Radical ‘fix’ for local TV news (4)
7/27/10 •
For all the talk about the need for innovation, most local television newscasts still look almost the same as they did decades ago. Even some of the makeovers attempted in the past year or so haven’t amounted to much more than tweaking. Some stations have integrated social media and more graphics into their newscasts or [...]
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How VJs are changing TV news (17)
7/22/10 •
As television newsrooms expect more of their journalists to work solo, the trend is affecting both the process of newsgathering and the product that goes on the air. Many news managers believe VJs offer more flexibility at a lower cost with little or no reduction in quality. But new research suggests it’s not all good [...]
The art and aggravation of the interview (2)
7/20/10 •
Mark Twain is one of the most quotable of American writers, especially on the subject of writing. Two of my favorites: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” And: “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and [...]
Online accountability (5)
7/16/10 •
How many news sites make it easy for readers to report errors? Very few, according to MediaBugs, a pilot project in the San Francisco area that’s trying to hold the news media accountable and get them to fix “correctable mistakes.” The group reports that three-quarters of news sites it examined offer no links to report [...]
Time-savers for solo journalists (0)
7/14/10 •
If there’s one thing most solo journalists will agree on, it’s that doing it all requires terrific time management skills. Backpack journalist Kevin Torres of KUSA-TV in Denver literally backtimes his entire workday, setting mini-deadlines for every step. That way, he knows when he needs to stop shooting, start writing and finish editing in order [...]
Who cares about radio news? (5)
7/09/10 •
Travel the country as I often do and you won’t find much local news on the radio. Consolidation has just about killed it. As a result, big city all-news radio stations and networks have lost their farm systems. “We don’t have the minor league teams to draw on that we used to,” says Harvey Nagler, [...]
Interviewing “real people” (6)
7/01/10 •
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?
Maybe. [...]
No call, no comment (1)
6/25/10 •
The National Enquirer’s story about what it calls “the Al Gore sex scandal” is a fascinating case study in journalism. Whatever you think about the newsworthiness of an updated police report about an incident that allegedly occurred four years ago and that police refused to investigate, the story behind the story raises plenty of questions.
The Enquirer [...]
Shooting tips for little cameras (4)
6/21/10 •
When all hell is breaking loose, they say, the best camera to shoot with is the one you have on hand. And one lesson we’ve all learned from YouTube is that technical quality doesn’t matter all that much when it comes to newsworthy video. That said, it’s always worth the effort to capture the best [...]
Find your focus, already! (3)
6/17/10 •
Have you ever watched a television news story or read something in print or online and wondered afterwards what on earth it was about? It happens all too often when stories have no focus. Reporters who spend much of their day collecting information, pictures and sound seem to feel obliged to cram as much as [...]
Let the sunshine in (2)
6/08/10 •
Memo to television networks: Sunlight is the best disinfectant. A little transparency could have saved you from a lot of embarrassment and might have avoided more damage to the already shaky credibility of TV news.
Take the report by ABC’s chief investigative correspondent, Brian Ross, on Toyota’s sudden acceleration problems. The story appeared to disprove the [...]
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