithaca's finest (and funniest for that matter) he glanced at my notebook on more than one occasion and asked, "What are you writing in that thing?" Just a small example but I thought it portrayed that sentiments behind what the author was trying to explain.

The section discussing how this beat produces the most error in reporting was also an important fact to bring up. Most reporters, including myself, don't know the deference between larceny, theft and robbery. When I looked at the definitions it surprised me how easy it would be for a reporter to make one slip-up like that in a story.

I was also interested in the idea of creating a good source relationship with the police one might be working with on the beat. How do you keep a good standing with the police if you have to write a story unveiling some problems the department might be having. You of course can't always paint them in a positive light because that wouldn't be fair and accurate reporting. But if you produce an "anti-cop" story how do you keep the main sources of your beat talking to you? Something to think about...and worry about slightly...

I also appreciated the 12 questions included as something every journalist should keep near-by when working on a crime story. That is something I will definitely use throughout my career. The ideas for what to keep in your trunk were also great tips. But I have to ask, how do I get a media flack jacket...?

Chapter Five-Covering Crime and Its Victims

This chapter was helpful in navigating the ever uncomfortable world of interviewing victims. I have never had to do that for a story yet...but I know how uncomfortable I get sometimes just asking an older woman her age...how the heck do you talk to someone who just had something terrible happen to themselves or their family? Geezz...

I liked the key things that a reporter needs to have when covering crime: perspective, persistence and patience. Very true. I thought the tips from the Detroit reporter on how to get a source to talk to you were very helpful. The idea that rushing up to join the pack of reporters at the scene is not a good idea. But if you wait patiently, slip your card and number to the victim, and then wait awhile until you contact them again -- this could possibly give you a better story than if you had joined the pack of dogs searching for scraps of a quote. I also think this approach is more ethical on a human level.

One point of confusion though...how is a woman walking alone at night compared to a prostitute as a "high-risk victim"? Hmmm...chew on that one for awhile...I know I did.

Also, in the end of the chapter it discusses the use of rape victims' names in a news story. Previous practice has always been to never report the name of someone who has been raped. I agree with this practice. It is our job as journalists to inform the public of potential danger but also to minimize individual harm as much as possible. The author says that there is a growing trend from journalists my age pushing for the names to be printed if the victim agrees. They believe this will help fight off the stigma that surrounds rape victims and shed light on a taboo subject. Rape will always be taboo to me, yes I want to do whatever I can to prevent it from happening, but I don't believe making it more "conversational" will help that from being accomplished.

Chapter Seven- Covering the Courts

Surprisingly this chapter was a lot of fun for me. As I mentioned before I was a possible legal studies minor until I realized how time consuming writing those stinkin' briefs can be! But I do have a huge appreciation for reporters who cover the courts.

Many do it without having any legal training. I thought this chapter did a very good job of explaining the basics to someone who was brand new to the beat.

One of the most important things the author touched on was the duty of the reporter to turn the legal briefs into everyday human language that the average reader could understand. This is EXTREMELY difficult! These briefs can be hundreds of pages long, all written in lawyer mumbo-jumbo (that's a technical term in case you didn't know.) But it is the writer's job to condense this information and present it in an accurate but understandable manner.

I also liked the section of "you never know..." Being respectful to everyone is what gains you good sources. The example given of the janitor's helping the author find missing files was an excellent one. Being rude to a court clerk could come back to bite you in the...well you know. I think this is something young journalists should be reminded of. And use in all aspects of journalism and life...because you just never know...

Lastly I thought the list of possible sources was very helpful. For instance, I didn't know that a bailiff was a good source of information. But if you think about it they do have access to the behind the scenes stuff that reporters are banned from. A good tip!

Overall I think that this website is something that I will be frequenting often, and will use if and when I get assigned the "crime beat."

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