gathering news
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Gathering News. Three Considerations. What is the story? Where do I find the facts? How do I report it?. Consider This Situation. You find a pool of blood by your locker in the hallway. Primary vs. Secondary Sources. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Gathering News
1. What is the story?
2. Where do I find the facts?
3. How do I report it?
Three Considerations
You find a pool of blood by your locker in the hallway.
Consider This Situation
Primary Source: eyewitnesses to an event or the creators of an original work—a physical or intellectual property.
Secondary Source: person who has some knowledge of the story but didn’t get it from personal involvement or is a published work that cites the words of others.
Journalists get information from both primary and secondary sources. Quality is the key here.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
An eyewitness to a fight in the parking lot
An expert, not a survivor, on the Holocaust
A book of essays about President Obama
The songwriter of a recent album that you are reviewing
Primary or Secondary?
What is a beat system?
Yo, Yo, Drop tha Beat
Mr. Crimando in College
Most common and important way for a reporter to gather information
Person interviewed is called the “source”
Facts can be found elsewhere. Where?
Nonetheless, it is imperative to have a primary source(s) to be credible to readers
The Interview
Can be informal as asking someone in a crowd one or two questions, a telephone interview, or an interview through email
Can be formal, with an agreed-upon time and place and advance research by the interviewer
These are often combined
Notice: this is not like writing a term paper for other courses, where secondary sources are sufficient
Secondary sources often provide background information
The Interview
How should you prepare for an interview?
The Interview
Write down prepared questions and do the necessary research!
Begin with some “small talk” to make interviewee comfortable
Questions should cover all of the 5 W’s and H, but focus most on “why” and “how”
The Interview
Questions that result in a response of a yes, no, maybe, or “I don’t know” should be rephrased to get a more complete answer with concrete details
ExamplesPoor: Do you enjoy being in math class?Better: What classes do you enjoy most? Why?
The Interview
Go with the flow!
You might not be prepared for everything; this can be very good for your interview!
The Interview
Ensure you are accurate! Ask interviewee if you can use a recording device and take notes
Verify facts during the interview, repeating those that are slightly unclear to interviewee to ensure their correctness
Double check name spelling!
Write your story shortly after interview
The Interview
See pg. 24 in SJ
Interview Tips