Month: December 2009

Investigations take shoe leather

by Alan Cohn, WFTS-TV, Tampa, Fla. It’s one thing to get a great tip. It was another thing to actually catch Angel Ocasio in full Marine Corps Uniform wearing the Navy Cross he didn’t earn. I learned the Tampa man…

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A new way of looking at libel

Who said media law is dull and dry? Check out this video explanation of libel from Mark Harmon of the University of Tennessee. You might have to watch it twice to take it all in. Betty Boop Explains Libel from…

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Traits of tomorrow’s journalists

Mashable has published 8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow’s Journalist and I have to agree with every one. Entrepreneurial and Business Savvy.  More and more journalists are finding themselves “self-employed.”  The more you know about the value of content and how…

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How to arrange an interview

The interview is one of the most basic building blocks of journalism. It sounds obvious, but reporters have to talk to people to learn what’s really going on. And journalists need to include people’s voices in their stories to make…

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Seven deadly sins of video shooting

You’ve heard it before: avoid backlight, hold the camera steady and for goodness’ sake, don’t zoom! But sometimes, telling is less effective than showing. This short piece from Videomaker does a good job of showing what doesn’t work, as well…

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Why do newspapers delight in critiquing TV news?

It’s happened again.  Another newspaper critic is trashing some local TV news coverage.  This time the target was Baltimore’s WMAR and its online coverage of the verdict in the Mayor Sheila Dixon case. Critic David Zurawik even took the time to offer an unofficial  transcript  of what he…

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