TV News Unit | Lecture 2 - Finding Stories and News Worthiness
Sources & Contacts
- A Broadcast Journalist relies on a wide range of sources and contacts in the never ending search NEW news!
- The best journalists do not just sit and wait for a story to 'appear', they go out and FIND it...
- Using our experience with the documentary unit, we can now find people, places and stories more easily. We just need to maintain the 'NEW' aspect of it all.
How Journalists Find Stories with 'News Value'
- Working what Fishman (1997) called 'beats' - 'patrolling' much like a police officer on recognised chains of information to supply potential stories with 'news value'.
- What 'beats' form part of this chain of information?
- Many of these 'beats' are exclusively accessed by news journalists, e.g. calling police stations or press offices.
- ...But in doing so, what other stories are ignored? Is it right to give priority to those particular sources? If so... why?
Where the Newsroom Finds It's Stories
Primary Sources;
- Your own direct contacts.
- Original sources direct from source material e.g. archive material from libraries etc such as Kew (National Archives)
- Public Appeals
- Press releases/stats/official statements
Secondary Sources;
- Stringers (Freelancers)
- Other platforms/media
WIRES
Newsrooms frequently trawl 'the wires' for up to the minute tip offs on news stories such as -
- P.A. (Press Association) - provide a range of news stories and content for print and digital media for the UK and Ireland.
http://www.pressassociation.com/Editorial
- Reuters - International news agency.
The material on 'the wire' is provided by freelance journalists.
_________________________________
Correspondents
- These subject specialists work in newsrooms and are prized for their in depth knowledge and well honed contacts - often invited to confidential 'lobby' briefings with politicians and on the mailing lists of important relevant bodies.
- 'Lobby' politics - influential groups 'lobby' the government in such meetings in order to get them to support each-other.
Foreign News Sources
- Journalists, editors and correspondents based permanently abroad for news networks e.g. Gavin Hewitt Europe Editor or Mark Mardell North American Editor.
- Sometimes pooled foreign news 'bureau' with other broadcasters.
- Again valued for their local contacts and on the ground knowledge and access.
- Often long hours, lots of travelling due to wide area covered and can be in dangerous or politically unstable areas - special training usually needed and obviously good language skills.
- International news agencies and large scale news organisations such as ABC, NBC and Sky with whom the likes of the BBC have deals.
- Eurovision News Exchange - facilitate the exchange of stories between Eurovision countries.
Archives
- Many broadcasters have their own archived material which is a rich source of pictures, as well as independent archives which sell on their material under license.
BEWARE - FAKE NEWS!
- They look like news packages and sound like them, but stories are to be approached with caution, as they are very often propaganda.
- Think about how many 'stories' now pop up via social media - WHO IS SENDING THEM AND WHY?
- Blurring the lines between MARKETING and NEWS.
- How do you verify and check these stories?
Communication
- Whichever your source of information and stories, you will need to be a consummate COMMUNICATOR in order to access these.
- We discuss 'balance' a lot when referring to journalism, but it's more about how we handle the information, and tell people what is really important.
- As with the documentary unit, know the essentials BEFORE you make a call - do your RESEARCH and know what questions you want to ask.
- Get used to USING THE TELEPHONE.
- Emails are good for exchanging information and more functional tasks, but nothing can replace a CONVERSATION.
- Build a rapport, gauge the person you are talking to and make a decision about them and the story. What can they contribute to our film?
Be Tenacious and Have Stamina! - Get Them 'On Side'
- Sometimes you have to be prepared to be creative in order to get what you need.
- Providing you are being ethical, find ways of negotiating obstacles to gain the access you need.
- Often you need to have stamina and be prepared to push at a story and find a new way of telling it in order to make it work.
- When people are reluctant to take part, sometimes with good reason, it is useful to explain that this is THEIR CHANCE to put THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY.
- Some of the best journalists don't give up they always find a way!
Being Creative With Your Methods...
- The art of tracking people down is one you need to master - do your research to identify KEY CONTACTS and build from there.
- Just like a private investigator you will spend a lot of time simply trying to find people.
- Sometimes you have to think outside the obvious in order to get what you need.
Deadlines
- Ultimately, you will always have DEADLINES. At some point you will have to deliver, however some stories take TIME so make sure you give them what they need to ensure your story is as good as it can be.
Finding Your 'Angle'
- The news 'Angle' is key to develpoing your story.
- The angle can be defined as the main SIGNIFICANCE of the story to your particular audience. It is a particular viewpoint of any story.
- There will inevitably be several angles on any story, your job is to decide the angle which best suits and sells your story while simultaneously engaging with your audience.
What Makes A Story 'Newsworthy'?
- It's got to be something culturally/societally relevant at the time of publishing.
- Something that must be known by as many people as possible.
- You can have different 'agendas' for different groups, e.g. Local news vs National news.
- Choosing the 'lead' story is key in determining the 'most noteworthy' story of that particular bulletin.
- The lead story might vary at different times of the day i.e. what is the most engaging for the AUDIENCE at different times.
'Newsworthiness'
Subjective, but someone has to do it - Setting the Agenda ....
- i.e. Deciding what's important (and therefore what isn't!) and putting it in order for the programme.
- Typically you will see 15-20 news stories per 30' news programme
- Therefore out of a potential list of possibly limitless stories nationally and globally, deciding what that range of stories and the order in which they should be presented is difficult and influential.
- Part of the task is balancing the tone of the range of stories offered - from hard news, breaking stories to softer 'human interest' pieces.
- Journalistic instinct plays a strong part in this decision.
Key Areas which determine this decision are:
- Location
- Timelines
- Impact
- Prominence/'Importance'
- Conflict
- Simplicity
- Broadcaster's 'values'
- A Broadcast Journalist relies on a wide range of sources and contacts in the never ending search NEW news!
- The best journalists do not just sit and wait for a story to 'appear', they go out and FIND it...
- Using our experience with the documentary unit, we can now find people, places and stories more easily. We just need to maintain the 'NEW' aspect of it all.
How Journalists Find Stories with 'News Value'
- Working what Fishman (1997) called 'beats' - 'patrolling' much like a police officer on recognised chains of information to supply potential stories with 'news value'.
- What 'beats' form part of this chain of information?
- Many of these 'beats' are exclusively accessed by news journalists, e.g. calling police stations or press offices.
- ...But in doing so, what other stories are ignored? Is it right to give priority to those particular sources? If so... why?
Where the Newsroom Finds It's Stories
Primary Sources;
- Your own direct contacts.
- Original sources direct from source material e.g. archive material from libraries etc such as Kew (National Archives)
- Public Appeals
- Press releases/stats/official statements
Secondary Sources;
- Stringers (Freelancers)
- Other platforms/media
WIRES
Newsrooms frequently trawl 'the wires' for up to the minute tip offs on news stories such as -
- P.A. (Press Association) - provide a range of news stories and content for print and digital media for the UK and Ireland.
http://www.pressassociation.com/Editorial
- Reuters - International news agency.
The material on 'the wire' is provided by freelance journalists.
_________________________________
Correspondents
- These subject specialists work in newsrooms and are prized for their in depth knowledge and well honed contacts - often invited to confidential 'lobby' briefings with politicians and on the mailing lists of important relevant bodies.- 'Lobby' politics - influential groups 'lobby' the government in such meetings in order to get them to support each-other.
Foreign News Sources
- Journalists, editors and correspondents based permanently abroad for news networks e.g. Gavin Hewitt Europe Editor or Mark Mardell North American Editor.
- Sometimes pooled foreign news 'bureau' with other broadcasters.
- Again valued for their local contacts and on the ground knowledge and access.
- Often long hours, lots of travelling due to wide area covered and can be in dangerous or politically unstable areas - special training usually needed and obviously good language skills.
- International news agencies and large scale news organisations such as ABC, NBC and Sky with whom the likes of the BBC have deals.
- Eurovision News Exchange - facilitate the exchange of stories between Eurovision countries.
Archives
- Many broadcasters have their own archived material which is a rich source of pictures, as well as independent archives which sell on their material under license.
BEWARE - FAKE NEWS!
- They look like news packages and sound like them, but stories are to be approached with caution, as they are very often propaganda.
- Think about how many 'stories' now pop up via social media - WHO IS SENDING THEM AND WHY?
- Blurring the lines between MARKETING and NEWS.
- How do you verify and check these stories?
Communication
- Whichever your source of information and stories, you will need to be a consummate COMMUNICATOR in order to access these.
- We discuss 'balance' a lot when referring to journalism, but it's more about how we handle the information, and tell people what is really important.
- As with the documentary unit, know the essentials BEFORE you make a call - do your RESEARCH and know what questions you want to ask.
- Get used to USING THE TELEPHONE.
- Emails are good for exchanging information and more functional tasks, but nothing can replace a CONVERSATION.
- Build a rapport, gauge the person you are talking to and make a decision about them and the story. What can they contribute to our film?
Be Tenacious and Have Stamina! - Get Them 'On Side'
- Sometimes you have to be prepared to be creative in order to get what you need.
- Providing you are being ethical, find ways of negotiating obstacles to gain the access you need.
- Often you need to have stamina and be prepared to push at a story and find a new way of telling it in order to make it work.
- When people are reluctant to take part, sometimes with good reason, it is useful to explain that this is THEIR CHANCE to put THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY.
- Some of the best journalists don't give up they always find a way!
Being Creative With Your Methods...
- The art of tracking people down is one you need to master - do your research to identify KEY CONTACTS and build from there.
- Just like a private investigator you will spend a lot of time simply trying to find people.
- Sometimes you have to think outside the obvious in order to get what you need.
Deadlines
- Ultimately, you will always have DEADLINES. At some point you will have to deliver, however some stories take TIME so make sure you give them what they need to ensure your story is as good as it can be.
Finding Your 'Angle'
- The news 'Angle' is key to develpoing your story.
- The angle can be defined as the main SIGNIFICANCE of the story to your particular audience. It is a particular viewpoint of any story.
- There will inevitably be several angles on any story, your job is to decide the angle which best suits and sells your story while simultaneously engaging with your audience.
What Makes A Story 'Newsworthy'?
- It's got to be something culturally/societally relevant at the time of publishing.
- Something that must be known by as many people as possible.
- You can have different 'agendas' for different groups, e.g. Local news vs National news.
- Choosing the 'lead' story is key in determining the 'most noteworthy' story of that particular bulletin.
- The lead story might vary at different times of the day i.e. what is the most engaging for the AUDIENCE at different times.
'Newsworthiness'
Subjective, but someone has to do it - Setting the Agenda ....
- i.e. Deciding what's important (and therefore what isn't!) and putting it in order for the programme.
- Typically you will see 15-20 news stories per 30' news programme
- Therefore out of a potential list of possibly limitless stories nationally and globally, deciding what that range of stories and the order in which they should be presented is difficult and influential.
- Part of the task is balancing the tone of the range of stories offered - from hard news, breaking stories to softer 'human interest' pieces.
- Journalistic instinct plays a strong part in this decision.
Key Areas which determine this decision are:
- Location
- Timelines
- Impact
- Prominence/'Importance'
- Conflict
- Simplicity
- Broadcaster's 'values'
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