Event coverage is a major part of journalism

Transcription

1 Covering an event

2 Event coverage is a major part of journalism

3 Sports News

4 How to cover an event Reporter/Writer Reporter Writer Get all the facts and make sure they are accurate Talk to the right sources Talk to folks with differing points of view Create a concise story that has impact; eliminate what isn t important Create a well-written story - show me, don t tell me Use multiple sources to get all the correct information 5 W s and 1 H

5 Controversial events Sorry about this lines, it s a photo of a newspaper

6 Where to find events to cover Events stories due: April 9 & May 4 The Candor BU sports events Metromix Chicago

7 Covering meetings/speeches Meeting coverage is a staple for reporters, especially those with beats like education and government Agendas are published before public meetings - read these Write what you can in advance; meetings push deadlines Know your sources and talk with them about confusing information See if you can get a copy of the speech beforehand Arrive at the meeting/speech early to get a seat Keep an eye on the audience; turn around to see what s going on

8 Adding color to your story Describe what you feel and what you see How do you write about this? What are the sources for your story? What do you need to know before you go to cover this event?

9 Sports reporting

10 First and foremost - Sports journalists are journalists Sports reporters need solid reporting and writing skills Sports reporters work on beats (mostly at night) Sports stories are held to the same standards as every other type of story It s just sports is not an excuse

11 Distinct things about sports reporting Honest and accurate coverage can be more difficult than news Most sports reporters are sports fans, so they have a bias Sports reporters tend to be closer to their sources than news reporters Jargon and lingo are a part of the game, but should be kept to a minimum Because they work night shifts, the sports department can be somewhat isolated from the rest of the newspaper staff

12 Sports writing 101 Tell the audience who won the game Focus on unique elements of the contest Describe what happened Use emotional quotes from sources Keep it short and punchy BU sports reporting classes COMM Sports broadcasting (Spring) COMM Sports journalism (Fall)

13 Spelling bee How would you cover the event on pg. 328

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15 Covering a beat (Newsroom routines)

16 How does something become news? How did this story get in the paper?

17 How do journalists find out about stories? People send in material to newspapers (TV stations, etc.) Spot news events, heard on police scanners Journalists talk with sources and ask them if they know of any interesting events going on Journalists are usually assigned to talk with the same sources every day, and this is called covering a beat

18 What s a beat? Editor (the top newsroom manager) Spelled differently To answer that, you need to understand how a newsroom is structured Sports News Biz Section editors Reporters Cops Schools Fball Bball Local National

19 Police beat Local National A beat is a certain topic that a reporter covers every day Beats can be centered on specific parts of a community County government High school football Beats can be centered on big picture topics Environment Religion Cops Fball Schools Bball

20 Almost every reporter works on a beat (not so true for television reporters) Company: The Winchester Star Position: City Hall beat Location: Winchester, Va. Job Status: Full-time Description: City Hall Reporter. The Winchester Star in Winchester, Va. is looking for a reporter with experience covering city government. We re looking for an aggressive, detail-oriented reporter with an investigative bent who can write clearly and spin off news features and enterprise stories from the breaking news. A minimum of three years reporting experience is required. The 20,000-circulation Star is located in Virginia s Shenandoah Valley just 70 miles west of Washington, D.C. Please send your resume and clips to mhileman@winchesterstar.com.

21 Popular news beats Cops - Cover what is happening with local police. Involves time spent at the police station or at crime scenes Education - Cover stories on area schools. Attend school board night meetings Government - Cover happenings of local/regional governments. Attend a lot of governmental meetings G. A. (general assignment) - Cover anything the assignment editor says, no specialty

22 Typical day for a cops beat reporter 9am - Stop by police station, check on overnight police reports, talk with police officers 11am - Call News Editor with interesting items from sources 1pm - Track down additional sources for stories, make phone calls 3pm - Write up first draft of story or stories 4pm - Work with News Editor while editing your story 6pm - Check sources to see what they expect to happen tomorrow, maybe attend a night meeting

23 Why work on a beat? By covering the same topic every day, the reporter becomes an expert in that field Sources get to know the reporter and trust him/her more Effective way of covering parts of the community that constantly generate news (i.e. Government) Problems with beats (Mediating the Message)

24 John Oliver on newspapers

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26 Let s try it out Write a short news story from the following info Pg. 303 (#1) Use some direct quotes and attribute your facts