When I talk to journalists, one of the first questions I always ask is what is your news philosophy? It is pretty surprising how few can actually give me a defined answer besides, “I love breaking news” or “We do new, now, next” at our station. Some even go on to say, “Does it really matter if I have one? “ You can work at places with different news philosophies. I did. But I stuck to stations that had the same basic core beliefs in what journalism means. The one time I did not stick to that, I was so miserable I literally hated work. You need a news philosophy […]
Can you really tell the difference in news philosophies during daily coverage?
Survival Kit, Writing Help
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May 092017
Crew View: Do You Really See It During Major Coverage?
Management Issues, Political Hotbed
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Jun 162016
The mass shooting in Orlando has been very raw to cover. Mass shootings simply are. All hands are on deck. Everyone works long hours. Everyone bands together with a passionate sense of purpose to serve the community. The things the crews see and talk about, over and over, can be very hard to take. Some will take to FB and lay out the pain. Some will quietly seek counseling. But most just grit their teeth and say, “This is part of the job I must be strong.” That is largely true. It is part of the job. But I really do not think people choose to be journalists to cover […]
How Millennials Are Going To Change The Job Interview Process For The Better.
Job Interviewing, Picking A Shop
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Apr 262016
For the last 10 years or so the job interviewing process has largely gone downhill in many newsrooms. Many stations did little vetting. Many barely let candidates see much of the newsroom before being rushed out. If you asked a bunch of questions during an interview, you were labeled a potential trouble maker. More companies are not wanting to pay for plane tickets or meals. Some require the candidate to pay upfront for all these costs. And many would “tease” with one job description, then place the new hire in a different job once he/she arrived. The thing is, most millennials are very aware of their wants and goals and […]
How to break down a lot of information.
Survival Kit, The Latest, Writing Help
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Mar 302016
Lately this question has come up a lot in my coaching role. The journalist has complicated stories that seem like they should make air. But it is so hard to boil the stories down, they try to avoid the content. This is a natural phase in learning to be a journalist. Let’s talk about some basic guidelines to help you put that story in the newscast, without lunch bagging it with too much information to understand the point. First let’s talk package techniques. Simplifying Package Information Think Set Up Package focuses on impact and video support Substantive tag of key facts you need to report, but that don’t work well […]
TV Survival Skills. The 10 Things You Need To Do To Be Successful In The Modern Newsroom
Anchoring, Reporting, The Latest
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Feb 252016
1. CAN YOU FIND EXCLUSIVE STORIES? No really…can you find the story that makes politicians and PIO’s lose sleep?? Better yet, can you do this even with news of the day? Do you have fast attack investigative skills? You better! Everyone can get PIO info and sound. You have to be able to separate from your competition to get paid. How do you do that?? Know the process and procedures of paperwork- school districts, police and sheriff- what documents exist and when do they become available? Time is quickly wasted, opportunity and credibility forever lost by not knowing procedures. Can you get a great tip confirmed? Most reporters cannot. You […]
