prndi reporting webinar

8/8/2019 PRNDI Reporting Webinar

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The Five Tiers

Modified from Four Tiers developed by Jay

Kernis, former NPR Senior VP for

Programming

The tiers are about story SELECTION, not

story EXECUTION!

Morning Edition Grad School HealthyState.org



Five Tiers of News Coverage

Tier One: COMMERCIAL

³If it bleeds, it leads.´ Crime, fires, sensationalized weather, local sports teams, plus thosequirky/human interest kickers that inevitably end the TV newscast.

Tier Two: STAGED

City council meetings, school board meetings, local government and political pronouncements,news conferences.

Tier Three: CULTURAL RESONANCE

Profiles of artists, musicians, cultural figures.

Tier Four: LOCAL IMPACT/NATIONAL

What is the local impact²or local representation²of a national or international story? At its best,this kind of reporting fosters civil discourse, the desire to learn more, and to become moreinvolved.

Tier Four: LOCAL MEANING

What news event, person, trend or new idea is or is about to make a real difference in my life andmy community? What truly reflects who we are and why we live here? What will have lastingimpact? What trends and events are not being noticed?

Morning Edition Grad School HealthyState.org



Developing Pitches

beat sources, listeners,friends, neighbors,cashiers, cabbies

Mine people for story ideas:

Mine people for story ideas:

Pay attention to what yousee

Pay attention to what yousee

Pull a thread fromanother story

Pull a thread fromanother story

Surveys, pollsthat sparkquestions

Surveys, pollsthat sparkquestions

Newspapers:localize a

national story

Newspapers:localize a

national story

Pressreleases

Pressreleases



Before You Pitch a Story

Make sure you actually have a story inmind, and not just a vague idea.

If a newspaper article prompted your story idea, make sure you can suggest how toadvance the story.

Figure out whether your story should betold by a reporter or through a host interview.



Story Visioning Worksheet

Story Length:

1. What is my Focus Statement?

2. Who stands to win/lose in this story? Who are the players?

3. Who do I need to interview?Side 1 Side 2 Side 3 Expert/Perspective

4. What is this story REALLY about? Who stands the lose the most? How does it feel to be him/her?How can I open the story with this person?

5. Where should I interview him/her? (do this for every person in #4) How can I describe this place?What nearby sounds should be miked for prominence? What obstacles can I anticipate?

6. What questions should I ask? (remember the ³20 minute rule´)

7. Go. Be ready to change course if you find new information.

Source: Melanie Peeples w/modifications by Tanya Ott



Public Radio¶s Core Values: Editorial Planning GridCopyright© Public Radio Program Directors, Inc.

Qualities of the MindyLove of lifelong learningySubstance

yCuriosity

yCredibility/Accuracy

yHonestyyRespect for the listener yPurpose

Qualities of the HeartyHumor yIdealism

yInspired about public life andculture

yCivility / belief in civil discourseyGenerosity

Qualities of CraftyUniquely human voiceyPacingy Attention to detail

Station call

letters:

Content Questions Talent Questions Production Questions

Selecting

Content and

Topics

What are the key issues that

make this something we

should cover for our

listeners?

What does our host,

reporter newscaster or

producer need to meet our

content goals?

How can we write, structure,

edit and texturize* this content

for the ear?

( possible texture elements

include ambience, actualities,

vox, music, movie clips)

Framing /

Shaping

Content and

Topics

How can we add new depth,substance and perspective

on these issues for our

listeners?

Whose voices do we need

to hear and what questionsdo we need to ask?

How can we re-version thiscontent to reach more of our

listeners in other programs and

dayparts?

Questions

for different

types of

news

programs

Newscast ± How should we

stack the newscast?

Talk Shows ± What is the

pathway for callers to

participate in the program?

Magazine Programs ± how

should the elements:

(interviews, features, music,

news items, etc.) relate to each

other editorially and

contextually?



Context

T he defining element of

public radio news



What is ³Context´

Part of the story that tells listeners why they

should care

The competitive advantage public radio holds

over commercial radio and television

Standard in a national story; often missing

in a local story



Different Flavors of Context

Historical: has this happened before?

Geographical: where else is this happening?

Political: how does it reflect shifting partisantides?

Behavioral: what does it say about changing

beliefs/attitudes?

Demographic: is this part of a ³Gen X´ or

³Baby Boomer´ trend/movement?



Where to Find Context

Analyst

Researcher

Historian Journalist



Closing Thoughts

Reporting the context of a story takes

time, but it¶s why people listen to you.

It helps listeners understand their place in

the community, the nation, and the world.



Depth vs Breadth

Breadth: more stories, less detail, less

production

Depth: fewer stories, more detail, more

production

Research shows public radio listeners

want depth over breadth



Resources

Find Sources Fast

± www.newswise.com

press release email list (searchable, customizable)

searchable expert database

expert query (sent immediately ± best for tight

deadline)

± www.profnet.com press release email list

expert query (batched and sent a couple times a

day)



Interviewing

Maximizing Your Time, Their

Time, and Results



It¶s Not a Conversation

" Interviewing requires more than a good

ear for quotes. It's a process, like writing,

that involves a series of decisions and

actions designed to get the best possible

information.´ -Chip Scanlon, author: Reporting and Writing:

Basics for the 21st Century

The process starts with Preparation



Pre-Interview

To ensure you have a ³good talker´

To get facts, not emotions

To get chronology, not insight

To get a µcontract¶ on what the on-tape interview

will be about

If you can¶t interview your source, interview the

flak ± Breaking news

± Political spot news



Research

Necessary for new angles

Good for establishing credibility

Blogs, articles, transcripts Phone-a-Critic

Identify ³juicy center´

You DO have time: 10 minutes is all ittakes



Roadmap

Know where you want to start and end

Scribble down µmust haves¶

Be open to new routes



³Do¶s & Don¶ts´

DO: ask simple questions: why, what, how

DON¶T: ask double-barreled questions

DO: ask for details, examples, pictures

DON¶T: be afraid to admit you don¶t understand DO: ask µhow do you know that?¶ (burden of proof)

DON¶T: use trigger words

DO: strategize on difficult or sensitive issues

DON¶T: be afraid of silence

Most important: listen more, talk less.



Golden Rules

First Questions: dive right in

± What happened?

± What¶s at stake?

± Why did you do it? Last Questions:

± What would you like to add?

± Who else should I talk to?

Don¶t provide a list of questions to source ahead of time



Writing



What do strong stories have?

Iceberg Effect

Gold Nuggets

Little Things

Sense of Place

Sense of People

Sense of Time

Other



Best Practices

Write for the ear

± Use conversational style, including contractions

Use active verbs

± ³A car hit him´ NOT ³He was hit by a car´

Use present tense

± ³Jones says´ NOT ³Jones said´

One thought per sentence ± Candow: whenever you see a µconnecting¶ word,

[which, that, and] break it into two sentences.



Best Practices con¶t

Plainspeak

± ³The city will use the funds soon´ NOT ³the

city will utilize the funds soon´

Economize

± ³The city will spend the money soon´ NOT

³the city will utilize the funds given to it by the

federal government sometime in the next twoto three months.´



Best Practices

Avoid cliches like the plague

No long-phrased introductions to sentences, or

clauses in the middle of sentences.

± ³ Walking amongst the wavy winter wheat, thefarmer¶s eyes grow big at the prospect of large

profits´

± ³T he mayor, who thought he was late, burst

through the council chamber doors to testify.´



The Strong Script Concise

Least # Words

Active Verbs and Active Voice

Short titles

No fact trains

Strong anchor intro and ending

Gold coins scattered throughout

Good transitions

Good tape

* Remember the Cardinal Rule for Radio: You¶re writing for the ear, not for thepage, so READ ALL SCRIPTS ALOUD.



Leads« or Ledes, if you prefer



Does this sell the story?In impoverished Honduras, problems range from a lackof resources for education, to the lack of food and eventhe most basic healthcare. A group of medicalmissionaries from the greater Birmingham area takesseveral trips a year to help the Hondurans who need it

the most. But what they've encountered over the yearsis a big catch-22: a cyclical environment of malnourishment and disease. The missionaries'challenge is to teach Hondurans the wherewithal tobreak the cycle. Dr. Tom Camp, who heads up the Alabama/Honduran Medical Educational Network, or AHMEN, spoke with WBHM¶s Joe Blow.



How about this?

A quarter of all Hondurans live on less than a

dollar a day. They lack formal education, food and

even the most basic healthcare. A group of

medical missionaries from Birmingham

Just returned from a trip to Honduras. Doctor Tom

Camp heads up the Alabama/Honduran Medical

Educational Network, or AHMEN. He spoke with

WBHM¶s Joe Blow.



Writing for the Web(it¶s more than just deleting pronouncers from the script)



Writing for the Web

79% of people scan websites. Only 16% read word-by-word.

Help them by using: ± Highlighted keywords (hypertext links, typeface/color variations)

± Meaningful sub-headings (not "clever" ones)

± bulleted lists

± one idea per paragraph

± the inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion ± half the word count (or less) than conventional writing

Source: web usability expert Jakob Nielson

www.useit.com Alert Box, Oct 1997



Writing for the Web: Credibility

Credibility is important for Web users

Increase credibility by using:

± high-quality graphics

± good writing

± outbound hypertext links. Links to other sites show that the authors have done their homework and are not afraid to let readersvisit other sites.

And avoiding "marketese´

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