reporting – Page 11 – Survive Your Job In Television News

Parroting bites

Ever heard that phrase? Parroting bites is a common writing flaw in television news. It seems like such an obvious no-no, but it happens a lot. So let’s define it, to try and stop it from happening.

Parroting bites, means repeating what the sound bite said in the anchor copy, sometimes word for word. It usually happens right before or right after the sound bite. While writing for the ear involves some repetition, it is not a good idea to “parrot.” It actually confuses the person listening. The viewer wonders, why are they saying the same thing over and over, then misses the next part of the story.

Bites do need set up, and that often involves explaining the gist of what the person is going to tell the viewer, but you should not parrot. Focus on why the sound bite is relevant in the set up. Often the bite is relevant for two reasons, the person saying it and/or the bite explains the importance of the information you are providing. So, focus on those reasons when setting it up. “This lawmaker is behind the legislation.” “This witness saw exactly what happened.” “So why is this research important? This doctor explains.” Catch my drift? That makes the viewer want to hear the sound bite, and immediately recognize the importance of the context of the sound. Since you have so little time to explain much of anything, you need each word to really count, including set ups to sound bites. Parroting wastes time.

If the sound bite is hard to understand, you can paraphrase afterwords, but say that’s why you are doing it. “Just to make sure you heard that, he said…” Parroting involves directly repeating the bite, without explaining why. If you explain why, it is not parroting.

One last thought on parroting sound bites. It makes the anchor or reporter reading the script, appear that they do not understand the story and, have no idea about the person the sound is coming from. It screams, “This anchor just reads, and doesn’t know that he/she is talking about!” Think about it. When you talk to someone and they repeat exactly what you said back to you, you question if the person really gets what you are talking about. Same rule applies go parroting bites in news copy. Credibility is crucial. So don’t parrot bites.

Making the most of the holiday shift.

It’s inevitable that you will work most holidays. That doesn’t change with years in, for most journalists either. So here are some secrets to making the most of the holiday shift.

Last year, Matthew Nordin wrote a great survival guide to getting through having to work the holidays. This article will look at ways to make the day easier once you are “at the office.”

Set up a potluck
Look for fun trivia
Be flexible

First things first, everyone should get to celebrate in some way. Set up a potluck. Have everyone bring something in and enjoy a meal together. Do this even if the station provides a meal. Just switch it to appetizers or desserts. Be sure and have the food ready, first thing at the start of the shift so field crews can eat and go. Often the food from the station arrives after field crews have left, so they miss out. The potluck at least gets them some food. This is a great time to enjoy your coworkers a little, when things are not so crazy. It also gives you a little something to look forward to. After all, we newsies love good food.

Look for fun trivia to sprinkle in all those vo’s about the local parades and celebrations. There are often cool stories about a strange happening one year, or how much food is being dished out. It is neat to throw those tidbits in as talking points throughout the newscast. It also fills time, when you have a big news hole and little to say.

Be flexible. Breaking news can happen, so if you are asked to stay an hour late turning a pkg on the accident in the middle of the reindeer parade, don’t grumble. Also, if possible, talk to management as a group about staggering shifts, so everyone can get some family time. As long as the newsroom has some hands on deck all day, there should not be an issue. Producers, don’t demand a ton of live shots. Try and let as many people as possible head home when their pkgs are in. If you’re concerned about reporter presence in the newscast, have them shoot look-live standups. If you are the one stuck staying for breaking news, remember, next year you will have a better shot of being the first in and first out, IF YOU DON’T COMPLAIN. The producer and assignment desk don’t get the luxury of leaving early. They don’t feel sorry for you, and shouldn’t have to. If you gripe, you can bet your odds of drawing the short straw again next year, will go way up.

Those of us that have worked MANY holidays, (so many you lose track) realize there is a camaraderie that’s built around “sucking it up” together. I have fond memories of working holidays as well. And then when your comp day comes around, you get to relax and do whatever you want. A sweet freedom, many who only get set holidays off can never understand. So, smile, stay positive and make the most of it!

The emotional toll: How to cope with horrifying stories.

Since this website started, we have had several awful events that really challenge your faith in humanity and your journalistic integrity. When the shootings happened in Aurora, several journalists DM’d about the emotional toll covering that story took on them. Many local, Colorado, journalists stated that station management did not seem to understand just how hard it was to cover the story day in and out.

Now journalists are trying to help viewers make sense of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary. The ages of the children involved, is staggering. As some of you pointed out in our discussions, these kids were young enough to still believe in Santa Claus. They symbolized innocence and all that is good about humanity.

Unfortunately, it is part of the job to cover horrible things like this story. It is part of the job to watch horrific crime scene video to see if it should be released to the public. It is part of the job to comb through records in a case that describe, in horrible detail, how long a child was buried alive before finally suffocating and dying. But we are also human. These facts and images do take an emotional toll.

So this article is an attempt to let you know it is okay to hurt. It is okay to be angry and to question. This article is a reminder to managers across the country that your journalists know it is part of the job to report on these types of stories, but that it can take an emotional toll. Offer some sort of support, even if it’s a reminder that the company offers free counseling services through an toll free number.

If you are finding that these events leave you raw or numb, talk about it. Call that 800 line. Call your spiritual guide if you attend some sort of church. If you don’t have a spiritual guide, go to the inspirational section of a book store and look up a title. We all need to be reminded that some things are bigger than us. Go to a yoga class. Beef up your workout to relieve stress. Eat a little comfort food! Bottom line: Do not ignore the emotions. It is simply not healthy. It is not good for you or the audience you try and serve. Our Facebook page has a place to comment and discuss your thoughts if you’d like. We know from covering news that some people find it therapeutic to say or write their thoughts down and share them. If you need, do it also. No judging. We need to support each other, when these kinds of stories happen. We need a place to separate from the job and be human as well. Otherwise, these kinds of stories will take a long term emotional toll on all of us.

That term is suspect: When to use the word and when to avoid.

By now most of you know we have a cliché list of words and phrases you just should not use. “Allegedly” is one of the very worst, and we explained how to get around it. Now let’s talk about another very overused, and obviously misunderstood term: “suspect.”

By definition “suspect” means: “to think (a person) guilty without having proof.” It is a term police, lawyers and judges use. Viewers get the essence of it, quite possibly more than most newsies. I say that because when you watch an a-block in most newsrooms around the country, you hear “suspect” being used, in a way it should not, constantly.

Here’s a common example, when describing a convenience store robbery with surveillance video. “Here you see the masked suspects approaching the counter with guns and demanding cash from the register.” Um, no. “Here you see the robbers pointing guns at the cashier.” The people with the guns, who then take handfuls of cash from the register are not “suspects.” They are the people who did it. Police may not know their names yet but, you can see in the video, they are the “robbers.” The people in the video are guilty, the video shows proof. You see them committing the criminal act.

Now here’s what to do, if the person is not wearing a mask. As we explained in “Getting around allegedly” if you see the person doing it and police confirm that’s what happened, simply attribute it. “Police say you are watching a man rob this store.” “Suspect” is not going to help you here. The man is seen holding the gun. State the facts. Attribute to police.

Inexperienced writers, if you are unsure, exercise caution. These concepts take a while to grasp. Remember, you must attribute. Words like “suspect” do not really protect you. Saying for example, “Police call Joe Schmo a suspect.” can still create problems. You can say police have identified a suspect and not show a face or say a name. Remember, unless the person is a public figure, the name is less important to viewers than the fact investigators are moving forward and possibly solving the crime. The safest bet, is to wait to say a name until there are charges. Once a person is arrested, they are no longer simply a suspect. So saying “Suspect Joe Schmo is charged with.” is not a protection. The term suspect, has to be used clearly, not as a crutch phrase.