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Breaking Through What’s Holding You Back
June 19th, 2011
A news director, seeing the investigative “Watchdog” reporting about the government trying to hide where tax money goes, asked why it’s so difficult for reporters to cover these stories. He points out many MMJs have trouble with the basics and with going the extra step, and wants a solution.
My response:
Great question. Best practices point to seeing your station as a learning organization, looking at staff members as individuals in different stages of their development. The idea is to identify where each person is in their learning/development, what their next step is, and to help them get there. Otherwise, many people flounder.
A basic way of looking at it is “What’s holding each person back?” This is very clear as I lead a team across the country training new multimedia journalists. Each person is at a different level. Get them to the next level, and the improvement is obvious. Many of the learning videos on my blog address just that issue.
For example, some reporters’ stories are weak because they lack a news hook. That’s why you’ll see several videos on developing sources, which generate more relevant stories, which engage viewers. If you go to www.kaplitzblog.com, you’ll see a search box just above Recent Posts where you can search “enterprise.”
News directors who critique on a daily basis, sharing the best examples of people’s work and challenges at least weekly, find they can accelerate learning. Plus clients call on me to conference with small groups in person or by phone, so we can identify specific flash points and tackle them.
You can see the original report the news director liked and is sharing with his staff: Investigate Where Your Tax Money Goes
And follow me on Twitter. Search for “bobkaplitz,” and “Follow.” Here are examples of tweets. The links will be live at the Twitter site:
If you’re a multimedia journalist and news manager not getting the feedback you need to succeed, don’t complain. Ask for it. Every news director I know welcomes those opportunities.
You’re the one ultimately responsible for your own development, which builds your value and your personal brand. Take advantage of every opportunity.
Posted in Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training, Twitter | No Comments »
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Strong Example of Investigative Follow-Up
June 18th, 2011
Ask the tough questions, and keep on asking. Even if you don’t get answers to all your questions, viewers appreciate your extra efforts.
Here’s a strong follow-up from ABC News to an investigative report about how much tax money goes to a deeply discounted gym for U.S. Senators and Congressmen.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Practical Information Worth a Million Dollars
June 18th, 2011
Tim Carter provides practical and valuable information through videos on his blog. He’s a great communicator with a sense of humor. You can learn from him with my comments at bottom of screen:
Posted in Social Media, TV news training | No Comments »
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Smart Way to Create User-Generated Content
June 11th, 2011
It’s wonderful if you can do it.
Getting users to generate their own testimonials in an engaging way. That’s what American Airlines did, tapping into the loyalties of frequent flyers who want to create their own videos. Everyone has a story to tell as you’ll see in the excerpt from the American Airlines Facebook page.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, Multimedia Journalism, Social Media, TV news training | No Comments »
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“Here, Take This Camera, Please”
June 11th, 2011
Sometimes you have to be creative if you can’t get shots you want.
There was no way for me to get on the roof to show hail damage, but the inspector for a roofing company was happy to go up there with a small Sony camcorder to get the shots I wanted. He even described what he was seeing.
Of course, you can’t always go around with a second Sony camcorder, but you can be creative with anything from a Flip Cam to video from a cell phone.
And encourage the person to describe what they’re seeing and doing. We’re talking about these small cameras, and not recommending you hand your station camera over to anybody else.
Posted in Multimedia Journalism, TV news training | No Comments »
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Great Example of Show and Tell
June 8th, 2011
You don’t need to be a football fan to appreciate this example.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training, Twitter | No Comments »
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Asking Questions Will Set You Apart
June 8th, 2011
Here’s yet another example how good questions will distinguish your reporting. And from, of all places, The Today Show. Here’s an excerpt from NBC’s tribute to Meredith Vieira on her last day.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training | No Comments »
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Power of Social Media Video
June 5th, 2011
Using video in Facebook and other social media channels can set you apart. My colleague Regent Ducas shared insights about this in a presentation to women in business, which was sponsored by the Lewisville, TX Chamber of Commerce.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training, Twitter | No Comments »
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Close-Up Power
June 4th, 2011
Keep your eyes open for tight shots.
They need to advance your storytelling — and can provide variety. Multimedia journalist Scott Broom, whom I interviewed for one of our live webinars, points out how these tight shots helped capture the essence of subjects of his videos. He looks for these opportunities all the time.
Be careful, though, to avoid shots that distract from the point of your story. They need to advance your storytelling, not get in the way of it.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training, Twitter | No Comments »
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A Fresh Approach to Shooting Presentations
June 3rd, 2011
If you’re getting tired of the traditional head on shot for soundbites, explore fresh approaches. For example, when my colleague Regent Ducas spoke to an audience of women in business about creating videos for the web, we wanted to capture the scene and audience. So I took the camera off the tripod.
Posted in Bob Kaplitz video, broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, Social Media, TV news training | No Comments »