Posted on January 25th, 2010 by Deb Wenger
Critics of TV news often cite sensationalism, lack of substance and a preponderance of crime stories as characteristics of many nightly newscasts. Veteran news director Forrest Carr says, in some cases, the critics are right.
“Local TV news in general is infamous for a condition similar to attention deficit disorder, characterized by stories that are reactive in [...]
Filed under: 04. Reporting in Depth, 08. Producing for the Web | 1 Comment »
Posted on January 4th, 2010 by Deb Wenger
When we used to talk about the advantages of the Web, we often mentioned the “bottomless newshole” - the ability to post more and longer stories online.
We’ve learned a lot since then, most notably that the quality of the content definitely matters. Still, the fact is, there’s more space for long-form video online than in most TV newscasts.
Michael Farrell [...]
Filed under: 02. Reporting the Story, 04. Reporting in Depth | 2 Comments »
Posted on December 29th, 2009 by Deborah Potter
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 was going around dressed as a Marine as the result of making calls to introduce myself to [...]
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Posted on November 10th, 2009 by Deborah Potter
If a journalism school offers real world experience, should the students who participate be protected by reporters’ privilege? That’s a key question in a case involving a professor and students at Northwestern’s Medill J-school.
David Protess runs the school’s “Innocence Project” in which students investigate old crimes looking for wrongful convictions. In the past decade, the [...]
Filed under: 04. Reporting in Depth, 11. Multimedia Ethics | 1 Comment »
Posted on November 6th, 2009 by Deb Wenger
Be respectful, listen politely and stick up for the little guy.
That doesn’t sound much like the advice of a hard-hitting investigative reporter, but Steve Andrews has been righting wrongs in the Tampa Bay area since 1985. The investigative reporter for WFLA has uncovered stories ranging from corruption at the courthouse to sub-standard bridge construction to critical [...]
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Posted on November 2nd, 2009 by Deborah Potter
If you want to be an investigative reporter, you may need to look beyond traditional newsrooms for job opportunities. Many local television stations have trimmed or dropped their I-Teams. Local newspapers like the Oregonian and Toledo Blade have cut back, too. But investigative reporting is still being done, just not the old-fashioned way.
Since we last [...]
Filed under: 04. Reporting in Depth, 12. Getting Ready for the Real World | No Comments »
Posted on July 31st, 2009 by Deborah Potter
How does a 25-year-old reporter get one of the biggest stories of the year? Michael Schmidt has been covering sports for the New York Times for less than two years, but he’s already broken some big stories. Perhaps the biggest: adding three names to the list of 100 baseball players who tested positive for [...]
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Posted on July 27th, 2009 by Deborah Potter
If your goal is to produce a sticky Web site, data is one way to get there. Providing lots of information that people can explore on their own will entice some of them, at least, to spend time on the site. That’s part of the thinking behind the Data Bay at tbo.com, the Web site [...]
Filed under: 04. Reporting in Depth, 08. Producing for the Web | 3 Comments »
Posted on July 23rd, 2009 by Deborah Potter
The hardest thing about business reporting isn’t the what, it’s the why. Journalists need to help their audience see why financial developments matter to them.
John Wordock, managing editor for the Marketwatch radio network, says that’s the key task facing any financial journalist. “We have to make it so people want to listen.”
Wordock’s answer is to [...]
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Posted on July 20th, 2009 by Deborah Potter
Learn your way around public records and you’ll find more story ideas than you could ever wish for. And that’s not all. Joe Adams of the Florida Times Union says a records search can turn up personal cell phone numbers, internal documents and even home video. But first, you have to know where to look.
“You [...]
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