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.