Download PDF - International Center for Journalists

Journalism Tipsheets 

By Doug Cosper, Michelle Fulcher and Nadine Alfa


Produced by the West Bank Project at the University of Colorado School of 

Journalism and Mass Communication April 3—May 14, 2005 

Published by the International Center for Journalists with support from the Center 

for International Private Enterprise 

About the International Center for Journalists 

The International Center for Journalists, a non-profit, professional organization, 

promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that independent, vigorous 

media are crucial in improving the human condition. 

Since 1984, the International Center for Journalists has worked directly with 

more than 50,000 journalists from 176 countries. Aiming to raise the standards of 

journalism, ICFJ offers hands-on training, workshops, seminars, fellowships and 

international exchanges to reporters and media managers around the globe. 

At ICFJ, we believe in the power of journalism to promote positive change.

Contents 

4 

News Judgment 

9 

Covering Speeches 

-Michelle Fulcher -Doug Cosper 

5 

Separating Fact from Opinion 

-Michelle Fulcher 

8 

Writing from News Releases 

and Conferences 

-Doug Cosper 

6 

Lead Writing 

11 

Math for Journalists 

-Doug Cosper -Michelle Fulcher 

7 

Hard News Story Structure 

11 

Internet Research 

-Doug Cosper -Jason Crawford 

8 

Interviewing 

19 

Photojournalism 

-Michelle Fulcher -Doug Cosper 

10 

Quotes and Attribution 

99 

Interviewing for Television 

-Doug Cosper -Nadine Alfa 

12 

Complex Story Structure 


88 

Reporting Breaking News for 

TV and Radio 

-Nadine Alfa 

15 

Covering Elections 


88 

Television and Radio News 

Writing 

-Nadine Alfa 

16 

Covering Beats 

-Doug Cosper 

77 

Television Reporting and 

Package Production 

-Nadine Alfa 

18 

Covering Meetings 

-Doug Cosper


International Center for Journalists


News Judgment 

Identifying and weighing the elements that make a story important or interesting 

to a reader can help you decide whether to pursue a story, what to emphasize in 

the lead and how to organize the story. 

Among the elements to consider: 

Importance/Relevance: 

• Consider whether the issue under debate will have a major impact on the 

community—a potential change in government or policy, for instance. 

Timeliness: 

• The story is more interesting and relevant if it happened recently and if it will 

quickly result in change. 

2


Proximity: 

• The story is more meaningful to 

people if it happens close to them— 

geographically or in terms of their 

personal interests. 

Prominence: 

• Stories that involve well-known 

people offer attract reader attention. 

If the subject is prominent, identify 

him or her in the lead. If someone is 

not well-known, focus on the event 

and place the identifications in the 

second paragraph. 

Audience: 

• If a large number of people are 

affected by an event or issue, it is 

more important to the reader. 

• If a large amount of money is at 

stake, the story has added “weight” 

as well. 

Conflict: 

• Stories that show a strong 

disagreement or a clash between 

individuals or groups draw more 

attention. 

Novelty: 

• Stories about highly unusual 

situations are intriguing. The old 

dog’s tale says it best: When dog 

bites man, that’s not news. When 

man bites dog, that’s news. 



Separating Fact from Opinion 

Set a balanced and neutral 

tone: 

• Respect your readers’ or viewers’ 

rights and abilities to form their own 

opinions from a factual news story. 

• Conduct research on all sides of the 

issue, and present your findings 

fully. 

• Work to find sources on all sides 

and ask equally probing questions. 

• Represent your sources fairly in the 

story—don’t quote the side you 

agree with heavily and neglect those 

with different positions. 

• Present statements in context— 

make sure your story fully reflects 

the intent of the source’s remarks. 

• Quote sources accurately and 

completely. 

• Attribute every quote and all other 

information other than common 

knowledge. 

• Keep opinion on the opinion pages 

and news on the news pages. 

Avoid words that reflect 

bias or a judgment about a 

source’s credibility: 

• Use neutral attributions: “said” 

rather than “claimed” or “insisted,” 

which imply questionable credibility, 

or “noted,” or “pointed out” which 

imply the source is stating fact 

• Use neutral words in copy: Don’t 

say the government “refused” to 

pass a tax increase; say the council 

voted against the increase. Don’t 

say something that happened was 

“unfortunate” or that someone is 

engaged in a “scheme.” 

Avoid conflicts of interest: 

• Do not affiliate with any organization 

or advocate for any issue that might 

cause a reader or viewer to question 

whether you can write a fair and 

impartial story. 

• Do not cover issues in which you 

have personal or financial 

involvement. 

• Do not cover issues, companies or 

other organizations in which family 

members are involved. 

• Fully disclose any potential conflicts 

to managers. 

4


Lead Writing 

A news lead: 

• Is the first sentence or paragraph of 

news stories. 

• Captures the ESSENCE of your 

story. 

• Answers the question: WHAT IS 

THE STORY? 

• Hooks the reader and pulls him into 

the story. Remember, the easiest 

decision a reader can make is not to 

read your story. 

• Is the hottest point of creation in the 

profession. Journalists are only as 

good as their leads. 

Check list for writing 

clear, powerful news 

leads: 

• First ask, “What is the story?” 

• Include only essential information. 

Most details belong lower in the 

story. 

• Try to express only one thought, 

usually in one sentence. 

• Keep them short and sweet—25-35 

words. 

• Keep your sentence structure 

simple—subject-verb-object. 

• Use the active voice when possible. 

• Always include the time element in 

hard news leads. 

• Try to write your lead before 

continuing with your story. If you 

can’t write your lead, you probably 

have not done enough reporting. 

• If you get stuck on your lead on 

deadline, imagine that your mother 

or wife or husband asks you when 

you get home from work, “What 

story did you work on today, dear?” 

The answer is probably your lead. 

Remember: 

• Journalism is founded on the 

principles of accuracy, fairness and 

balance. These principles also apply 

to writing leads. 

• No matter how skilled a writer you 

are, you cannot make a good story 

out of a bad idea. 

• No matter how skilled a writer you 

are, you cannot write a good story 

unless you have done the reporting 

well. 

• Think of writing as a process. 

Finding good ideas is writing. 

Reporting is writing. The actual act 

of writing is only the last step in a 

longer process of creation. 

• Write in past tense. 



Hard News Story Structure 

Checklist for writing clear, 

well-structured hard news 

stories: 

• In the inverted pyramid structure, it’s 

first things first, second things 

second. 

• Begin with a strong lead that 

summarizes the story. 

• The second paragraph should 

support the lead, adding more 

details. OR, a strong quotation 

supporting the lead can be very 

powerful here. 

• The third paragraph should 

support the first two, adding yet 

more detail, and so on 

throughout the story. 

• Be sure your first attribution is in the 

lead or second paragraph. 

Remember: 

• Think of each paragraph flowing 

from the source, or essence, of the 

story down the pyramid until the 

end. 

• All of the 5 Ws and H usually don’t 

belong in the lead. Lead with only 

the essence and include the rest in 

later paragraphs. 

• Paragraphs at the bottom of your 

story may be cut to make the story 

fit the allotted space. 

• The inverted pyramid structure 

helps the reader get as much of the 

news as he can as quickly as 

possible and allows him to stop 

reading whenever he chooses. 

• Use simple sentence structure— 

subject-verb-object. 

• Keep sentences brief. 

• Make only one point per paragraph, 

and limit paragraphs to one or two 

sentences. 

• Write in the active voice as much as 

you can. 

• Write in the past tense. 

6


Interviewing 

Before the interview: 

• Research your subject and his or 

her field of expertise, so you can 

ask thorough questions, understand 

the answers and pose follow-up 

questions. Showing your interest 

also encourages the subject’s full 

involvement in the interview, 

producing a stronger story. 

• Arrive on time and dress 

appropriately. 

• Always identify yourself as a 

reporter. Schedule a personal 

interview instead of a telephone 

interview, if possible. This allows 

you to observe how the subject 

reacts to questions, and to glean 

colorful details. 

• Explain to the source generally what 

your story is about and the 

information you seek. If you have 

written similar stories, send copies 

so they can see that you are serious 

about your work. 

• Consider taking a tape recorder so 

you’ll have complete quotes and an 

accurate record in case of dispute. 

Some reporters, however, find it 

unwieldy to review an entire 

conversation before writing the 

story. 

• If you will be accompanied by a 

photographer, inform the source so 

he or she can prepare. Explain the 

story to the photographer so he or 

she can plan a photograph that 

illustrates the story well. 

During the interview: 

• Start with a few minutes of casual 

conversation. This helps the subject 

relax and is a good time for 

background questions. 

• Prepare a preliminary list of 

questions, in order of priority. Check 

the list during the interview so you 

ask the most important ones and 

have the basis of a story. Don’t 

restrict yourself, however. Your 

source’s responses may generate 

follow-up questions, or he may offer 

information that leads to an entirely 

different line of questioning. 

• Structure questions. Avoid those 

that produce yes/no answers 

(“closed-ended” questions) in favor 

of those that require thoughtful 

responses (“open-ended” 

questions). Don’t ask, “Will you vote 

for the president?” Ask “Who do you 

think is the best candidate, and 

why?” 

• Establish the ground rules. In most 

cases, your source will speak “onthe-record” 

and will be quoted by 

name. Sources may ask to go on 

“background,” meaning they cannot 

be quoted by name. Instead, you 

would attribute the information more 



generally, to a senior government 

official, for example, or an expert in 

a particular subject area. The 

source may ask to go “off-therecord,” 

meaning the source is not 

quoted at all, but you may query 

other sources, and, if the 

information is verified, publish it 

without the original source’s name. 

• Use follow-ups. When you get an 

answer, think about what further 

questions it might spark for the 

reader—and ask. 

• Listen carefully. Is the source 

offering even more information than 

your question required? Sometimes 

this provides the most interesting 

material. Don’t miss it because it 

isn’t what you expected. 

• Clarify if needed. Don’t be afraid to 

ask what sounds like a “dumb” 

question if it will save you from 

making a mistake in your story. 

• Be accurate. Ask the source to spell 

names, titles, etc., as they arise 

during the interview. If the source 

says something you don’t 

understand, clarify. 

Ending the interview: 

• Ask, “Is there anything I forgot to 

ask you?” “Is there anyone else I 

should talk to?” This gives the 

source a chance to elaborate on 

earlier points, volunteer information 

or suggest additional experts for 

your story. 

• Ask the source if you can call him if 

further questions arise. Ask for 

home and mobile telephone 

numbers or e-mail addresses. This 

is a good time to get personal 

contact information not ordinarily 

shared with reporters. 

• Pause if necessary to catch up on 

your notes, and to give the source 

time to think further about your 

questions. 

• Don’t inject your own opinion into 

the interview or into the story. 

During the interview, consider your 

subject’s opinion with an open mind. 

Always keep yourself out of the 

story. 

• Control the interview. If the subject 

strays from the topic or avoids a 

question, repeat it until you are 

satisfied with the answer. 

• Save the sensitive questions for 

last. If a question might prompt the 

source to end the interview abruptly, 

ask it at the end of the interview. 

8


Quotes and Attribution 

Attribution: 

Keeping yourself out of your 

story 

Always stay out of your story. Let your 

sources tell the story to your readers. 

The facts are more powerful than your 

opinion. 

The importance of attribution: 

• Clear attribution tells readers where 

the information came from so they 

can make up their own minds about 

what or whom to believe. 

• Attribution protects the journalist. 

When not to attribute: 

• To protect a source. Don’t overuse 

unnamed sources, as this robs 

credibility from the story and invites 

unethical reporting. 

• If you do use an anonymous source, 

tell readers why it is necessary. 

Some attribution tips: 

• Keep attribution simple. “He said,” 

usually is enough. 

• Tell your readers enough about the 

source to allow them to decide 

whether to believe them or not. This 

is especially true of “experts.” 

Quotations: 

Bringing stories alive 

Good use of quotations: 

• Give stories credibility and authority. 

• Make stories feel more human by 

putting readers in touch with the 

speaker. 

• Gives visual relief by the reader in 

the story. 

• Support information in the lead and 

throughout the story. 

• Makes stories come alive. Readers 

can hear, see, taste and feel the 

words. 

• Adds variety to the pace of the story. 

Use the good quotes and 

avoid the others. 

Good quotations: 

• Contain strong feelings or images. “I 

know how to do two things in life: 

catch fish and eat fish. My father 

fished and so will my sons.” 

• Summarize a situation or illustrate a 

point well. 

• Contain live words, not dead ones. 

• Show something about a person’s 

character. “The veteran wept when 



he saw his old friends gathered at 

the battle site.” 

Use good quotes when: 

• Someone says something unique. 

• Someone says something uniquely. 

• Someone important says something 

important. 

• If someone important says 

something important in a boring 

way, paraphrase it or use a partial 

quote. 

Know your publication’s 

policy on changing the 

content of quotations and 

follow it. 

Ask Yourself: 

• Did you find the most qualified 

sources for the story? 

• Are there enough sources to tell the 

whole story and all sides of it? 

• Is all the information clearly 

attributed? 

• Could points have been made better 

with direct quotes? 

• Is everything inside quotations 

worthy of being in quotations? 

10


Complex Story Structure 

The inverted pyramid summarizes the 

essential facts in the lead and then 

explains them in order of importance. 

Other, more in-depth stories may be 

written differently. They may begin 

with: 

• An anecdote, or “story within a 

story,” that illustrates the story’s 

subject: 

In a story about a teenage boy 

whose face was disfigured by fire, 

the anecdote established that the 

boy was so self-conscious he had 

never had a mirror in his room. 

After the boy had facial surgery, the 

closing scene showed him posing 

for his yearbook picture at school. 

• A chronology: 

A story about a mass shooting at a 

high school begins: 

“The next minute would change his life, 

but Lance Kirklin never knew it was 

coming.” 

Kirklin steps outside his school, hears 

gunfire and watches his friends fall. 

Then, “Kirklin turned his head to the sky 

and saw someone standing over him. 

‘Help,’ Kirklin said. 

‘Sure, I'll help you," a voice replied. 

The person pointed a sawed-off shotgun 

at Kirklin's head. ‘And boom,’ Kirklin 

recalls, ‘he shot me in the face.’ 

The Columbine High School massacre 

had begun.” 

• A description or observation: 

A story about Mexican immigrants 

who die crossing the scalding desert 

to sneak into the United States 

begins: 

“Among the carnivorous insects that 

flourish in the arid sandscape west of 

this city are beetles that feast on human 

skin…” 

Any one of these options allows the 

writer to tell the story of an event, an 

issue or a personality. They can even 

be used to tell complicated stories 

about science or business. 

The lead can effectively evolve quickly 

to a “nut” paragraph that 

summarizes the story and explains its 

importance. This may be more than 

one paragraph, but it must be succinct 

and clearly explain the story’s themes. 

The “nut” in the story about the boy 

simply asks the reader to relate to the 

child. 



“You find yourself instantly … pulled 

past the deformity and into the world of 

a completely normal 14-year-old. It is a 

window into the world where Sam lives. 

You can imagine yourself on the other 

side of it.” 

The rest of the story alternately details 

the boy’s concern about this 

appearance and his journey through 

life-threatening surgery. 

“With four guns, 67 bombs and two 

hearts full of hate, classmates Eric 

Harris and Dylan Klebold shocked the 

world April 20 with the worst school 

shooting in American history. 

… The Denver Post interviewed dozens 

of students, teachers, investigators and 

parents to reconstruct the way two 

youths, cloaked in black trench coats, 

killed 13 and wounded 20 before fatally 

shooting themselves in the head. 

The eyewitness accounts are full of 

terror and courage, heartbreak and luck. 

They tell a story of senseless tragedy on 

the 110th anniversary of Adolf Hitler's 

birth that stole the lives of the strong 

and popular as well as the handicapped 

and lonely. 

From these recollections, a chilling 

picture of Harris, 18, and Klebold, 17, 

emerges: These two suburban 

teenagers enjoyed killing. They laughed 

about it. They celebrated it. Time and 

again, they were savage enough to 

spray a classmate with bullets, hear the 

moans of pain, and then silence the 

cries with a final gunshot at point-blank 

range. Other times, they pointed their 

guns at a classmate but spared him for 

no apparent reason.” 

The mass shooting story takes longer 

to summarize its themes: 

The rest of the story weaves the 

eyewitness accounts together in a 

chronology of the day. 

“The U.S. Border Patrol says at least 

151 immigrants died attempting to 

illegally cross from Mexico into the 

United States during a 12-month period 

ending Sept. 30. Human rights groups 

put the toll higher—at 205—saying that 

Border Patrol figures do not include all 

the bodies found by local law 

enforcement officers. Last year, at least 

145 immigrants died on the trek. 

In July, at the height of summer, 

temperatures regularly exceeded 105 

degrees. On a single day—July 15— 

eight people died in separate incidents 

along the state's 350-mile border with 

Mexico.” 

The “nut graph” in the immigration 

story uses numbers to illustrate the 

depth of the problem: 

The story then focuses on the debate 

over immigrant smuggling. 

12


The ending: 

While the inverted pyramid simply lists 

the facts in descending order of 

importance, the more complex story 

has an ending—often described as a 

“kicker”—to reemphasize the story’s 

key theme or provide a last emotional 

punch. The ending may return to the 

scene or event described in the lead: 

“Harris had taken off his trench coat 

sometime earlier, and was wearing a white 

T-shirt. Klebold, who wore a vest and 

ammo belt over his dark T-shirt, had 

dropped his trench coat onto the library 

floor.” 

The school shooting story, for 

example, returns us to the killers, 

each having shed the trench coats 

they wore in the opening scene: 

“About 4 p.m., Denver paramedic Troy 

Laman was ushered into the library. 

Warned that bodies might be boobytrapped 

with bombs, he felt gingerly for 

some sign, any sign, of life. 

One girl, facedown, was warm. The 

paramedic rolled her over and found open 

eyes full of tears. 

Lisa Kreutz had survived. 

Regaining consciousness later at Denver 

Health Medical Center, Kreutz 

remembered the pain of being rolled onto 

her wounded shoulder. 

‘That's when,’ she told her father, ‘I knew I 

was still alive.’” 

The final scene briefly describes the 

fate of each student Harris and 

Klebold encountered in the course of 

the story, naming 10 students who 

died and ending with a girl named Lisa 

Kreutz, who was shot in the shoulder. 

A writer has greater freedom in 

fashioning these stories, but the 

basics of journalism still apply: The 

story must be accurate, balanced and 

unbiased; facts and quotes must be 

complete and correct. 

Some Tips: 

Tell a story with a purpose: 

• Every story must provide valuable 

information and insight to the 

reader. Don’t let your writing ego 

overcome the story you are trying to 

tell. If the facts are strong enough, 

they will carry the story. If they are 

not, you probably don’t have a story. 

Report carefully: 

• If you think you’ve talked to enough 

people, talk to two, three or a halfdozen 

more. They may offer 

valuable information, quotes or 

detail than you need at the end, but 

that leaves you to choose the best. 

• Ask open-ended questions that 

produce detail and description. 

Use your senses: 

• Use the senses of sight, hearing, 

feel, taste, smell to observe all that 

is going on around you. Choose 

vivid words to share those 

observations with the reader. 

Write! 

• Don’t restrict yourself to “who, want 

where, when, why and how.” Identify 

the elements of conflict, drama, 

setting, character, dialogue or 

common themes and consider 

building the story around them. 

• Take this time to experiment with 

words and structure—is there a 

better way? 



• Every word counts—make it as 

descriptive, active, direct and 

colorful as it can be. 

• Vary the length of sentences and 

paragraphs. 

• Read key sentences and 

paragraphs back to yourself: Are 

they clear? Do they contain dull, 

repetitious or expendable words? 

Are they nicely paced? 

Rewrite: 

• Take a break after you finish the first 

draft. Clear your head and look at 

the story again for clarity and 

writing. 

14


Covering Elections 

Be fair: 

• Strive for equal coverage of each 

candidate and issue. If you focus on 

major candidates or issues, 

establish a uniform coverage plan to 

ensure voters have a basic 

understanding of everything they’ll 

see on the ballot. 

• Place remarks in context. Quote 

sources accurately. 

• Avoid words and descriptions that 

convey bias. 

In reporting elections: 

• Push beyond routine coverage of 

press conferences, speeches and 

rallies. 

- 

- 

- 

Cover the issues as well as 

the candidates. 

When an issue is under 

debate, do your own research 

and call on neutral experts to 

explain the facts as opposed 

to claims of supporters or 

opponents. 

In the case of a candidate, do 

the research that will allow 

you to pose tough questions. 

If the candidate makes an 

error in fact, give him or her 

the chance to explain, but 

inform your readers of the 

mistake. 

• Use multiple sources, supporters, 

opponents and experts. Give 

readers the information to predict 

what the candidate might do in 

office and what concrete change will 

happen if a ballot issue is approved. 

• Follow the money: Identify who is 

supporting the candidate or issue 

financially and why. What policies 

are they promoting? What potential 

conflicts of interest do they have 

(the desire for government contracts 

on a project the candidate 

promotes, etc.)? 

• Inform the readers of the political 

affiliations of those you quote. 

The numbers: 

• Be skeptical of polls. Determine who 

sponsored them; whether the 

questions were worded to 

encourage certain responses, 

whether the sample size is 

adequate and reflects voter 

demographics. Explain polling 

methods and accuracy rating to 

readers. 

• Don’t trust candidates’ crowd 

estimates. Ask police or other official 

sources. Better yet, estimate it 

yourself using the block method if 

you were there. 

• Don’t trust candidates’ claims about 

government budgets or other 

financial information. Verify their 

arithmetic. 



Covering Beats 

• Beats provide the publication the 

best opportunity to lay its fingers on 

the community’s pulse — to probe 

society and culture. Parachute and 

brush fire journalism can’t do that. 

• Most big stories are broken by beat 

reporters because beats are rich in 

hard news and feature story ideas. 

• Your readers depend on you to keep 

them informed about what their 

public officials are doing or are not 

doing. The system depends on you 

to keep it greased by living up to 

your responsibility to your readers. 

• Develop a network of sources — 

secretaries and night watchmen as 

well as the top officials. The depth 

and breadth of your source network 

largely will determine the depth and 

breadth of your stories and your 

success as a beat reporter. 

• If you earn the readers’ trust, you 

can expect good telephone tips from 

strangers. 

• Be physically present on your beat. 

Almost daily contact is essential. 

Several phone calls every day are 

necessary on some beats, 

especially law enforcement or other 

beats that may have quickly 

developing news. 

• When working a beat, don’t let 

yourself drown in routine. If you 

can’t cover everything, don’t try. Go 

for NEWS and miss a few small 

meetings if you have to. 

• Keep a current file of office, home 

and mobile phone numbers. 

• Remember to write for your readers, 

not your sources. 

• A word about sources: People are 

not tools or objects or merely means 

to an end. And they are usually not 

stupid. They know when they are 

being “cultivated,” and they don’t 

like it. Would you? Establish honest, 

open relationships with your 

sources. After all, you must trust 

them, and they must trust you. 

Tips on getting started on 

a new beat: 

• Study documents relevant to your 

beat and people on it. Study the 

organization’s budget, calendar and 

founding papers if there are any. 

They are filled with story ideas. 

• Review the morgue, or publication 

library, for past stories. Some of the 

best ideas come from following up 

forgotten old stories. 

• Read the competition. 

• Get on the mailing and emailing lists 

on your beat. 

• Keep a tickler file for follow up 

stories. 

16


• Formally introduce yourself to the 

chief sources—the secretaries and 

their bosses. Let them know that 

you are a professional and that they 

can expect you to act like one. Get 

to know other sources in the course 

of your frequent beat checks. 

• Show your sources you care about 

them and their work by frequent 

visits and sound, responsible 

reporting. 

• Help your sources with a little public 

relations when you can. 

Remember: 

Everything that happens on your beat is 

your responsibility. Don’t miss it! 



Covering Meetings 

Watch for the News 

• Meeting stories don’t have to be 

dull. Remember to report the NEWS 

that comes out of the meeting. Don’t 

just tell the readers that someone 

had a meeting. Who met where, 

when and why belongs in the 

second paragraph. 

Sit Up Front 

• On the front row if possible. If you 

can’t hear and see, you can’t write. 

Make a Participation 

Seating Chart 

• Outline the seating arrangement 

and assign each player a number 

for quick attribution to quotes in your 

notes. Be sure you get names and 

titles down accurately. 

Good Writing Begins with 

Good Reporting 

• Keep in mind that reporting is really 

just an extension of writing. It’s all 

one process. You already are 

sculpting your written report as you 

listen and observe, as you decide 

what to write in your notes, and as 

you think of the right follow-up 

questions. If you gather solid, 

exciting information and 

observations, you will write a solid, 

exciting story. 

Listen Between the Lines 

• Listen for hints of developing trends 

or anticipated announcements 

hidden or accidentally dropped by 

speakers. Then ask them to 

elaborate after the meeting. 

Ask Questions 

• Merely recording what is said at a 

meeting is not reporting. Ask 

participants to elaborate or follow 

new angles during breaks and after 

the meeting is over. Don’t ask 

questions during the public portion 

of a meeting. Let the audience do 

that. 

Ask More Questions 

• Watch for the authoritative and 

colorful speakers from the audience. 

Find them after the meeting for 

follow-up questions and their phone 

number for more questions later. 

Write for Your Readers 

• Keep in mind who will be reading 

what you write, and write directly to 

them, to their interests, to their 

needs, maybe to their passions. 

5 W’s and H 

• Ask yourself before you leave the 

meeting if you have the Who, What, 

Where, When, Why and How. 

18


Chances are, the speaker didn’t 

give you everything you need in the 

public portion of the meeting. Be 

sure you understand the issues 

before you leave the building. 

Remember, the only stupid question 

is the one you were afraid to ask. 

Use the Good Quotes 

• When you fail to use quotations in a 

story, especially a meeting story, 

you rob it of its humanity, of color. 

But use only the best quotes—the 

ones that made an impression on 

you. Dull words are best 

paraphrased. 

Story Organization 

• Most meeting stories are complex 

stories. Lead with the main news 

story, then, in the second 

paragraph, give the reader a hint of 

the other main elements you will 

flesh out after the main story is told. 

Put the least important paragraphs 

at the end of the story. 

If You Are Writing a Story 

of Record 

• Get every official action that occurs 

during the meeting. Most of it will 

play at the end of your story, as 

explained below. 



Covering Speeches 

• Be prepared, do the research on the speaker. 

• Arrive early, leave late. 

• Sit up front where you can see the action. 

• Note the mannerisms of speakers and audience. 

• Get business cards for correct spelling of names and titles. 

• Cover the event—look around the edges at the audience (size, reaction). 

• It’s OK to clarify quotes after the speech, also to get new quotes and angles. 

• Be sure you have the 5Ws and H in your notes. 

• WRITE WHAT WAS SAID, NOT THAT SOMEONE GAVE A SPEECH. 

20


Writing from News Releases and 

News Conferences 

“A reporter must go out and 

capture the news. Only 

publicity comes to the 

newsroom to surrender.” 

News releases can be valuable 

resources for reporters, but remember 

that they are produced for one primary 

purpose: to influence the opinions of 

your readers through your story. 

Tips on writing from a 

news releases: 

• Treat it as a news tip, usually little 

else. 

• Check for the 5Ws and H. 

• Look for what is new and 

interesting. 

• Look for unanswered questions, 

holes and what is NOT said. 

• Call the contact people for 

verification, elaboration, clarification 

or a new angle. 

• Call sources who might provide 

balance for the story. 

• Talk to people whose lives are 

directly affected by the release. 

• Add background and context. 

• Consider putting the information into 

a calendar of events or briefs if it 

doesn’t make a story. 

News conferences can be valuable 

resources for reporters, but remember 

that they are produced for one primary 

purpose: to influence the opinions of 

your readers through your story. 

Tips for covering news 

conferences: 

• Be prepared. Do your homework. 

• Arrive early, leave late. 

• Sit up front where you can see and 

hear the action. 

• Get business cards for correct 

spellings and titles. 

• Note the mannerisms of 

participants. 

• Cover the event—look around the 

edges at the audience (size, 

reaction). 

• It’s OK to clarify quotes after the 

conference, and always best to get 

new quotes and angles. Remember, 

if you ask a question during the 

conference, everyone will have the 

answer. If you wait until afterwards, 

you will have the scoop. 

• Be sure you have the 5Ws and H 

before you leave the building. 

• WRITE WHAT WAS SAID, NOT 

THAT SOMEONE HELD A PRESS 

CONFERENCE. 



Math for Journalists 

Percentage: 

• Percentage change: Old number 

minus new number, divided by old 

number. 

• Percentage increase: The budget 

rose from $50 million (old number) 

in 2004 to $60 million (new number) 

in 2005. Therefore, $60 million-$50 

million = $10 million divided by $50 

million = .20 or 20 percent increase. 

• Percentage decrease: The budget 

fell from $60 million (old number) in 

2004 to $50 million (new number) in 

2005. Therefore, $60 million—$50 

million = $10 million, divided by $60 

million = .166 or 16.7 percent 

decrease. 

(To convert a number to a percentage, 

move the decimal point two places to 

the right.) 

• Percentage points: The difference 

between two percentages. 

A percentage point reflects a share 

of a larger number. (If 4 percent of 

babies are born prematurely, for 

example, then 4 of every 100 babies 

were born prematurely) If that rises 

from 4 percent to 5 percent, it is not 

a 1 percent increase, so the 

difference is described as an 

increase of one percentage point. 

Rate: 

The relationship between the number 

of incidents and population or some 

other base number, as opposed to the 

relationship between a number and 

100. For example, a community’s birth 

rate may by 65 per 100,000. If that 

were 65 of 100 it would be 65 percent. 

It is, in fact, .00065 percent—more 

often expressed as 65 per 100,000. 

Average: 

To find an average number, add a 

group of numbers together and divide 

by the sum of the numbers: 12 + 24 + 

36 + 42 = 114 

114 divided by 4 = average 28.5 

This number is useful when all of the 

numbers are generally in the same 

range so an extreme number does not 

influence the average. 

Median: 

The midpoint in a series of numbers; it 

varies depending on whether there 

are an odd or even number of items in 

the sequence: 

In a series containing an odd number 

of items, the median is the number 

halfway between the highest and the 

lowest: 2 + 24 + 30 + 36 + 60. The 

median is 30, because there are two 

numbers higher and two numbers 

lower. 

In a series containing an even number 

of items, the median is the number 

midway between the two middle 

22


numbers: 20 + 24 + 30 + 78. The 

median is 27: 

(24 +3 0 = 54 ÷ 2 = 27) 

This number is more useful when 

there is a number at the extreme 

(such as 78) that might otherwise 

distort the average. For example, if 

you are trying to show how old most of 

the people in a town are, and the 

majority range from 20-30 but one 

person is 78, the average will provide 

a distorted picture. (The average will 

be 38 when most of the ages are 

between 20 and 30). 

Public Opinion Polls: 

• Who sponsored the poll? Avoid polls 

generated by interest groups, as the 

results may be biased. If you must, 

identify the sponsoring group and its 

position on the issue fully. 

is described as the “margin of error.” 

The larger the sample, the smaller 

the margin of error and the more 

accurate the poll. 

• If a poll shows that Candidate A has 

52 percent of the vote, and 

Candidate Y has 49 percent of the 

vote, with a 3 percent margin of 

error, Candidate A may actually 

have anywhere from 49 percent 

(minus 3) to 55 percent of the vote 

(plus 3 percentage points). 

Candidate Y’s total could be 52 

percent or 46 percent. Because 

each candidate’s total might be 49 

percent, this race is too close to call: 

You would report that candidate A 

appears to be leading, but that the 

race is statistically too close to call. 

• Are the questions neutral or slanted 

to generate a certain response? The 

best questions address one topic 

and ARE limited to a “yes/no” 

answer, as broader questions 

generate less specific answers that 

are open to interpretation. 

• How are respondents chosen? Polls 

generally should reflect a range of 

ages, races and other demographic 

factors. Participants should be 

chosen entirely at random. Calls 

should take place during both day 

and evening (so the poll isn’t limited 

to those who are home during the 

day) and should include both listed 

and unlisted numbers. 

• Because polls measure a sample of 

the population, there is a statistical 

probability of error. This probability 



Internet Research 

By Amy Webb, Webbmedia Group, 

October 2008 

Places: 

Sometimes, the amount of results 

from a standard search query can 

offer too many results. There are 

many alternative engines that will help 

you to search more specifically: 

• Blogdigger 

(http:/.www.blogdigger.com) - 

Search only blog content 

• Technorati (http:// 

www.technorati.com) - Search only 

blog content 

• Search.Twitter.com searches Twitter 

feeds TweetScan (http:// 

www.tweetscan.com) searches 

Twitter feeds by keyword 

• Everyzing (http:// 

search.everyzing.com) searches 

audio and video content 

• PolyCola (http://www.polycola.com) 

allows you to search multiple search 

engines at once and look at the 

results in a split-screen format 

The “Dark” Web 

Did you know that much of the 

information available online is hidden 

because search engines can’t find it? 

There are many ways to search for 

specific kinds of files, just within 

certain organizations and more. For 

example, if you wanted to find a 

municipal budget for the city of 

Chicago, you might try using the 

following search: site:gov filetype:xls 

budget Chicago. 

• Search for information from a 

particular domain: by country 

(site:jp, site:de, etc.), by type 

(site:org, site:gov, site:mil, etc). 

• Search for particular filetypes using 

commands: filetype:xls, 

filetype:doc, filetype:ppt and all of 

the new extensions (docx, etc.). 

• Search for particular keywords using 

commands: intitle, inurl. 

Techniques: 

Evaluating online sources: Do you 

know who’s behind a website? Who 

registered the domain? Why are they 

publishing the information? Has the 

site been hacked? Where it’s located? 

The best way to start your search is 

using the WhoIS database at http:// 

www.networksolutions.com/whois. 

Unless the site has been registered 

using a proxy, you should be able to 

find the name, phone number and 

email address for the site’s registrant. 

24


Some Sources: 

By Jason Crawford, West Bank 

Project, University of Colorado at 

Boulder, April 2005 

• Google: http://www.google.com/intl/ 

ar/ 

• Google text translation tool: http:// 

www.google.com/language_tools? 

hl=ar 

• CIA World Factbook: http:// 

www.cia.gov/cia/publications/ 

factbook/ (English) 

• United Nations: http://www.un.org/ 

arabic/ 

• U.S. National Institutes of Health: 

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ 

(English) 

International Journalism 

Resources: 

• http://www.ifj.org/ 

• Palestinian members: http:// 

www.ifj.org/default.asp? 

index=1507&Language=EN 

• http://www.wpfc.org/ 

• http://www.ijnet.org/ 

• http://www.freedomhouse.org/ 

• http://www.ifex.org/ 

• http://www.icfj.org/ 

• http://www.apfw.org/ 

• Arab Code for Journalists: http:// 

www.al-bab.com/media/docs/ 

intcodes.htm - fed 

• Centre of Islamic and Middle 

Eastern Law: http://www.soas.ac.uk/ 

Centres/IslamicLaw/Materials.html 

(English) 

• Middle East Network Information 

Center: http://menic.utexas.edu/ 

mes.html (English) 

• Middle East Maps & Encyclopedia: 

http://www.i-cias.com/e.o/atlas/ 

index.htm (English) 

• A handful of blogs 

• http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/ 

(English) 

• http://www.ihath.com/arabi/ 

• http://www.nasser99.com/ 


Section Title Here 

Social Network Research 


October 2008. An early version of this 

article was originally published in 

Uplink on 10.20.2007. 

It isn’t enough to simply rely on 

Google to return comprehensive, 

relevant information, not with the 

number of new content added online 

every day. And while Google, as well 

as other major search engines such 

as Yahoo!, indexes web pages 

regularly, it often misses the content 

that is hidden deep within discussion 

boards, blogs, podcasts and other 

social networking tools like Facebook 

and LinkedIn. 

Part of the problem is technology: 

Standard search engines are 

programmed to look for certain bits of 

code on websites. The other obvious 

problem is volume: web pages rise 

within search results to some extent 

based on keyword relevance and the 

number of times users click on that 

particular link. So if you were working 

on a story about a high school football 

scandal, chances are pretty good that 

you might miss out on local chatter 

between students without also running 

a pointed search through the social 

web. 

There are dozens of new web tools 

that now enable you to search across 

networks and deep within social 

networks to find information. 

Incorporating a handful of alternative 

search tools into your daily reporting 

routine should help you work faster, 

more efficiently and towards finding 

those esoteric bits of information that 

separate a good story from a 

spectacular achievement. 

Before you go deep, keep a few things 

in mind. First, many people can spot 

a reporter without much prodding. If 

your story absolutely requires details 

about Jane Doe’s personal life and 

you’re convinced that her Facebook 

page is the place to visit, don't try to 

“friend” her without an introduction. 

Same goes for LinkedIn and other 

personal/ professional social 

networks. 

On the other hand, you should 

absolutely establish accounts with 

these and other popular services. 

Keep it professional, join relevant 

groups and follow those people/ 

organizations who contribute to your 

beat. (For more information on how to 

get started, keep reading!) 

Second, be honest when commenting 

within blog spaces or discussion 

forums. An easy way to find yourself 

blacklisted from an online community 

is to lurk in the background, ask an 

occasional question, and then publish 

your findings. It’s okay to participate 

in the discussion – but share your 

identity when acting as a reporter, with 

others. If you wouldn’t do it in person, 

you shouldn’t do it online either. 

26

Book Title Goes Here 

Getting Started 

Create free accounts with a 

number of social networks. 

We’re asked often why someone 

should join a bunch, why s/he can’t 

just use one. The reason is because 

you never know what your sources 

might be using. While one person 

favors Delicious, someone else might 

rely only on Facebook. The only way 

to participate is to join. And since 

these services are free, there’s no 

reason not to at least try them. 

We cannot stress this enough: If 

you’re going to use it for work, keep 

your network 100% professional. 

Don’t post photos of your kids or talk 

about your latest spaghetti dinner 

masterpiece. You can certainly create 

pages on networks that are intended 

only for your friends and family, but 

work networks should stay exclusively 

work-based. 

Delicious is a social bookmarking tool 

(http://www.delicious.com). Just as 

you “bookmark” web pages in your 

browser (that would be Firefox or 

Internet Explorer or others), you can 

store your bookmarks online. You can 

tag and categorize them and share 

them with others. You can also write 

summaries of the pages you 

bookmark, and others can add their 

comments as well. 

Delicious can function as an intranet 

for your reporting team. You can post 

important websites or other content 

online, and share those links via 

delicious only to those you invite. You 

can use Delicious as an online 

sourcebook and store all of your 

sources’ web pages and other 

information in one place. With 

Delicious, as long as you can get 

online, you’ll always have your 

bookmarks with you - even if you don’t 

have a computer! Delicious also 

works on mobile phones. 

Ning (http://www.ning.com) is a social 

networking tool that will enable you to 

set up your own network. This means 

that you can easily create your own 

website that offers a calendar, 

discussion features, blog, photo 

gallery, video gallery and a number of 

other tools. In addition, users can 

create their own profiles, just as they 

would on Facebook or LinkeedIn. 

You can use a Ning site for your beat. 

For example, if you cover city hall, you 

can create a city hall Ning site and 

invite your regular sources, insiders, 

elected officials and 

others associated with that beat. You 

can use your Ning site to solicit 

feedback, story leads and more. And 

at Ning you can keep the site private 

and unlisted. 

LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com) is 

designed as a professional networking 

tool and is a good way to search for 

connections within your network of 

contacts. If you need to bypass the 

PR folks at Comcast and want to talk 

to someone directly, you may be able 

to find a name and phone number 

through someone within your network. 

You can also pay a premium monthly 

charge for the ability to email folks out 

of your network directly. 

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com) 

was originally created for college and 

high school students, however it has 

recently opened to everyone. The 

tone of profiles on Facebook tends to 



be more casual, and the site offers 

groups and discussion boards, where 

users talk about issues that interest 

them. Examples include professional 

organizations (Online News 

Association), alumni groups 

(Columbia Journalism School New 

Media Alumni) and pages for specific 

topics (D.C. Tech Talk). People often 

post news and local events here, and 

that can serve as a wonderful tool to 

help you meet new people and to 

learn more about various subjects. 

You can also create a Facebook group 

page to serve your beat. If you cover 

fashion, you might create a local 

fashion group where users comment 

on collections, offer feedback and 

links to additional material. You can 

also use your group to announce an 

in-person meeting, so that you can 

gather people together to talk more 

about moves in the fashion industry. 

Twitter (http://www.twitter.com) is a 

microblogging tool. Essentially, that 

enables users to send a message of 

140 characters or less out to a large 

group of people. The message, or 

“tweet,” is only delivered to those who 

follow you - however if you make your 

Twitter URL available, anyone can 

view your messages on the web. 

Twitter can be a great way to survey 

the zeitgeist, find additional sources, 

monitor your beat and solicit 

comments and ideas. There are a 

number of incredibly useful Twitter 

applications that can be applied for 

journalism. 

While all of these web tools can be 

used as reporting tools, they are 

primarily meant to function as social or 

professional networking spaces. It’s 

best to check sites you’re registered to 

at least once every day. Or try 

FriendFeed (http:// 

www.friendfeed.com) and aggregate 

many of your social networks into one 

site! 

Search the Blogosphere 

Blogdigger (http:// 

www.blogdigger.com) 

Blogdigger is a powerful search tool 

that digs only through blogs to retrieve 

information. 

A reporter’s tool: Some bloggers/ 

blog sites typically break news before 

local journalists even hear about an 

event. Examples include TechCrunch 

and Slashdot. Find the bloggers who 

cover your beat and read what they’re 

saying. 

Technorati (http:// 

www.technorati.com) 

This site indexes and tracks who’s 

linking to who throughout the 

blogosphere. 

A reporter’s tool: You can search by 

keyword, by broad topic, by blog 

name and by Technorati user. An 

easy way to develop reporting on a 

specific topic would be to simply follow 

links. 

Everyzing (http:// 

search.everyzing.com/) 

Originally called Podzinger, this site 

indexes video and audio content. 

A reporter’s tool: Search by keyword 

– results are returned with the 

sentence where the keyword occurred 

and the time on the audio or video 

track. Rather than listening through 

an entire 45 minute podcast of a 

28


Hillary Clinton speech on health care, 

you could “zing” it to find the exact 

phrase and surrounding context – and 

then play the recording from that point 

forward. 

Search the Zeitgeist 

Omgili (http://www.omgili.com) 

Search through what people are 

saying in forums and discussion 

boards. 

A reporter’s tool: What are people 

saying about this particular topic? Are 

they mentioning other names/ 

companies/ websites? Will they point 

you more towards what you’re 

researching? 

StumbleUpon (http:// 

www.stumbleupon.com) 

StumbleUpon is actually a toolbar that 

can be installed on any web browser 

and, based on a set of your 

preferences, delivers new web pages 

you may like. 

A reporter’s tool: Just as looking 

through the footnotes of SEC reports 

can produce interesting story ideas, 

so too can rummaging through user 

comments. 

Wikirage (http://www.wikirage.com) 

This site tracks pages in Wikipedia 

that are currently receiving the most 

traffic and edits. 

A reporter’s tool: When a story 

breaks, it may be worthwhile to check 

out what users are contributing at 

Wikipedia to help inform your own 

reporting. 

Search People 

Spock (http://www.spock.com) 

Spock is now in public beta and 

delivers thorough results on people. It 

pulls content from other websites and 

allows users to enter their own 

information, wiki-style. 

A reporter’s tool: Because this is a 

wiki, people have the ability to enter 

and edit information about 

themselves. Additionally, others may 

edit information, too, so you may be 

more likely to find leads on people 

here than by using a simple Google 

search. 

Pipl (http://pipl.com/) 

Pipl searches the deep web to find 

information hidden within databases 

and other areas that standard web 

crawlers can’t or won’t search. 

A reporter’s tool: This search engine 

aggregates databases for you, which 

can be a plus when searching for 

information on deadline. 

Wink (http://www.wink.com) 

Wink is a smart search tool that pulls 

information only from social network 

sites such as MySpace, LinkedIn, 

Bebo and Friendster. 

A reporter’s tool: This is an easy, 

efficient way to search through social 

networks, however you will need to 

enter both a name and a location. 

Spokeo (http://www.spokeo.com) 

Spokeo searches across various 

social networks and tracks people 

using their email addresses. 



A reporter’s tool: You’ll never 

believe what’s out there if you just 

know how to look. This tool is so 

powerful you’ll be surprised at what 

you can find on virtually anyone! 

Search Across Networks 

Sputtr (http://www.sputtr.com) 

Sputtr offers single search window 

with many different options: Type in 

“Second Life” and search through 

YouTube, Flickr, Digg, etc. by 

selecting your button of choice. 

A reporter’s tool: Use this to find 

multimedia files very quickly. 

Whonu (http://www.whonu.com) 

At Whonu, search through images, 

videos, news, maps, blogs, books, 

calendars, notebooks and more. 

After, you can share or bookmark your 

search results. 

A reporter’s tool: If your newsroom 

doesn’t have an intranet, you can 

potentially use Whonu as a way to 

share reporting resources on a 

particular story, on a beat or on a 

geographic area. 

More Search Ideas 

Midomi (http://www.midomi.com) 

Need to find the name, title and artist 

of a song fast – but only remember 

the tune? Midomi allows you to hum a 

few bars of a song into your computer 

and it matches your rendition to its 

database, returning the original song 


30


Understanding and Using 

Twitter 


October 2008. 

What’s all the fuss about 

Twitter? What can it do, and 

why should you care? 

Twitter is one of the newer 

micropublishing tools, and it can be 

used to both collect and disseminate 

information. Want a better handle on 

microblogging as a viable 

communication platform? Have a look 

at this study from the University of 

Maryland. http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/ 

paper/html/id/367/Why-We-Twitter- 

Understanding-Microblogging-Usageand-Communities. 

Their findings 

aren't necessarily earth shattering - 

we connect with others because we 

either have something in common or 

want their knowledge - but the paper 

does a great job of explaining how we 

stay in touch, digitally. 

Try harnessing Twitter as a reporting 

tool and see what new information you 

can uncover. The information below 

offers basic advice on Twitter along 

with a list of useful Twitter 

applications. 

TwitterFeed 

Got a blog? This will automatically 

update your posts to your Twitter 

account. If you're not sure how to 

effectively Twitter at your news 

organization, create a basic Twitter 

account - like BaltimoreNews. Then, 

you can automatically send out 

announcements of your new blog 

entries to everyone who's following 

you. http://twitterfeed.com/ 

Twhirl 

This is a nice desktop application that 

allows you to update and read your 

Twitter account. This application really 

functions more like an instant 

message client. Still, it can help 

reporters stay on top of breaking 

news. http://www.twhirl.org/ 

Autopostr 

You can use Autopostr to post Flickr 

photos to Twitter and also send a 

tweet to your followers. 

http://Autopostr.com 

Twellow 

This is a search engine that you can 

use to browse people and other 

topics, uses Twitter and other social 

networking tools. http:// 

www.twellow.com/ 

Twitter Answers 

Ask Twitter a question, find an answer. 

http://www.mosio.com/twitter/ 

Summize 

Twitter’s own search engine. 

http://search.twitter.com 

TwitterTroll 

Yet another search engine, TwitterTroll 

also shows the most popular searches 

at any given time. Can be useful to 

search the zeitgeist. 

http://www.twittertroll.com 

Snitter 

This is a popular desktop client, but it 

requires Adobe Air to run. 

http://getsnitter.com/ 



Twitteroo 

Desktop client, works best on PC. 

http://rareedge.com/twitteroo/ 

Mobypicture 

Shares photos via Twitter, enables 

you to post directly to Flickr and your 

blog. http://www.mobypicture.com/ 

Twitterrific 

Desktop client for mobile or desktop. 

http://iconfactory.com/software/ 

twitterrific 

PocketTweets 

This tool enables you to post and read 

tweets via your iPhone. 

http://pockettweets.com/ 

Twadget 

If you're a (blech) Vista user, this is a 

gadget that will track and send all new 

tweets from your account. 

http://arsecandle.org/twadget/ 

Twitter Tube Tracker 

Track the status of London's Tube 

trains and get delays sent to Twitter. 

http://tommorris.org/blog/ 

2007/02/22#When:12:43:46 

TwitterGram 

Tired of just sending out 140 

characters? Use TwitterGram to send 

mp3s tweets. Use it for journalism: 

This could be a fantastic way to share 

breaking news audio reports. You 

might also consider using it to send 

out quick advertisements every X# 

tweets. http://www.twittergram.com/ 

TwitterLit 

This application will send out the first 

line of a book and a link to Amazon. 

It's part trivia - can you guess the 

author and title? - but mostly a 

marketing ploy to get Twitter users to 

buy more stuff on Amazon. But it's 

effective - and lots of people are using 

it. Mimic this application for use in 

your own newsroom. Tease new 

stories. Use quick-hit trivia to drive 

traffic to your site. What about 

promotions? Selling photos or 

archived video? http:// 

www.twitterlit.com/ 

TwitterLocal 

Filter out tweets from just a certain 

area. Reporters can use this as 

source material to find out what's 

happening within a certain range of 

miles, postal code, state, city, etc. 

http://www.twitterlocal.net/ 

Twittervision 

Twittervision displays random updates 

from people around the world. It's a bit 

like watching an aquarium, and it's 

addictive. Want to get included? Add 

TwitterWhere, which will automatically 

post your tweet location. 

http://twittervision.com/ and http:// 

twitterwhere.com/ 

Twitzer 

Want more than 140 characters? 

Twitzer works with Firefox and will 

allow you to type in longer posts. Be 

warned, though. Twittering is meant to 

be is micro-sized, and some of your 

followers may not want long, rambling 

posts from you. http://shorttext.com/ 

twitzer.aspx 

Twubble 

Want to follow more people but not 

sure where to start? Twubble will 

make recommendations based on 

who you currently follow and your 

geographic location. This is a good 

way for jurnos to get started using 

Twitter, especially if they're not sure 

who to start following just yet. 

http://www.crazybob.org/twubble/ 

32


Tweet Scan 

This is another search engine for 

tweets. Again, you're not quoting 

directly from folks - just looking for 

leads and additional context to aid in 

the reporting process. http:// 

www.tweetscan.com/alerts.php 

Twitbar 

For our Linux friends, a Twitter client 

for Gnome users to post from the 

Deskbar. http://philwilson.org/blog/ 

2007/03/post-to-twitter-from-ubuntudeskbar.html 



Photojournalism 

Photos guidelines: 

• News photos also tell a story. 

• News photos, like news stories, are about people, so include people in your 

photos—people doing something that tells the story. 

• Get up close, then get closer. 

Cutline guidelines: 

• Cutlines describe the action and identifies the main characters by name in 

the present tense. 

• For example, on a photo of a football player making a point: State’s Jan 

Johnson scores a last-minute goal against Tech. 

• It may contain second or third sentences of background, but these are 

written in the past tense. 

• For example, on the photo of the football player: State’s Jan Johnson 

scores a last-minute goal against Tech. The score meant that State will 

compete in the Cotton Bowl in April. 

• Every photograph must have a photo credit. This is the name of the 

photographer who took the picture (photo by Billy Bob Johnston) or credit 

given to the source of the photo, such as: photo courtesy of the Department of 

Education. 

34


Interviewing for Television 

Person on the street: 

• Make it colorful and diverse. Talk to 

old people, young people, women, 

men, etc. 

• Ask the same question in exactly 

the same way. 

• Ask a simple question. “What are 

you doing here today?” “What do 

you think of the latest legislation 

passed?” “Are you for or against this 

law and why?” “What are your 

thoughts about this?” 

• Don’t phrase your question in a way 

that invites a “yes” or “no” answer. 

• For editing purposes, change your 

location behind the camera for each 

interview. 

For example, first you are to the 

right of the camera, next to the left of 

the camera, and so forth. Keep this 

process up every time to avoid jump 

cuts. 

Sit-down interviews: 

• Do not talk to your character about 

the main topic BEFORE the camera 

starts rolling. This ruins the fresh 

momentum of the interview, or the 

character ends up saying things 

later like “as I told you before…” 

• Always start the interview with a 

sound check. Ask your character to 

state his or her name and title and 

have them spell it out for you on 

camera. 

• Start with soft, easy, general 

questions. Make your character 

comfortable. 

• Sit close to the lens of the camera, 

either to the right or immediate left. 

• Make sure the mic isn’t in your 

frame. 

• Do not interrupt the interview with 

reaffirming comments to make the 

interviewee feel more comfortable 

For example, don’t say “uh-huh, 

yes, I understand” etc… you ruin 

your sound. Just NOD in 

agreement. Same affect. 

• If they ramble or talk too long, do 

not be afraid to ask the question 

again and say can you “briefly” 

summarize that for me. 

• If you miss something, say, “I’m 

sorry, I didn’t understand that. Can 

you explain it to me again?” 

• Ask: “So, what’s the bottom line?” 

“What’s your main goal?” 

• Don’t be afraid of awkward silence 

or emotional, teary interviews. Look 

concerned, sympathetic, but do not 

stop the taping. That can be your 

best on-camera moment. 

• The less you talk, the more they will 

talk. 



• Don’t be afraid to ask the tough 

questions and play devil’s advocate. 

Say: “Some people we spoke to 

about this have said such and such 

about you. How do you respond to 

these allegations?” 

• Listen well. Think sound bites. 

• Take notes. Write down the quotes. 

Take the time code. 

• Put a star or two stars near the 

sound bites that you think are 

powerful and useful. 

• In closing, ask them if there are any 

concerns or anything more they 

want to add or say. 

• Make sure you have set-up and 

cutaway shots. 

• Never fake your setting. Do not 

rearrange the furniture and put a 

“flag” or “picture” behind your 

interviewee so that it appears in the 

shot. Many do this, but it’s unethical 

and theatrical. 

• If you cannot independently confirm, 

attribute. 

• Tell the viewers you are checking/ 

trying to confirm other reports. 

• It’s more important to be reliable, 

credible and accurate than to get 

the story first … and false. 

• Be honest. If you don’t have the 

answers, never assume or 

speculate or analyze. That’s not 

your job. 

• Describe the mood, the scene, 

what’s happening around you. Use 

fresh choice of words. 

• Always remain collected and calm 

under pressure. Remember the 

viewer does not know— nor care — 

about all the difficulties and 

obstacles you are facing behind the 

scenes. 

• Do not make any promises you 

cannot or do not want to keep. If 

they ask for a tape of the interview, 

say you cannot provide it, but that 

you can let them know when the 

piece will be aired so that they can 

record it at home. Just Be Honest! 

• In breaking news deadlines: make 

air, not art. 

• Simplify. Simplify. Simplify. 

• Go with the facts. 

• Go with what you know, and no 

further. 

36


Reporting Breaking News for 

Television and Radio 

• Get the story out — and get it right. 

• A lead makes one point. And one 

point well. 

• Your story should be loyal to your 

lead. 

• If you cannot be loyal to your lead. 

Dump it. 

• The lead should grab and capture 

your audience immediately. 

• Shock value is crucial. Remember: 

Impact, Familiarity 

• Singular of “News” is New. 

• Always try to relate the news to your 

audience, the “you” factor. Your job 

is not only to tell the new, but to 

connect it to the familiar. 

• Ask yourself, “Why should I care if I 

was watching/listening to this?” 

• Write to the pictures and for your 

audiences’ ear. 

• Smooth transitions are what keep 

your audiences hooked and tuned 

in. It’s like keeping the romance 

alive in an old relationship. 

• Always try to advance the story. 

Don’t say what happened today if 

you know what is scheduled to 

happen tonight or tomorrow. Right 

now is much more appealing than a 

stale old story that happened 

“earlier this morning.” 

• Always use present active voice. 

• Always use a conversational tone. 

Speak to your audience as if you 

are there in his/her living room. 

Don’t use fancy words and language 

that you would never use with your 

brother/sister/friends. 

• Scripting: Use sound and pictures to 

help tell your story. Let the pictures 

and sound and writing go hand-in 

hand, complimenting one another 

but NOT repeating or stating the 

obvious or stupefying your 

audience. 

• Remember only a “good“ picture 

can be worth a thousand words. 

• Try to always start and end with 

your most powerful pictures. The 

first picture will grab them, and the 

last can make your piece 

unforgettable. 

• Use sound bites or quotes for 

dramatic effect, not to explain the 

story. 

• Be fair. Be brief. Be concise. 

• Always put yourself in your 

character’s shoes. Would you be 

happy if portrayed the way you are 

portraying him or her? 



Television and Radio News Writing 

• Do not try to “please” or be “liked” 

by everyone. 

• Aim to be respected, not liked. 

Gaining people/sources/officials’ 

respect is much more valuable than 

having them like you. They will then 

know they can trust you—even if 

they don’t agree with you. 

• Revise. Revise. Revise. 

• Don’t repeat unless for emphasis. 

• Don’t repeat. 

• Don’t slavishly attribute if any idiot 

would know where you got the 


• A long story is like a house. It must 

have four walls and a roof. 

Remember that a wall not 

connected to the roof probably 

doesn’t belong to that house.* 

• Nothing signals poor journalism like 

poor grammar and spelling. 

• If you cannot get the easiest, 

simplest facts right, your audience 

won’t believe you got the whole 

story right. 

• A delayed lead is more interesting 

than a straight lead. If it isn't, dump 

the delayed lead and go straight.* 

*(by John Dinges. The Rules.) 

Some television shorthand: 

MOS 

SOT 

BSOT 

FS 

VO 

NAT 

VO 

Bird 

TRT 

OC 

PKG 

DNT 

VO 

Man on the street 

Soundbite 

Butted sound bites (backto 

back interviews/ 

connected) 

Full screen or graphic 

Video 

VO with natural sound 

Satellite feed transmission 

Total Running Time 

Outcue 

Package 

Donut 

Reporter's bridge, VO 

• Journalists don’t know what people 

think. They know what people “say 

and do.”* 

38


Television Reporting and Package 

Producing 

• Research your story BEFORE 

heading out of the bureau. 

• Know your story well. 

• Prepare a draft script. It will help 

keep you focused. But remember, 

it’s only a draft—not set in stone. It 

can be changed. 

• If there’s no time to write a draft 

script at least prepare the first, 

middle and end stages or topics of 

your piece. 

• Prepare a shot-list. Think of the 

possible elements you may need to 

compliment the script you are 

thinking of. 

• Make sure you have all the right and 

appropriate equipment. It’s your 

responsibility to tell the 

cameraperson what to bring, how 

long you think you will be on the 

shoot (batteries), what type of 

lighting you might require (indoors 

or outdoors), whether you will be 

doing a sit-down interview or “man 

on the street” sound-bites (mics). 

• Make sure you communicate well 

with your cameraperson about the 

story. Inform him or her of your 

ideas and needs—ask for 

suggestions. It’s all about team 

work. You need your cameraperson 

on your side! 

• When you are out shooting footage, 

try to log and keep track of all the 

images and shots your 

cameraperson is taking. This will 

save you a lot of time when you get 

back to the bureau. 

• Before you leave, ask your 

cameraperson what he or she shot 

so that you can then, and only at the 

end of the shoot, suggest what more 

you need and what may be missing. 

• Do not interrupt your cameraperson 

when they are working unless it’s 

really necessary. 

• If you do need to suggest 

something, just tap him or her gently 

on the shoulder. Then speak up. 

Don’t shake or surprise them. That 

will only ruin YOUR SHOT. 

• Do not over shoot. It’s a waste of 

your time and energy. Stay focused 

on your story line, on your elements 

and what you need. Don’t get sidetracked. 

• As you are shooting elements, 

always keep your script in mind. You 

are writing for pictures. 

• Also think of your first and end shots 

when you are out in the field. 

• Shoot your stand-up at the scene of 

the action. The seminar, the protest, 

the airport, the market etc. 

• If you are not sure whether to do a 

bridge or a stand-up, do both. You 

can choose your best one later in 

the bureau. 



• When writing your bridge or 

standup, it’s easiest to just mention 

the facts of what you know. For 

example, make an estimate of how 

many people attended a protest. 

Strive to be accurate. It’s better to 

go with the lowest safe number than 

be wrong: “At least 500 people 

gathered here today in front of 

Martyrs Square,” or say “no one is 

exactly sure of the exact number of 

people gathered here today but as 

you can see behind me they are in 

the hundreds.” Do not say,“around 

800 people gathered here today.” It 

may turn out to be less. Numbers 

are always changing. Be safe and 

accurate. You can always add the 

exact figure by the time you get to 

the bureau and have it in your toss. 

• Your bridge should always be 

something that’s factual yet flexible 

enough to be worked into a 

transition. 

• Your stand-up, on the other hand, is 

your ending. It can either be a 

forecast of “what’s next” or a simple 

summary. 

• Back in the bureau, you log your 

tapes. Write your script, voice it. 

40

1616 H Street, 3rd Floor 

Washington, DC 20006 

www.icfj.org

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