Reading Reflection: Chapter 12

In TV journalism, we always say that 70 percent of your performance comes in your voice.  People often don't sit around and give their full attention to the news.  Normally, they're making dinner, shuffling kids out the door, or doing some other kind of activity while the news is on.  Often they will only hear snip-its of what is being said and will only pay attention if it sounds interesting or important.  The visual, including video and the on-air talent, comes second to the audio.  

Broadcast writing is written for the ear, which helps when preparing for an oral presentation.  You want to sound professional and knowledgeable, but not stiff and cold.  Writing your speech or presentation in the way you speak will make it a conversation between you and your audience, and those watching will automatically feel more comfortable. 

Journalists learn early on the importance of clarifying your purpose from the beginning.  When writing a full reporter package, you have to ask yourself, "What is my angle?"  Knowing what you want to convey to the audience right off the bat keeps your message from wondering or getting away from the actual purpose.  If you know where you're going, the audience probably will too.  You never want the audience to get to the end of the story and ask, "What was that even about?" The same applies in oral presentations.  People need to know up front what the purpose is and everything that is said from that point forward needs to relate and exemplify that point. 

Reading Reflection: Chapter 11

In broadcast journalism, every word you say must be exemplified in the visuals you show.  For example, if I'm talking about a maple tree in my script, the viewers should see a maple tree on the screen.  What you how visually should enhance the words you say.  This same principle applies when designing in business.

When designing graphics for TV, simplicity is key.  It will only be up for a few moments and it needs to be easy to comprehend.  Viewers will ignore complicated graphics that require a lot of explanation.  You don't want graphics to become a distraction from your story.  Most viewers will also pay more attention to what you put on the screen than what you say, so if your graphic is complicated and requires a lot of concentration, they will ignore you and try and interpret your graphic.

I used the graphic below in a story about conflicted poll results in a House of Representatives race.

One of the key parts of this graphic is how easy it is to read right off the bat.  You can immediately tell that this poll result has Mia Love getting the same amount of votes as Owens and other combined.  It doesn't have many words, either, to keep it simple and easy to read.  The words give enough context without being overwhelming.   

Also notice the colors; Love's bar is red because she's a Republican, Owen's bar is blue because he is a Democrat, and the other bar is yellow because it is unaffiliated with a party.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 9

                Business research and journalism research are done for different purposes, but may have similar methods.  Businesses do research to increase their profit margin and better serve their customers.  Journalists do research to tell a factually correct story and inform the public about things they need to know.

                Secondary research isn't done as often as primary research in journalism.  It’s still important, though that secondary research is done to check facts and make sure that what people say is true because they may be wrong or lying.  Journals and articles may provide good context and more understanding, but are rarely the actual story itself.  (Stories are built around people, not facts.)  I use journals for interesting statistics and findings that may pertain to a larger story.  I use this infrequently, though, because news isn't about academia, but more about how it will affect the life of who is watching it.

                Journalists do a great deal of primary research.  When searching for stories, we observe what’s going on around us and figure out what people are talking about.  These observations can be used as a jumping off point for the story and help people know who to interview.  What people say in the interview is ultimately what drives the story.  The “human” element is what’s interesting to them, so journalists pander to it.  

Reading Reflection: Chapter 8

                Brainstorming and creativity are essential in good journalism.  In story meetings before a broadcast, all the people involved in the process bounce around ideas of what stories should be done that day.  As a reporter, I have to come in already with my own ideas and then fit them in with the ideas of my producers and news director.

                In my personal brainstorming session before the story meeting, I follow the four basic steps of creativity outlined in the book: (1) understand, (2) incubate, (3) develop, and (4) refine.  I think this is a pretty solid process to follow when looking for stories.  I first look for problems or issues people are debating and talking about.  I get an understanding of this, and find out more, then I find one person who may have a solution to the problem.  Then I find another person with a different idea or solution to add more depth to the story.  Finally, I refine how I want the story told and the angle I want to take.  After all these steps, I can start writing.

                The story meeting runs the same way as the oral group brainstorming session described in the book.  There’s a group of producers and reporters and there are no fewer than six or more than twelve in the room.  The facilitator is normally the executive producer of the show and he or she will also be the recorder, and write down all the ideas to make sure there is a flow and cohesion in the show.  This structure allows for the brainstorming session to be effective. 

Reading Reflection: Chapter 7

The beginning of this semester marked the beginning of a job search that was much more difficult and time consuming than I could have imagined.  It started with creating a killer resume then writing individualized cover letters for each job.

My resume is in the basic chronological style.  I begin with my background, which includes most of my educational experiences.  I have a small skills section that is specific to my field of work in reporting.  The bulk of my resume is made up on my work experience, which is given in chronological order.  My most impressive work happens to be my most recent work, but if it wasn't, I may consider switching to a functional resume.

I tried to adjust each of my cover letters to the job I was applying for.  This allowed me to showcase my skills and experience that would specifically relate to what the employer is looking for.  This was a time consuming process as I honed my skills to try and meet the expectations and wishes of who I would prospectively interview with. 

I heard back from very few of the places I submitted my cover letter and resumes to.  This is not totally unexpected, because employers like to keep their options open, although it is frustrating.  I eventually found a job after a month of looking and sending out my resume at least 10 times.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 6

No matter what business you're in, you'll have to correspond in a written message at some point.  Emails, in particular, are used frequently and are a key source of communication.  It can be easy to get casual in email correspondents, but it's important to remember that emails need to be professional and easy to read.

As a journalist, I am constantly using emails to contact sources and people within my newsroom.  It is essential to check email consistently, probably more than the once or twice a day the book suggests.  People are constantly emailing tips and your news director is constantly sending updates on stories.  Keeping up with the latest goings on will make the story that is put up the most accurate and current one possible.

Another important point to note in my field as a journalist is being careful what I put in writing. Whether is a simple note or a long written interview, I need to be very aware of what I put in writing.  What I say, on air or on paper, can be considered slander or libel if I'm not careful.  It can also damage my credibility if it is not written well.  I should also keep all the emails that are sent to me in case someone tries to accuse me of lying or misrepresenting their words.

Reading Reflection: Chapter 5

The most important part of writing is rewriting.  I learned early on in college that it's important to just get something down on the paper.  Even if the thoughts aren't completely coherent, or that perfect witty introduction, you can, and should, always go back later to revise your initial thoughts into well crafted writing.

There are three things that as a journalist I must focus on to make my writing the best possible: not making errors that can damage my credibility, make the writing clear, and avoid factual errors at all costs.

Credibility
Any errors I make as a TV reporter are broadcasted out to an audience beyond just my peer group.  Errors damage credibility because the audience will not trust that the reporter has done the research and really knows the story they are trying to tell.

In my own life, I've seen how errors damage credibility.  I was asked to take a survey for a graduate student at an East coast college.  It was about being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The problem?  The graduate student did not write the name of the church
 correctly.  This is a simple problem with a simple solution, but she neglected to do it, making me question the validity of the survey and possible results.


Clarity
In TV writing, you words are meant to be heard, not read.  That means that clarity is especially important because your audience only has one chance to get all the meaning and content out of your writing.

I purposely write in a conversational, but professional tone.  This means using simpler words and using visual representations of what I'm writing.  I always try to show what I'm talking about on the screen to reinforce what I say.

Errors
Factual errors are journalism-suicide.  The job of a journalist is to inform the public of the on-goings in politics so the public can make informed decisions.  This is another credibility issue.  You can easily lead the public astray by publishing, and not correcting, false information.

This is an issue that NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams is facing right now.  His factual errors has misrepresented him to the public, and now that the truth is coming out, people are calling for his resignation.  People trust journalists and will take any reason to lose that trust.