Covering Breaking NewsAcross Platforms

Michael Roberts, The Arizona Republic

Breaking news across platforms

1. Post first

2. Establish online presence

3. Establish day plan for online & print

4. Pursue online plan, continue to deepen

5. Commit to print plan and execute

6. Overnight online

Phoenix helicopter crash

1: POST FIRST

Post: Get the first news post, image, or video up as soonas possible

Launch coverage: Reporters, photographers, editors,online producers.

Responsibilities: Designate rewrite person (off TV-radio;media alerts; phone calls; e-mail) and copy editor; personto handle e-mail alerts and textcast messages; producerto build and update slide shows and other immediateonline content. Identify one editor as content coordinatorfor both online and print.

2: ESTABLISH ONLINE PRESENCE

Plan: Brainstorm and identify online elements: Newsposts; news blog; images (photo; video); stories; reader-submitted photos / video; Goggle mapping; interactiveelements; data sets.

Post & broadcast: Reach audiences on all platforms:Textcast (i.e. PDAs; cell phones); e-mail newsletter alerts.

Open channels: Establish, as appropriate, chats, guestbooks, e-mail inbox.

2: ESTABLISH ONLINE PRESENCE (CONT.)

Aggregate: Create first set of related links, to beembedded in all articles dealing with the story. Caninclude other online elements, related web sites.

Responsibilities: Set clear responsibilities for digitalmedia staff, who owns which piece, how to communicatewith each other.

Home page: Change homepage template (if appropriate)to reflect big, breaking story. Arrange for more servercapacity ahead of time.

3: ESTABLISH DAY PLAN FOR ONLINE & PRINT

Plan: While responding to events as they happen,develop a day plan for online package and print packageand how to make best use of available resources for both.Identify content / function of each piece, elements thatcompliment versus repeat each other. Create apreliminary story / content budget list everyone can see.Include (and update) rolling deadlines for all elements foronline and print.

3: ESTABLISH DAY PLAN FOR ONLINE & PRINT(CONT.)

Aggregate: Create story slugs or takes in the system tocentralize incoming news, color, quotes, and sources withcontact information. Material can be used online or inprint.

Responsibilities: Create an expanded staffing /responsibility list everyone can see, with contact numbers,pagers, etc. Identify lead editor(s).

4: PURSUE ONLINE PLAN AND CONTINUE TODEEPEN

Build: As online settles into coverage plan, freshenmaterial as the day continues. Develop quality of eachpiece, adding and updating. Include more sophisticatedfeatures such as staff-generated graphics / maps, flashinteractives, slide shows, video.

Aggregate: Continue to add core links; material from staffand appropriate outside links.

5: COMMIT TO PRINT PLAN AND EXECUTE

Plan: With online coverage as a base, evaluate earlierprint plan and adjust as needed. Develop a plan forsecond day coverage as well. Update budget and rollingdeadlines.

Edit: Build on online material. Advance story in print,versus repeating news posted online.

Report: In addition to reporters in the field, track downpotential sources from online chats, e-mails, photos andother content generated by online for possible print use.

6: OVERNIGHT ONLINE

Plan: Identifying elements of immediacy / urgency thatneed to be refreshed through the night and in the morning.Update site as news cycle changes to morning, withstories and visuals. Maintain links to related material.Continue brainstorming and extension of rolling deadlinesfor online coverage going into the next day.

Responsibilities: Continue to update budget and staffingresponsibilities.

Exercise

10 am

Tanker truck rolls in accident at thebusiest intersection (or freewayexchange) blocking all traffic.

1: POST FIRST

What are the first sources of information?

What are the first images?

Who will do what?

10:30 am

School bus with high schoolmarching band is badly damagedby tanker in accident, along with 5other cars and an SUV. EMS on theway. Tanker labeled as carrier ofharsh herbicide. One caller saysthere is a bad chemical smell.

2: ESTABLISH ONLINE PRESENCE

What will be is the online plan or budget?

What multimedia / web functions will youhave?

11 am

SUV contains the governor and anaide, both trapped inside vehicle butalive. TV says woman in another carappears to be dead. People on thescene try to free band from bus as fireand EMS arrive. State police cordonoff area. Cel phone images reachnews tip line email.

3: ESTABLISH DAY PLAN FOR ONLINE& PRINT

What will be the focus online coverage byafternoon or evening?

What will be the focus of print coverage innext day’s newspaper?

1 pm

Governor is freed from SUV, walks toambulance. Female in SUV is lifted out onstretcher. Police issue an alert for manseen running from scene, believed to bethe driver of another car involved in theaccident. Woman confirmed dead.Everyone else involved injured.

4: PURSUE ONLINE PLAN AND CONTINUETO DEEPEN

What material is core of package?

What other sites or material can be linked?

2 pm

Police say harsh smell unrelated toaccident; no leakage from tanker. Namesof all injured released. High schoolmarching band boards replacement busand continues to game.

5: COMMIT TO PRINT PLAN AND EXECUTE

What material will be core of print coverage?