Interviews, Angles & 'Whammies'

Although everyone in the class still needs more practice with writing hard news leads and writing stories that follow the basic inverted pyramid structure, it's time to move towards other forms of journalistic writing, beginning with basic feature writing. Features rely more heavily on quotes and interviews, so we need to spend some time in and out of class considering and practicing what makes a good interview.

It's true that the best interviews are like good conversations. That is, in most cases the interview should be a comfortable give-and-take session where you and the person you interview talk with each other, not at each other. Of course, if the interviewee is hostile or defensive, this may not be the case. But the three best things you can do to have a good interview are:

1) Prepare thoroughly by researching the topic and/or the person and list questions.
2) Take good notes and record the interview if possible.
3) Listen very attentively.

Being a good listener is the most important thing you can do. One of the biggest mistakes many inexperienced reporters make is worrying so much about what question to ask next, that they don't realize something important or unexpected that the interviewee has just said.

Here are a couple of short videos I would like you to watch. The first is some good advice about interviewing from former network anchor Katie Couric. The second is from National Public Radio's Scott Simon.

The following information is taken directly from Journalism Toolbox:

"The Angle
The main idea of a news story and lead is called the "angle."

It is also referred to in newsrooms as the "hook" because the angle is used to grab, or hook, the reader's attention to make them want to read the rest of the student's story.

Simply, it is the main point a student learned from their reporting and that the rest of their story will try to support.

Finding the angle of a news story forces a newswriter to be critical of a story idea and the reporting. A news writer will discover if there's no angle in an idea or the facts that have been gathered before an editor, teacher or reader will.

Creative Commons photo by StuartPilbrow

Writing the lead and angle involves making some difficult decisions. A news writer must sort through the facts that were gathered from the reporting and decide what the theme is. There may be several different themes, but the writer must decide what the central theme of the story will be in the lead.
Then students must consider what form their story will take.

In sorting through a mass of material, Carman Cumming and Catherine McKercher of Carleton University tell reporters to think about "S-I-N" -- which stands for Significant, Interesting and New. Students should look for either of those three things from their research and interviews and they will be able to find a compelling angle for their lead.

"Whammy"
The late Walter Steigleman, a journalism teacher in Iowa, told his students to look for the WHAMMY. He explained that the whammy is the single fact that makes your story unique.
Consider the following example, based on a radio interview with Vern Walters of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia with CBC's As It Happens in early March 1996:

Vern Walters, a third-generation blacksmith from Lunenburg, has decided to retire and has put his shop up for sale, closing a 120-year-old family-owned business.

That lead has all the required elements. But a "whammy" is provided when it is learned that Mr. Walters is probably Canada's only working maritime blacksmith -- a blacksmith trained to do special blacksmithing to build and repair boats:

Vern Walters, one of Canada's last remaining maritime blacksmiths, has put his shop in Lunenburg up for sale, closing a family- owned business begun 120 years ago by his grandfather.

That story also illustrates the human interest story, which focuses on an interesting or unique person.
The only way to really understand leads and angles is to try writing one. News writing is like learning to play a musical instrument -- the more you practice, the easier it gets and the better you become."

Reporting vs. Speculation

Creative Commons photo by Ayushπ

What is your opinion of cable news networks? Do they do a good job covering the news? Or do they sensationalize the news and speculate more than report the actual facts?

Watch this brief video where political satirist and comedian Jon Stewart criticizes CNN for their live reporting of the search for the Boston bomb suspect. Then read this article written by a Michigan reporter about his growing frustration with speculation posing as reporting on a major news network like CNN.

Do you think this writer and Jon Stewart are being too harsh in their criticism? Or do you think they are right about an alarming trend in how news gets reported?

Be Careful What You Say

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     Journalists must strive to be objective in their reporting and writing, whether it's what they say or write. That's why, for example, reporters must use the words "allegedly" or "alleged" when they are reporting about someone who is suspected of doing something wrong or inappropriate.

     One must be careful with headline writing too. Here is a case study to illustrate the point. Read this article about an ESPN sports editor who was fired for a headline he wrote last year.

    Then read this article that is critical of the editor, despite his apology.

    Finally, listen to this brief podcast to learn how the editor's family helped him cope with the fall-out of his firing.

    What are your thoughts? Did he deserve to be fired? Or are people too sensitive and concerned with "political correctness" today?

A Case Study: Controversial Rolling Stone cover

Fair Use:  AP Photo/Wenner Media

Occasionally on the blog this semester we will consider real life situations that raise interesting questions concerning journalism, the First Amendment, ethics, etc.

This week I would like you to examine the controversy surrounding a recent Rolling Stone magazine cover that some people felt glamorized one of the Boston bombing suspects. (The magazine typically features rock stars or political leaders on its cover.)

Read the entire article and then share any thoughts you might have. What do you think of the Rolling Stone cover?

The First Amendment: A Blessing and a Curse

Creative Commons photo by Denise Krebs

The First Amendment is the foundation of an open society. Two of the five protections guaranteed by the First Amendment -- freedom of speech and freedom of the press -- help ensure that we provide citizens with a "marketplace of ideas" free from censorship. 

Yet the right to free expression often comes into conflict with other rights, especially when it infringes on the safety or morality of others. Yelling "fire" in a crowded theatre, for example, is not protected by the First Amendment. Neither is child pornography or material that is considered obscene in nature.    

Click here to watch a brief news report about the case I mentioned to you in class. It was, in fact, the Supreme Court, that made this decision in 2011.       

It should be easy to see why the First Amendment is not just a static document that was written by our forefathers over 200 years ago. Because society and technology change and evolve, the First Amendment is continually challenged by cases that need to be interpreted by the courts. 

While the digital revolution has enabled us to have incredible opportunities and resources at our fingertips, it has also spawned problematic trends. How, for example, do we sift through it all? How will people know the difference between legitimate news sources and biased or unsupported propaganda? How will people be able to make informed decisions?

NBC anchorman Brian Williams summed it up well:  "It is now possible--even common--to go about your day in America and consume only what you wish to see and hear. There are television networks that already agree with your views, iPods that play only music you already know you like, Internet programs ready to filter out all but the news you want to hear . . . The whole notion of  'media' is now much more democratic, but what will the effect be on democracy?"

But unlike the U.S., many non-democratic countries in the world are closed societies where the government attempts to control its people by controlling the media. Watch this one-hour documentary entitled For Neda about true events in Iran. Then comment about what stands out to you the most about this closed society. (Warning: Please be advised that the film contains some violent, graphic images.)

Newspapers: Lost and Adrift? Or Changing and Adapting to the Tides of Technological Change?

  Creative Commons photo by Kevin Lim

Welcome to a new school year! And welcome, young journalists, to Waldsmith's Dispatch, our journalism class blog. I'm looking forward to get the blog up and running again because it works as a great tool to accompany and emphasize issues covered in class, as well a place to share your thoughts and comments. Some of the posts will be "greatest hits" of earlier posts I have created in the past, while others will be brand new.

We are beginning the semester by examining what makes news and exploring newspapers and news websites. The principles of what constitutes solid journalism do not change. However, newspapers are struggling and adapting to technological change, while news websites are also striving to find ways to become more profitable.

Consider this quote from Walter Pincus of The Washington Post, which was recently sold to the founder and CEO of Amazon.com:

"Think of a newspaper as a supermarket of material. I work in the meat department (national and foreign news along with sports and crime) as the public is becoming not just more vegetarian (health, science, style and human interest and animal stories) but also more practical (local news, home furnishing, education, entertainment). The Internet has joined radio and television in being first with news, but Web sites and cable are providing more of what I call 'junk food'— news-gossip and opinions rather than facts."

Do you agree? Where and how do you prefer to get your news? Why?

Read the first two pages of this article about the sale of The Washington Post, then read this story about how the Amazon model may be used on the newspaper.

Please share your thoughts -- just a few brief comments -- about anything you'd like to say in response to anything in this blog post or in the articles.

Tabloids, Cell Phones and Privacy

Last year,in a remarkable case stemming from the right to privacy, the British tabloid News of the World actually closed for good after a shocking phone hacking scandal. Click here to learn more about it, and be sure to watch at least the first video, "Scandal shuts down British tabloid". 

  
Then read this column about the difference between tabloid journalism and investigative journalism.

 Finally, just in case you were thinking that you have no worries about privacy, check out this report   about new cell phone spyware that not only tracks your every move but can also be used a means of harassment. Protect your privacy!

Creative Commons photo by Howard Lake