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Viewers Crave this Type of Journalism
July 1st, 2011
The Washington Post’s Fact Checker does what the name implies. It’s a great example of going the extra step to distinguish its content.
The writer, Glenn Kessler, provides a reality check so a President or anyone doesn’t pull a fast one. He also gives so-called Pinocchios. Two means the presentation made serious mistakes.
He writes:
In a bit of class jujitsu, the president six times mentioned eliminating a tax loophole for corporate jets, frequently pitting it against student loans or food safety. It’s a potent image, but in the context of a $4 trillion goal, it is essentially meaningless. The item is so small the White House could not even provide an estimate of the revenue that would be raised, but other estimates suggest it would amount to $3 billion over 10 years.
Viewers value this type of reporting because you’re nailing down important facts, serving as viewer advocate. So:
- Look for opportunities to check facts on important pronouncements — especially political ones.
- One way to make this relatively easy is to check with that person’s greatest critics.
- After you nail down your facts, give the official or politician an opportunity to respond while asking them the tough questions.
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We Use this Example in Workshops: A Lesson Thanks to Jay + Kanye
April 7th, 2011
Watch how great — yet simple — questions make for great interviews. And this wasn’t even in a newscast. A classic.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Fact Finding with Strong Elements
August 14th, 2010
This franchise delivers well on several fronts. And there’s still a way to raise the bar.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Asking the Tough Questions
April 25th, 2010
Skeptics criticize reporters for asking the softball questions. Comments include “They don’t have the courage to ask the questions we want answered.” So asking those questions will set you apart from the competition.
In this promo, WRGB-TV/Albany takes credit for holding officials accountable. Look at how a reporter deals with an official saying, “That’s a silly question.”
You might also watch:
Multimedia Minutes: Viewer Advocacy
Multimedia Minutes: Tough Time with Tough Questions?
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 2 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Adding Punch to Your Writing
April 25th, 2010
To showcase you do more than react to the news of the day, you need to write proactively. Through transparency, take credit for what you do that’s special. Here’s an example.
You likely can’t turn out a story like this a day. But the more often you can deliver on this type of fact finding, the more uniquely valuable viewers will find your stories on air and on the Web.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 11 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: The Power of Show-and-Tell
February 25th, 2010
When you make calls on multiple story ideas — even if just to leave voicemail messages — you benefit over the next couple of days with just the right people and information you need. That’s what multimedia journalist and anchor Marc Schollett finds. Here’s an example he enterprised, shot, reported, edited, anchored, and posted on the Web site for his Traverse City, Michigan station.
Become more valuable as a multimedia journalist by watching the videos under Recent Posts — fast becoming the largest library of multimedia learning videos in the world.
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Multimedia Minutes: Writing Tips with Examples from an MMJ
February 18th, 2010
Learn how to improve your writing with these powerful examples with comments from the MMJ shot them.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | 7 Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: For Sweeps Reveal Water Polluters Near You
September 12th, 2009
Online media with interactive elements can give you a jump start on investigative story ideas for sweeps.
The New York Times has just provided an interactive map you can use to identify violations of the Clean Water Act, which have risen steadily across the nation. How does your area stack up?
The graphic above shows violations in the Albany, New York area. Find the national map at: http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters/polluters/new-york?hp
Posted in broadcast journalism, Power Tools for TV Journalists, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Turbocharge Your Sweeps Planning
September 12th, 2009
Turbo charge your sweeps planning with these tips in a two minute video.
Posted in broadcast journalism, TV news training | No Comments »
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Multimedia Minutes: Timely, Important Story Idea
September 4th, 2009
With the school year beginning, you have an opportunity to reveal information about drugs problems and other issues concerning parents. Schools must have information crunched from the past school year.
See how this anchor/multimedia journalist took a viewer advocacy approach. My comments are at the bottom of the screen.
The story ran last year, but the concept is timeless.
Posted in broadcast journalism, Multimedia Journalism, TV news training | No Comments »