1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY
1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY
1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY
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48 Journal<strong>is</strong>m Online<br />
assuming who <strong>is</strong> the best contact, assuming what the contact will<br />
say when you speak to him or her, assuming what they say <strong>is</strong>n’t<br />
newsworthy if it’s not what you expected, assuming you know<br />
enough or assuming you are right.<br />
Students of journal<strong>is</strong>m often find news development quite<br />
testing. They have difficulty getting the balance right between<br />
investigating an area of potential news development and having<br />
the story cut and dried and half written in their head before they<br />
have even spoken to anyone.<br />
They may single out a certain interviewee and approach him<br />
or her with a fixed idea of the response they would like. They<br />
then assume that somehow the ‘story’ has fallen down if the<br />
interviewee does not give the ‘right’ answers, even though an<br />
analys<strong>is</strong> of what the interviewee has said might reveal an<br />
unexpected, but better, angle. Alternatively, there could be other<br />
people to interview.<br />
Similarly, something not happening can be just as newsworthy<br />
as something that <strong>is</strong> happening, for example when a local council,<br />
police force, hospital trust or government body takes no action<br />
following a series of complaints from the public.<br />
It <strong>is</strong> far better for the journal<strong>is</strong>t to keep an open mind, seeking<br />
new angles, perspectives and developments. The most important<br />
word in the journal<strong>is</strong>t’s vocabulary <strong>is</strong> ‘why?’. Yet it can be the<br />
least used.<br />
Get organized<br />
Here lies one of the many paradoxes within journal<strong>is</strong>m. The more<br />
d<strong>is</strong>ciplined and structured your approach to research and<br />
reporting, the more freedom you can enjoy to be imaginative,<br />
effective and inc<strong>is</strong>ive.<br />
The journal<strong>is</strong>t with the up-to-date contacts book or tidy desk<br />
doesn’t waste any time when looking for sources of information,<br />
so they spend more time using them. The journal<strong>is</strong>t who takes the<br />
trouble to find out how the city council or fire authority works will<br />
get to the right people earlier and quicker when chasing a story<br />
than the one who muddles through. The journal<strong>is</strong>t who prepares<br />
thoroughly for an interview with a local politician <strong>is</strong> more likely to
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