Reporting the Murder of
President Kennedy
CBS News correspondent
Dan Rather was there.
 Help
people survive in hard times
Viewers were urged to help tackle hunger in a campaign created by WFMJ-TV, Youngstown. The
details were explained by News Director Mona Alexander and General Manager John Grdic.
Use
topical investigations to increase sampling
Veteran consultant Tom Dolan advises taking key stories that viewers already know
something about and then developing more information, better angling and more enterprise
on those stories.
Newscast
expanded
at 10 p.m.
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, expanded the 10 p.m. weekday newscasts to an hour, and quickly saw
audience growth. The plan was explained by Mary Lynn Roper, President and General Manager.
High
on meth, speeding, killing --- and still driving
A log truck driver kept on rolling, in spite of overloading his truck and causing a fatal
accident. The driver was off the road for only about one week after the accident.
KING-TV's Chris Ingalls found there was no penalty, no suspension of his license, nothing
---he just went right back to driving. There should have been three strikes against him.
He was speeding. His truck was overloaded. He tested positive for meth.
Changing the culture: A 24-Hour web
channel
Web sales more than doubled in one year at WIBW-TV, Topeka. General Manager Jim Ogle
shared with us the strategy that is working for his team.
Web
Video Journalist Hired
A photographer has become talent and is producing stories for the Web site of WPRI-TV,
Providence. He shoots, writes, and narrates the pieces. News Director Joe Abouzeid and his
team explain how it works.
When
Help Doesn't Arrive In Time
Have a serious heart attack on the streets of Cleveland and the chances of being
successfully recuscitate are slim. WJW-TV's Tom Merriman broke this.
Meanwhile, they don't have enough ambulances in Cincinnati. WCPO-TV's Hagit Limor
reported that story.
Financial
Fitness
Boot Camp
A major project combining financial information and advice aired on WCNC-TV, Charlotte.
News Director Mary Alvarez and reporter Anna Crowley explained how it was executed.
Broken
School Buses
Kept Rolling
Safety violations in the Indianapolis school bus fleet were so severe that the state
police began an immediate investigation after they were contacted by WTHR-TV. News
Director Carolyn Williams and investigative reporter Bob Segall explained how they
executed their project.
Rare
Interviews, SWAT Team Tapes Give Depth to School Shooting Anniversary Special
A deranged, armed drifter entered a Colorado high school. He took seven students hostage.
A special on the hostage drama was produced by KMGH-TV, Denver.
It featured interviews with people who had never talked about it publicly.
"If we were going to do something, we wanted to do something significant and
impactful, and that meant we needed to get a lot of players involved," said News
Director Byron Grandy.
Columbine:
Viewer Sensitivities Were Key
The live images were monitored carefully when two young men killed 12 other students, a
teacher and themselves at Columbine.
Patti Dennis, KUSA-TV's News Director, told us, "We had pictures coming in from
hospitals that I told them absolutely, positively, I did not want to see on our air. I
forbid it!"
Pick
debate winners instantaneously
If you can learn something about which candidate viewers feel did the best in a debate you
will be offering information beyond a simple summarization of their carefully rehearsed
statements. An innovative project was explained by Jim Boyer, News Director of
KOMO-TV, Seattle.
Child molesters walk free on probation
One-third of those who sexually abused a child won probation and were released to roam the
community in Houston. An analysis of court records found the lenient treatment these
predators were receiving. KHOU-TV, Houston.
Protecting Crews and Gear From Unruly
Crowds
Jubilant fans of the Los Angeles Lakers set fire to two police cars and damaged news vans
during an unruly celebration after the team's championship victory. It didn't
particularly appear there was going to be vandalism and violence. But it grew.
At one point, a photographer told his reporter, "Run for your life!"
Devil's Night Arson: What Do You Report
When You Are Anticipating Trouble?
Detroit had been plagued with extensive fires in previous years. Now the year has
passed. It is time for the troubles again. You can't ignore it, but you don't want
to stimulate anything with your early news coverage.
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Writing Broadcast
News
Packed with practical advice and examples, there's a book available from
writing coach Merv Block.
 Broadcast
Newswriting: The RTNDA Reference Guide is based on his WordWatching columns,
published in the Communicator. "Words are a writer's tools, so this book is a
tool chest for professionals. It's full of tips. Tips about words --- about writing, about
language, about journalism," is the way he explains the work.
Here are random opinions excerpted from Block --- the captions are ours:
Drop the clutter
Don't start with the expected. News is the unexpected.
Otherwise, it's usually not news; as expected or as predicted detracts from whatever
follows. And don't say, "We begin with ..." Listeners know when you've begun.
Another non-starter, "Topping our news tonight," sounds like Reddi-Wip.
Write directly
Go with S-V-O: subject, verb, object. That's the best sequence
for a sentence. It's the way we speak: "Jane (subject) told (verb) me (object) she
wants out."
One-word leads
Pow! Wham! Bam! Slam-bang language in the comics doesn't
hurt anyone, but must we jolt our listeners like that? A recent example from local radio:
"Guilty! That's the verdict from a Boulder County jury after a strangulation death.
We get the details from ..." And from network television: "Indicted! The federal
government comes down hard on Eastern Airlines." The anchor opened the newscast by
reading that headline over a videotape showing the inside of a hangar and an Eastern jet.
... Confused! That's what I am by one-word leads. Why? Conversational, they're not. People
don't talk that way. And people don't listen that way. Our ears are accustomed to the
standard speech pattern among English-speaking people: subject-verb-object. ... People
usually start conversations with a subject, then go on to a verb: "Don dropped
dead." No one would tell you: "Dead. That's what Don is."
Quotation leads
A network anchor began a story with a bang: "We're going
to burn them with smoke, gas, fire and bullets. We will burn this house down. (Newsroom
frictions turning ugly?) Threatening words. Oh, so those aren't the anchor's own threats.
Why didn't he write it right and put attribution before assertion? That way we'd know at
the outset who said what and to whom. All of which illustrates how dangerous it is to
start a story with a quotation, especially with we.
Let it stand on its own
"Here at home tonight, a story rivaling any made-for-
television movie. This one involves a respected chief judge of New York state's highest
court .... ..." Here at whose home? What are listeners in Peoria and Pocatello to
make of here at home? Not only is here at home a cliche, it's also unnecessary, inaccurate
and disorienting. Is comparison to a made-for-TV movie intended as praise? Why compare the
story to anything? Why not just tell the story without the ballyhoo? Let it stand on its
own.
Retire sports cliches from general news
Sports jargon is often sent in to pinch hit for simple,
clear English and usually strikes out. The arena where it almost always should be out of
bounds is in general news stories. "The Soviets kicked off with a pre-summit news
conference Western-style." When so many events are kicked off, aren't you ticked off?
Don't lead with a place name
"In Tucson, Arizona, jury selection today in the U.S.
government's controversial case against 11 people, featuring federal evidence from
undercover informants." ... Why start with a place-name? Every story occurs
somewhere. A place-name doesn't arrest listeners. When listeners in Maine hear a story
begin, "In Tucson," do they drop their cribbage boards and listen up? And when a
story starts "In Maine," do listeners in Tucson freeze? ... The place-name in
that script is important, but it's probably the least interesting element.
You can
purchase Broadcast Newswriting
at amazon.com. Here's more information about Block's book --- including how
to order it online.
Copyright 2008, Standish Publishing Company. This
material is for your personal use as a subscriber, and may not be reproduced or
transmitted to other parties of any kind.
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Hurricane!
The news executives and staffers who were there explained how they served
their viewers, and survived.
Terrorism
Threat: Manhole Covers Left Unlocked
Underground cables carrying electricity and computer data --- the lifelines for America's
cities --- are exposed. WABC-TV's Jim Hoffer discovered that Con Ed has not locked its
manhole covers --- despite Homeland Security recommendations.
Attack
On America
At first it appeared to be a terrible aviation accident at the World Trade Center.
It turned out to be much more. Here is how it was covered by the news teams on the
scene.
Security
gaps are many
Long before, and then after, the terrorist attacks of September, 2001, several television
stations conducted investigations into lax security at airports and other major public
facilities. Most of these reports were prepared after the 2001 attacks. In some cases, the
broadcasters were credited with helping to make positive changes.
Sign
Up Today!
The Rundown has reported weekly on local
television news, programming, and community service projects since 1981. This material now
fills a massive hard copy archive of 7,000 pages --- easily the largest record of hometown
television's activities. Key articles are available in our online archives.
Tips To Improve Your Writing
Writers and editors at the Providence Journal share their reflections and lessons
learned about reporting and writing. Here
are detailed articles that are well worth reviewing by anyone seriously interested in
reporting today.
Media
In Montoursville:
Trying To Be Very Sensitive
When TWA Flight 800 exploded in 1996, more than 20 victims were from one small town in
Pennsylvania. Newspeople tried to be sensitive to the grieving relatives, friends
and townspeople. At the same time, the reporters and photographers were dealing with
their own feelings of sadness and shock.
The
White Bronco Chase
Accused of murder, O.J. Simpson travelled along the highways of Los Angeles, and one
of the largest television audiences ever watched it live.
Murders at School:
San Diego Shootings
Accurate information was difficult to obtain. Students were interviewed with care.
Oklahoma
City Explosion: Covering the Terror
That this could happen in America's heartland was unthinkable. Even more astounding
was the news that Americans had unleashed this violence on fellow Americans, murdering
more than 150 innocent men, women and children.
Two reporters, four stories, one big
award
The judges awarded a Peabody to the investigative unit of WFAA-TV, Dallas, for the overall
quality of its work. The station won for four separate stories submitted by investigative
reporters Brett Shipp and Byron Harris.
The Peabodys do not recognize categories, nor are there a set number of awards given each
year. Although the entries were submitted separately, Executive News Director Michael
Valentine said it was the caliber of the work by the unit as a whole that made it a
winner.
Students drinking contaminated water
Youngsters are being exposed to lead every day in Los Angeles. The surprising source ---
the drinking fountains at their schools -- - was revealed by KNBC-TV's Joel Grover.
Schoolhouse Outrage:
Filthy Bathrooms
Schools in Southern California were checked to see how sanitary --- or unsanitary --- the
bathrooms were. KCBS-TV investigators spent three months and visited
more than 50 buildings, some of them more than once. Many bathrooms were locked or
unavailable to students. Many were missing essential supplies.
Roughed Up At Recess: Violence On The
Playground
Teachers stood by doing nothing while bullies beat up other children on the school
playgrounds. News team members at WITI-TV, Milwaukee were surprised that it was so
blatant and out of control. They
followed up with a project that offered solutions for parents and educators.
Room 104:
The Overcrowding Crisis
By focusing on students and teachers, an initially boring subject was brought to life.
Viewers could see how children are shortchanged when the instructor is simply lucky to
keep control, never mind teaching and helping individuals having problems. This was a
duPont winner for WABC-TV, New York.
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