Notes
Lesson 1
Journalism is about people, not technology
- Instagram is not possible without people
- Films are done about people
Technology is not evenly distributed. Only some have electricity.
- BRIC
- Brazil - 216m
- Russia - 144m
- India - 1.4b
- China - 1.4 b
We are living in the age of digital Darwinism.
This affects any business using digital technology to publish content, whether it’s
journalism, music, movies or funny cat videos.
What job can I get in journalism?
- With AI, we can work in any field of journalism.
- Use a wide-angle lens when viewing the world.
- Look at the world as if we are new to it.
- Feed your journalistic curiosity, starve your journalistic scepticism.
- Collaborate.
- Journalism has a bright future.
- That future is in your hands.
- Journalism will be better than it was before.
What is a reporter?
Of course not all reporters, start as, or want to be, general news reporters, and there are a number of specialists who get the thrill from reporting on sports cars fashion, or whatever it is that gets them excited.
Some people want to become reporters for the glamour; some want to change the world.
The role of the reporter?
A good reporter is unavoidably linked with what society sees as important about journalism.
- People give the information about what they want to know about.
- What is this company doing?
What is the people’s interest?
- This is what should be reported.
Most journalists start as reporters for local newspapers, radio stations, news websites or magazines.
A reporter 50 years ago started his or her career of several years in weekly and daily journalism and chose whether to move into the growing area of journalism or to stay in newspapers.
Reporting in different media
Nowadays broadcasting, online media and print are melding into one, with reporters expected to produce reports in text, video and/or audio as appropriate.
Television
TV reporters need to have a real awareness of images and the way in which pictures will affect the story.
Radio
Radio journalists do not need to think in pictures, but they do need to be able to paint pictures with sound.
Print journalists are able to gather more on a story and are generally able (or often required) to gather more stories.
Online
Online journalists need to think about presenting their work in a number of ways.
They need to be aware of the technological limitations of their medium, but they don’t need to be technicians.
News: what it is and how to identify it
There should be public interest. This is because if there is no interest, it is not going to be read.
It should be new. Old news is not new.
News needs to be:
- Topical (fit within the time frame and involve a change
- True (or at least have some basis in truth)
- Are fit for the target group – they need to be familiar, with but involve change, and be of interest to the group.
How to identify news values?
CINPPUT
- Conflict
- Turkey and Kurdish
- When it bleeds it leads
- Impact
- New
- Prominence
- It has priority
- Proximity
- If victims of a volcano eruption are Maltese, that would affect us.
- Unusual
- Timeliness
- A continuous story engages people because they want to know more.
Impact
Events that affect people’s lives are classified as news.
The event itself might involve only a few people, but the consequences may be wide-ranging eg: the European Parliament.
Timeliness
Timeliness is a value common to almost all news stories. It refers to the recency of an event.
Prominence
Prominent people, sometimes even when they are doing trivial things make the news.
Proximity
Events that occur closer to home are more likely to be news than the same events that occur elsewhere.
Conflict
When people disagree, when they fight, when they have arguments, that’s news, particularly if one of the other news values, such as prominence, is involved.
Unusual
A rare event is sometimes considered news. There is an adage in journalism that goes,
“When a dog bites a man, that’s not news, when a man bites a dog, now that’s news”
New
Issues that have current interest often have news value, and events surrounding those issues can sometimes be considered news.
Lesson 2
Five W’s and One H
Gathering the news
A reporter gathering information or writing a story tries to answer six basic questions:
- Who
- Who are the important people related to the story?
- Is everyone included so that the story can be accurately and adequately told?
- Is everyone properly identified?
- Comments are free BUT facts are sacred
- What
- What is the major action or event of the story?
- What are the actions or events of lesser importance?
- A reporter out to be able to state the major actions of the story in one sentence, and this should be the theme of the story.
- When
- When did the event occur? Readers of news stories should have a clear idea of when the story takes place.
- The when element is rarely the best way to begin a story because it is not often the most important piece of information a reporter has to tell a reader, but it should come early in the story and should be clearly stated.
- Where
- Where did the event occur? Reporters cannot assume that readers will know or be able to figure out where and even what takes place.
- The location/s of the event or action should be clearly written.
- Why and How
- The reader deserves an explanation of events. If a story is about something bizarre or unusual, the writer should offer some explanation, so that the questions the event raises in the reader’s mind are answered.
- The writer also needs to set the events or actions in a story in the proper context. Reference should be made to previous events or actions if they help to explain things to the reader.
The inverted pyramid of news
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/teacher-stabbed-death-attack-french-school.1061016
A man of Chechen origin (who) stabbed (how) to death a teacher and severely wounded two other adults (what) Friday (when) at a school in northeastern France (where), with prosecutors opening a probe into a suspected act of terror. - The is the Lead
The attack in the town of Arras comes with France (where), which has large Jewish and Muslim populations, on high alert for security risks following the Hamas attack on Israel last weekend. - The Body
The attacker, 20, who has not been named, was from Russia's mainly Muslim southern Caucasus region of Chechnya and was already on a French national register known as "Fiche S" as a potential security threat, a police source, told AFP (this is French Press). - The Body
The perpetrator cried the Arabic phrase "Allahu akbar!" (God is greatest!), (this was based on religion. Back in the day, before killing an enemy, they would say the phrase) according to the preliminary elements of the investigation, a second police source added. - The Body
"He attacked canteen staff. I wanted to go down to intervene, he turned to me, chased me and asked me if I was a history and geography teacher," said Dousseau. "We barricaded ourselves in, then the police arrived and immobilised him.” - The Body
- If you are teaching that Palestine does not have a teacher, then you are going to be attacked for this belief. This is why history and geography teachers were attacked.
In the body, you include the quotes. You expand the topic.
On the tail, you add extra content eg. What the president said, links to other blogs.
Lecture 3
Gathering the news
Sources of information
Definition of a Journalism Source
A source for a journalism news or feature article is someone who has an authoritative position in regard to the subject of a story.
A source might be a public employee who has vital data about the subject, or it could be a private citizen who is advocating for a particular course of action to bring about societal change.
Often, a well-rounded story needs both kinds of sources as well as a source with an opposing view to project fairness and inclusiveness for all opinions and ideas.
3 types of sources
- Authoritative
- Public
- Personal
Sources of Information
Personal sources
- You know someone who works at a hospital
- Someone who works as a policeman
- Talk to someone on X, Instagram etc.
- Primary
Observation
- If you are there it is better than if you ask someone because the story changes.
- Primary
Stored sources
- Library
- Government reports
- Digital
- Secondary
Personal Sources
A news reporter is likely to spend most of his or her non-writing time talking to people whether face-to-face over the telephone or online. In fact, many would argue that the more people the reporter talks to, the better a story is likely to be because of the variety of information and views the reporter can obtain.
Observation
Whenever possible news reporters like to attend the events they are writing about.
They like to see for themselves what happens, even though they rarely write from a first-person point of view.
Stored Sources
This type of information includes any books, reports, articles, press releases, documents and computer information to which a reporter has access.
Online Sources
One of the most important types of stored information is that found in online or electronic information services such as social networks.
Such services provide subscribers with fingertip access to a wide range of information, such as newspapers, magazines, television transcripts, governmental reports, legal opinions and many other sources.
In most cases, information that comes from stored sources - like that which comes from personal sources – should be attributed.
- From where did you get this information.
Social networking sites have become extremely popular over the past couple of years.
A witness is not a source, and a source is not a witness. A source has authority, whereas, a witness does not.
Class Task:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestige_oil_spill
For the oil spill - the Directorate General of the Merchant Navy (DGMM)
Company Mare Shipping Inc
The MV Prestige was an oil tanker owned by a Greek company based in Athens and operating under a Bahamian flag
19 November 2002 sank off the coast of Galicia, Spain.
The spill happened due to a storm.
2000km more of the spill to due the move away from the cost by Minister of Public Works Francisco Alverez Cascos. French and British authorities were worried.
Lesson 4
Interviewing
Interviewing ranks at the top of the most important activities a mass media professional can engage in.
Talking with people is the chief way we have to gather information about almost any topic.
Within the daily news, more information is collected through interviews than by any other method.
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News Stories use two kinds of quoted material |
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Direct Quotation |
Indirect Quotation |
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Direct quotations are those words that the source has used to express an idea |
Indirect quotations, or paraphrases, express what the source said but use different words from the source used. |
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Those words should be surrounded by quotation marks. |
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Direct Quotation
“I believe the tax reform proposal that the Parliament is debating would week our economic recovery.” The MP said.
Indirect Quotation
“The MP expressed his opposition to the tax reform proposal currently before the Parliament, saying it would hurt the nation’s economic recovery.”
Paraphrase
A paraphrase may use some of the exact words of the source, and the writer may want to put those inside quotation marks.
The MP expressed his opposition to the tax reform proposal currently before the Parliament, saying it would “wreck our economic recovery.”
Interviewing
There are two main types of interviews:
- Research for a news story
- As a performance - part of the story in its own right
An adversarial interview by Jeremy Paxton for Newsnight is completely different from the interview you might carry out with the same politician for the same story, but off-camera or microphone.
There are several types of research interviews used by reporters:
- the formal, arranged press conference interview
- The one-to-one short interview
- The one-to-one interview
- The Vox pop
- The profile interview
Formal / arranged press conference interview
This allows many reporters to interview one or more persons at once.
It has the advantage of being efficient for the interviewee but is limiting for the reporter as all media get the same material.
One-to-one short interview
Short conversations with police officers, emergency workers and plant operatives.
Most likely face to face, butter done on the phone, or by email.
One-to-one interview
This is a reporter speaking to me of the key people involved in a story.
It is a widely used technique for linger articles such as celebrity interviews, or when you are seeking to learn about a new project, development or organisation.
Vox pop
This involves speaking to a number of people and asking their opinions about an issue.
Derived from the Latin “Voice of the People”
The profile interview
This is an in-depth, face-to-face interview that is likely to take time: an hour or more.
Lesson 5
Covering Press Conferences
What is a press conference?
A press conference is held when someone wants to send something to the media. This is where journalists are free to ask any questions.
When someone with something to say calls reporters together at one time to announce something they believe is newsworthy.
Fact
PRESS CONFERENCES TEND TO MOVE QUICKLY AND OFTEN DO NOT LAST VERY LONG, SO YOU MAY HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME TO GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED
Covering Press Conferences
In a news conference, one or more speakers may make a statement, which may be followed by questions from reporters.
Sometimes only questioning occurs; sometimes there is a statement with no questions permitted.
IT'S THE REPORTER'S JOB TO IGNORE THE PR TALK AND GET TO THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER.
SO IF THE CEO ANNOUNCES THAT HIS COMPANY HAS JUST SUFFERED ITS WORST LOSSES EVER, BUT IN THE NEXT BREATH SAYS HE THINKS THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT, FORGET ABOUT THE BRIGHT FUTURE - THE REAL NEWS IS THE HUGE LOSSES, NOT THE PR SUGARCOATING
Spin Doctors
Politicians are often accused by their opponents of claiming to be honest and seeking the truth while using spin tactics to manipulate public opinion.
Because of the frequent association between spin and press conferences (especially govt . press conferences)
Advantages
A person who calls the news conference does not have to do separate interviews with media agencies.
Reduces the chance that one news agency misses the information.
News agencies share the questioning so there’s less likelihood that a question will be overlooked.
Disadvantages
Difficult to get an exclusive.
Those calling the news conference sometimes use this as a way to get publicity for a topic that isn’t “newsworthy”.
Covering Press Conferences
- Prepare ahead of time.
- Get background material.
- Prepare questions ahead.
- Figure out your angle.
- Questions may not relate to the news conference topic.
- Arrive early.
- Ask for the name & title of the person speaking and get the correct spelling at the beginning.
When questioning
- Ask clarifying questions.
- Ask questions to get new information.
- If an announcement you expect isn’t made, ask about it.
- Don’t be in a hurry to leave unless on a deadline.
- Sometimes sticking around can get you another good story or better information.
When writing
Be sure to include names and titles
- Make sure spelling is correct
- Know how to pronounce the names
Understand the main points raised during the news conference.
Use strong sound bites or strong quotes.
The time and place of the press conference can often be left out.
Don’t include the fact that you attended a news conference unless there was something significant about the news conference itself.
Eg. Someone gets shot at the news conference
Eg. An earthquake happens during the news conference
Eg. The news conference is cancelled for a reason
Focus on newsworthy items.
WRONG:
- “A police chief today told a Press conference about the theft of a light aircraft from Jacksons Airport.”
The news is not the press conference.
Babies recognise 6 emotions:
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Scared
- Disgusted
- Surprised
Focus on newsworthy items.
RIGHT:
- “The Foreign Minister today cancelled a Press conference at which he was expected to announce new sanctions against Pakistan. It is understood that the last-minute cancellation was due to a disagreement in Cabinet over the sanctions.”
Here you mention the news conference because the news is that it was cancelled because of an event.
The cancellation is the news.
If several topics are covered
Three basic ways to write the story.
Write separate stories on each topic.
Write one story with an intro that includes all the topics but one angle.
Write one story with several smaller sub-stories.
Be prepared - What to take with you
- A valid press card from the DOI (Dept. of Information)
- Camera
- Tripod
- Dingy light /onboard camera light
- Cordless microphone and cable mic as standby including audio cable
- Multiple storage media
Check location
Check the location on Google Maps and plan a trip with the rest of the crew so that you make it on time.
Cameraperson as a storyteller
When you arrive take a white balance and test the cordless mic so that you can record as well as speakers during a press conference.
The cameraperson should establish his main shot and reserve his place.
Camerapons should respect any specially designated areas for filming.
Cameraperson as a storyteller
Film different angles of what is happening and cover all those speaking.
Take group shots, and individual shots according to people speaking.
Take shots of the audience to give more importance to the press conference.
Take cutaways of other related content such as things on display, title of event etc…
Prepare to take interviews just after the end of the press conference without losing time.
Frame shot of speaker with title /artwork of event in the background.
Before shooting take a voice test and check that mic is working well.
Teamwork
Once you get back to the newsroom log your material, and back it up on shared drives for news editors.
Write any particular detail or special notes to point out any interesting things you shot for the editor to look out for when editing.
Reporting with social media tools
Reporting with simple (mostly free!) social media tools.
- 100 hours of video uploaded every minute!
- 100 hours of video
- 500 million tweets every day!
- 100 hours of video
- 500 million tweets
- 277 million on LinkedIn
- 100 hours of video
- 500 million tweets
- 277 million on LinkedIn
- 1.3 billion on Facebook
What do people want?
FOUR IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Reporting
- Conversation
- Brand (Trust)
- Inspiration
What does social media do best?
- Helps you to report and to find sources.
- Helps you understand and act on trends.
- Helps you to crowd-source information.
- Elicits real-time reaction to breaking news.
- Enables a conversation with your audience.
- Helps you to tell your own story.
“Social media encourages participation and invites or allows response.”
- Alan Rusbridger, Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian
“Something published can be the beginning of the journalistic process rather than the end.”
- Alan Rusbridger Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian
A survey of 600 journalists
- 96% use social media every day
- 42% say they could not do their job without social media
- 30% spend over 2 hours on social media every day
- Cision survey in November 2013
Secrets of Social Success
- Following the right people.
- Knowing the best ways to search.
Reporting with social media tools
Using the Right Search Terms:
- People
- Places
- Things
- Don’t forget the words: Me, My, I*
*Thanks to Daniel Victor for this brilliant tip and observation. http://bit.ly/victoroneword
Breaking News Checklist:
- Open many keyword searches using several keyword combinations.
- Monitor existing Twitter lists.
- Build new lists of sources to share with the newsroom.
Using Metrics
Metrics are data about how your content connects with your audience.
It’s how you measure audience behaviour and content performance.
Typically, you have real-time and historical data.
Use it to make tactical and strategic decisions.
Remember, data isn’t good or bad.
Three Keys:
- How long series engage with your story.
- How deep they get on your story.
- Where they go next.
Writing Headlines
Don’t leave your headline to the last minute.
Sites like Upworthy and Buzzfeed require their reporters to turn in 25 headlines with every story.
If your audience is not engaging, change your headline.
Good headlines entice people to read Luther (or watch or click).
Good headlines match their platform. Think about where readers will encounter them.
Good headlines don’t misrepresent the story, or promise what they can’t deliver.
There is always more than one way to write a good headline, so good headline writers write a lot of them.
Use keywords early and often (make it the first word if possible).
Include proper nouns (names, locations, etc).
Think: “What would I type into Google if I want to find this?”
Bad Headlines
There are as many ways to write a bad headline as a good one.
Here are some tips:
- Get your facts right
- Don’t imply something you don’t mean
- Don’t repeat yourself
- Don’t overpromise
Types of headlines
Colon: Game of Thrones: Filming locations around the world
News: Power outage delays hundreds of flights from Heathrow
Emotion: Visitors accidentally locked in Madame Tussauds describe 12 hours of pure terror
Quotes: 'I know evil is real': Meet the woman who dined in every Guy Fieri
restaurant
Roundups/Lists: 13 places to contract a tropical disease for the budget-minded traveller
Question: Why can't planes just fly into space?
Social (OMG/Really?!?): 86-year-old grandmother cleared of assault charges after a drunken brawl at the zoo
For sale baby’s shoes never worn
- Make it emotional
- Parents selling baby’s shoes; sadly never worn
Colon Headline
This is how you get people to find your stories via Google.
Putting keywords first means they will get read by the search engine.
E.g. “Mayor Barry affair: Metro councilwoman wants an investigation into finances”
Make sure it doesn't inadvertently quote someone. (E.g., "Megan Barry: Bodyguard got illegal overtime pay”)
News Headline
Some stories sell themselves
Don't get cute with sensitive topics (crime, violence, etc.)
- 5 Ws, 1 H: Who, what, where, when, why, how
- Focus on keywords
Emotion Headline
Look for the emotional hook and highlight that in the headline.
Find vibrant verbs.
Particularly effective for web headlines.
Quote Headlines
Needs to have context.
Needs to be interesting.
Let them say what you can’t.
Great way to capture emotion.
Roundups / Lists Headlines
Numbers can be helpful here.
Can also focus on tips and advice.
Cam signals a time commitment to a story
Use adjectives.
Question Headlines
Can be good for complex issues, but don't use them as a cop-out.
The story should answer the question (or leave readers feeling prepared to answer it themselves).
Use very sparingly.
Headlines for Socials
All of the styles mentioned can work on social, but not all are always right for social.
Engagement is the key: Think about your audience.
Emotional words.
Pull out the juiciest bits.
Worth thinking about: Write a really good headline, then write a story to match.
News vs. Evergreen
The timeliness factor
Just because it's evergreen doesn't mean you shouldn't update.
Find ways to connect evergreen content with what is happening in the news.
Google Trends is great for this.
Sometimes just updating the year in SEO fields can give stories a boost.
SEO Your URL
Try to avoid keyword salad
Not too long: 5-6 words
Ask yourself "Would I understand what this article is about just by reading the URI ending?"
Dip your toes in incredible ocean pools around the world
The User Experience
You're competing for people’s attention. Give them more reasons to stay than leave.
Mobile: 3 swipes and they're out
Most people scan. Lead them to the thing they want.
If you're doing a list of things, don't have a lot of extra at the top.
People are most likely to scan:
- Headlines
- Sub-heads
- Links
- Bold text
To keep them clicking around:
- Add in-line links, especially in the top third of the story.
- Provide related links at the bottom.
To keep them coming back:
- Look for opportunities to do breakouts and follow-ups on high-interest topics.
Get creative in finding ways to build on that interest.
Slipping SEO Inside Your Stories
Other places to use SEO:
- Subheads
- Photo Captions
- Hyperlinks
For the user experience, they should have an idea of where the link goes.
Always end with a relevant link at the bottom of the page.
SEO Fields to Know
Page title (most important)
- URL ending
- Headline (H1 tag)
- Subheads (H2 tag)
- Photo captions
- Hyperlinks
This applies to videos and galleries
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