Posted on June 14th, 2011 by Deb Wenger
Reporters do it every day. They talk to people “across differences” as Poynter’s Kenny Irby likes to say. But reporters don’t always do a good job of exploring those differences for the audience to tell richer stories. “If you can get to appreciate ‘otherness,’” says Irby, “embracing conditions of difference can help us move to [...]
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Posted on June 7th, 2011 by Deb Wenger
The best stories are almost always include great interviews, and ABC’s Diane Sawyer is well known for her interview style. “My husband likes to say television interviews are performances masquerading as conversations,” says Sawyer with a smile. But those “performances” require solid preparation before sitting down with an interview subject. “I believe in reading everything [...]
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Posted on April 1st, 2011 by Deborah Potter
Want more proof that social media are great reporting tools? Look no farther than “Keys to the Castle” an investigative story Jace Larson reported for KUSA in Denver that picked up a 2011 duPont-Columbia Award. The story uncovered a housing scam that victimized people facing foreclosure as well as people looking to rent. As the [...]
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Posted on January 11th, 2011 by Deborah Potter
One possible consequence of staff cuts in newsrooms is more collaboration between and among journalists. While it’s always been possible for people in the same news organization to work on a story on a shared computer system, it’s not so easy to include someone from outside. Remote desktop apps can be cumbersome and freelancers working [...]
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Posted on November 29th, 2010 by Deb Wenger
In many j-schools the journalism and PR students are separated by course sequences and snide faculty comments, and those silos aren’t all that uncommon in the profession either. But it’s a rare reporter who doesn’t come to appreciate what a good public relations practitioner can do for him or her. In a post on the [...]
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Posted on November 18th, 2010 by Deborah Potter
One thing you have to love about people in TV news is their ability to make fun of themselves. Now that Twitter, Facebook and lots of other social media have become fixtures in so many newsrooms, it was only a matter of time before somebody decided to share all the in-house jokes. Thanks to KDFW, [...]
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Posted on September 27th, 2010 by Deb Wenger
If you’re a reporter assigned to a beat, there’s probably an app for that. For example, consumer reporters may want to download the free recalls app from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other government organizations that monitor the safety of food, drugs and other consumer products. Crime reporters might want to check out the FBI’s [...]
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Posted on July 26th, 2010 by Deborah Potter
Too many stories depend almost entirely on officials for information and sound bites. Watch a newscast or read a news site on any given day and notice who gets to talk. Are most of them people with titles and business cards? Would those stories be more interesting, engaging and authentic if they included other voices? [...]
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Posted on July 7th, 2010 by Deb Wenger
Jacqueline Ingles says she is on continous deadline. The 26-year-old works for KXAN News, the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas. Ingles says she creates content for the Web and television daily. “My typical day involves starting the morning reading multiple newspapers both online and in print. Then, I head into a morning meeting, typically via phone from my [...]
Filed under: 02. Finding the Story, 10. Delivering the News | 4 Comments »
Posted on June 22nd, 2010 by Deborah Potter
There’s so much information on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook that trying to absorb it can be like trying to drink from a fire hose. Instant updates are great but it’s sometimes difficult to spot the good stuff amid the drivel. While lists and groups can help narrow the stream, nothing beats search [...]
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