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…
Investigations take shoe leather
Category: 04. Newsgathering: Digital
Are J-school students really journalists?
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…
How to do investigative stories
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…
Can outsiders fill newsroom gaps?
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,…
Breaking a big story
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:…
Doing data online
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…
Tips for covering business stories
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…
Creating a records-driven newsroom
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,…
Photojournalists' rights when dealing with police
A WBTV photojurnalist in Charlotte, NC says he was shooting an accident scene this week when a police officer ordered him to stop, tried to grab his camera and it was damaged when it fell to the ground. He was…
Five tips for video stories
Let’s say you’re already pretty good at the fundamentals of visual storytelling. You’ve mastered the camera, you understand lighting, and you’re capable of shooting sequences and capturing crisp natural sound. What else do you need to know to tell great…