DECEMBER 2010

Reporting in the first instance 1.3

What is it?

It’s reporting as we are going.Report what you know on topical websites

when you know it.It has to be accurate.Filing tidbits/pictures/facts as we are going.Think of it as a reporter’s notebook without

the rumors. Some of that dictates change in how notes are taken: Use a

laptop for example, when possible.

The groundwork

Old model vs. new model – The very basics

Old: Hold on to content until it’s packagedNew: Report what you know, as soon as you

know it. (Tidbits/atoms)

Why report in the first instance?

Reporting in the first instance is important because:It allows products to start thinking about more

packaged display.It allows for almost real-time reporting.Products may pick different pieces of the puzzle for

what they want to give their audience.Some of the packaging is still done by content

gatherers: Somebody has to write something close to a newspaper story. If TV9 wants a live shot from somewhere somebody still has

to stand in front of the camera. Somebody still has to voice it.

Why report in the first instance?

It engages your community: Bellevue parade incident Other news (Club foot walk) Etc.

People search for news they care about all the time!

The groundwork - How it used to be

What we are aiming for

Exercise

Let’s see if that makes sense.You are sent out to cover a high school

baseball game. What are some examples of tidbits?

Exercise

OK, so there are your atoms. You report them as you are going. For the sports example: Visuals from before the game. Atmosphere before the game. Atmosphere at the beginning of the game. Stats (Players, by inning, by team) Score Two fans are throwing punches at each other in the stands Home run – distance, etc. Turns out the “fight” was more horseplay than an actual fight, a

school official says. Police are now reporting that one of the people involved in

horseplay was arrested for public intoxication. Final score

Exercise

What do topical experts do with them?Put the atoms (tidbits) into context.

Reporting this way can be tough

Information still has to be accurate.Report what you know.When you know it.Sometimes that information is vague.Choose your words wisely based on what you

know for sure.

A good rule

If you observe it, report it. But don’t assume you can interpret everything you see perfectly.

Exercise

You get to the scene of a reported fire. Flames are visible. Firefighters have their hoses out.

Reportable: Firefighters are fighting a fire at xxxx.

Example

You get to the scene of a reported fatal traffic accident. Traffic is at a standstill. Police have put a white sheet on top of a mangled car. Can you report it’s a fatal crash?

What can be reported? “Traffic is at a standstill. Police have put a

white sheet on top of a mangled car.”

Reporting in the first instance

This can be done for every topical area.

Business beat example

Dan Mann is the airport’s director. He’s leaving. Don’t know why, where to, etc. Here’s some history on him and how many directors there have been. How much

they’ve gotten paid over the years, where they’ve come from, where they’ve gone to.

More details on Mann’s departure. Heading to xxxxx. Last day is xxxxx. Hiring committee seated. Names of people on it, etc. New job description outlined. Some differences from Mann’s discovered. Why did it change? Number of applicants. Names. Interviews. Person selected. Start date. Starting today. Tidbits from first day. And so on…

Business beat example

Some of these tidbits may not seem newsworthy in the traditional sense.

And there may not be enough time to report every single item.

Sometimes if you don’t know something, say you don’t know something. It’s OK to say: I don’t know when he’ll start.

One more exercise – What to report?

A person calls the station to say that there were threats of a shooting at the local high school. The caller says he’s confirmed this through several tweets back and forth with his friends. (You do not know the caller.)

An intern across the room just reported that police were talking about something similar earlier.

A journalist heads to the school. Once there, he hears a loud bang. Kids are starting to run out of the school.

Lots of screaming. An adult, possibly a teacher, steps out of an entry way and loudly calls out to the kids: “Everyone huddle behind the dumpsters by Wal-Mart.”

One kid stops near you and screams: “I’m scared.” You ask: “What happened?” Kid: “Somebody was shot. Didn’t you hear the gunshot?” Kid runs off. Police are getting to the scene. A SWAT team arrives. A voice over the police scanner says: “Two students dead inside. Backup

needed NOW NOW NOW.”

Tools

Desktop computerLaptopSmartphoneCell phone (you can e-mail in posts)

Challenges

It’s a change for everyone!The public as well as professional journalists.

Reporting in the first instance

Questions?Comments?