Before I head out on any broadcast piece, my managers are always yelling this from the assignment desk. If you are not familiar with what a TVU is you should be. A TVU is a portable, wireless electronic news tool that allows you to broadcast from almost anywhere. In other words, it is a live truck shrunken down into a back pack that you can carry to remote areas.
There is no doubt a TVU makes you more mobile. You can go places where you can’t pull cable. Here is proof:
Last October, I stumbled upon breaking news with my photographer. A 50-plus car pileup on I-75 south near Sarasota. We jumped out, left our car and headed toward the heart of the accident. And, if you watch the video, you will see what ensued. We were live in the middle of the pileup and could walk viewers through the scene. Every other station that showed up was a mile away doing stagnant live shots from the shoulder of the road. Instead, we were walking, talking, showing and conducting live interviews. In the end, our coverage ended up winning us a National Headliner Award.
Below is another example. Typically, crews are left going live outside the airport … you usually have enough cable to get you close to the drop off area or arrival pickups. The TVU allowed me to retrace the man’s last steps in the airport.
There is no doubt TVU technology is in its infancy but its potential is astronomical. That being said, there are kinks that need to be worked out before we can say bye to live trucks. If you have ever worked on TVU, you know that your signal is dependent on wi-fi and cell towers. Sometimes in rural areas, maintaining a strong signal is impossible–and there goes your live shot.
Not to mention there is a 4-5 second delay. That means your producer must be on their feet and cue you early…then wait til your package is nearing its end and again cue you. Trust me when I say it can throw you off to work this way.
But, these are all minor issues. I believe the TVU is like the first form of a computer….fast forward a decade or two and now computers can fit in your back pocket. Without a doubt, TVU is here to stay and will only improve over time.
Jacqueline Ingles is a multimedia journalist for WFTS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Tampa, Florida. She specializes in crime and courts in Pinellas County. She writes, shoots, edits, and fronts her own work while doing also doing all of her own web work. Prior to WFTS, Jacqueline worked for almost three years at KXAN in Austin, Texas, as a one-woman-band MPJ. While in Texas, she covered the devastating drought and wildfires. Jacqueline’s work appeared numerous times on CNN during her time in Austin. Jacqueline also worked at WCTV’s Valdosta, Georgia, bureau and at MTV News as a political correspondent during President Barack Obama’s campaign. A native of Chicago, Jacqueline received a masters in broadcast journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola University-Chicago. She held two internships at WBBM and WLS in Chicago. Her print journalism work been published in the Northwest Indiana Times, Chicago Syndicate, Beep!, and the New Mexico Free Press.
Being thrust into the fray of becoming a full-time reporter, fresh out of college can be very stressful. The stress of a new job coupled with an already stressful working environment can be overwhelming and it can be easy to forget why you got into this profession in the first place.
Here are 5 tips to make it through:
1. Striving for perfection. In an effort to try to impress your new bosses, you may try to make every article or segment perfect. It’s OK to make it as good as possible, but at a certain point, you just have to understand that not every thing you do will be perfect. While striving for perfection, it is possible to hurt yourself because you focus on the little things too much and lose sight of the larger issue. There is a saying that sums this up: Perfection is the enemy of good.
2. Explore. On your day(s) off, take in the sights and sounds in the community. This will help you learn more about the area you are covering and interacting with people will help you learn about the community. It is also a good way to build sources.
3. Building relationships takes time. Don’t take it personally if some people are reluctant to open up to you since you are the “new person.” It may take some time to build that relationship, so do not get discouraged. Take care of business and do what you know you know how to d0.
4. Get to know your editors and producers. Knowing them gives you an idea of what they like and will make your life easier. Trust me.
5. Just breathe. When it gets overwhelming, just take a few moments and gather your thoughts. Clarity is a beautiful thing.
Ryan Broussard works as an intern at the Advocate in Baton Rouge where he covers crime and works general assignments on the weekend. He graduated from UL Lafayette with both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He has been an SPJ member 2006. Connect with him on Twitter, @ryanmbroussard.
There is the old saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but when is comes to journalism, there are always new tricks to learn.
Whether it comes in the form of different, more creative ways to say something or new tricks in editing audio or video; learning new things never hurts.
Here are five different things you can do to pick up new tricks:
1. Reading/Watching what others are doing: This one should be obvious, but alas, it is not. For print journalists, it is an simple as reading the newspaper and seeing how other journalists you admire write and structure their stories. For broadcast journalists, the same philosophy applies. Watching and listening how others work their stories is very beneficial.
2. Keep up with social media and online tools. I know some people may be tired of hearing about social media, but it does have its uses. My other GenJ colleagues have written past blog posts about social media tools to use, so I won’t go in-depth. Just scroll through past posts and you may get some ideas.
3. Participate in webinars. The Poynter Institute puts on great online training tools for journalists. ‘Nuff said.
4. Talk to friends in the profession to pick their brains about ideas and tips. Those talks are often invaluable.
5. Read books. I know I talked about reading earlier, but reading books written by journalists will help tremendously. Find a good author and enjoy the ride.
Ryan Broussard works as an intern at the Advocate in Baton Rouge where he covers crime and works general assignments on the weekend. He graduated from UL Lafayette with both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He has been an SPJ member 2006. Connect with him on Twitter, @ryanmbroussard.
I’ve always maintained that the hardest part of a journalist’s job is enterprising original stories. It’s even more difficult if you have to do it five days a week. I do not envy the reporters at my TV station.
Presenting new stories daily is part of their job description. I am a newscast producer, so I’m not expected to offer my own original story each day. I feel I do get another pass because I work overnights. Come on, who am I supposed to call at 3:00 a.m. to develop good stories? However, I like to contribute something here and there.
When I talk about original stories, I think of a few things:
1. It’s not from a press release
2. It’s a follow to a story that people might have forgotten about
3. It’s something no one else has even mentioned yet
Despite my work schedule, I do maintain a social life outside of work, especially when I wake up in the early evenings (you read that part right).
Recently, the Minnesota chapter of SPJ had a trivia night, and teamed up with the members of the Minnesota Public Relations Society of America. The first five minutes were tough; I didn’t know anybody and didn’t recognize anyone. I put my coat down near a group, and just said hello.
They were all PR folk. Minutes after the standard “where do you work, where are you from” questions, it was already time to announce the trivia teams. A trivia night was an excellent idea, because every team had a least one journo and one PR rep.
In between questions, our team learned more about each other, exchanged business cards, and had a good time (it helped that we took 2nd place). Afterwards, I caught up with the first group from that night, chatted more, and traded more cards.
I have at least three new story ideas from that night. Granted, look at who was there: PR reps. Their job is to GIVE you stories. It’s a match made in heaven. You need stories, they have ones they want you to cover.
I’m sure someone reading this will say, “those PR reps will send your newsroom a press release anyway, so why butter them up?” I argue that the personal connection with these people will give you an edge later. You’ve got a foot in the door and they’ll scratch your back a bit more. Your interaction with them gives them validation for what they are doing, and makes their efforts worthwhile. When you do something for someone, they’ll return the favor (at least, that’s the way it should be).
What I learned from that night is that an easy way to find good stories is to meet with the people who are ready to have a story to tell. Networking events (especially ones with PR) are packed with people who are trying to sell themselves. They WANT to talk to you.
Give them an ear, and see what you find.
Mike Brannen is a morning newscast producer for KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St.Paul. Before that, he was a producer at KIRO7 in Seattle, where he led the 4:30 a.m. show to a #1 share in the U.S. He received an MA in Broadcast Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010 and received his Bachelor of Journalism degree the year before. He shares more about his life at mikebrannen.com and on Twitter: @MikeBrannen.
Yet young journalists continue to find jobs. Non-profit journalism organizations are hiring reporters and editors fresh out of J-School. Recently, I spoke with three of these non-profit journalists about their careers.
From left to right: Michael Todd, Managing Editor of Hear Nebraska (photo by Rob McLean), Rebecca Thiele, Radio Producer for WMUK (photo courtesy of Rebecca Thiele), Lauren Mills, Digital Analyst and Reporter for IowaWatch (photo courtesy of Lauren Mills)
Lauren Mills, Digital Analyst and Reporter at Iowa Watch
Lauren Mills turned a student job into a full time journalism gig.
She landed a reporting gig at IowaWatch after applying for a fellowship program with the organization– a website that dedicates itself to “producing and encouraging explanatory and investigative journalism in Iowa, engaging in collaborative reporting efforts with Iowa news organizations and educating journalism students.”
Mills started out as a student reporter, but moved up to web manager and assistant editor during her senior year. After a brief stint at the Sioux City Journal, Mills joined Iowa Watch as a digital analyst and reporter.
Aside from reporting, Mills has sit in on board meetings, where she said she gets an inside view on what the organization is doing in various areas. It also gives her insight into how the organization is coming along in funding.
The main difference between working at IowaWatch and a traditional newspaper, she said, is the length of journalism. She said IowaWatch is able to do long-form pieces, averaging one article per week.
Participation is also different, she said. Iowa Watch has a smaller staff than her old newspaper, she said, which lets everyone participate in every aspect of the process.
Michael Todd, Managing Editor of Hear Nebraska
Full disclosure: I’ve made a monetary donation to and have written a few articles forHear Nebraska, a non-profit music journalism website focusing on the Nebraska’s music scene. That’s how I came to meet its managing editor, Michael Todd.
Todd has been with HN since the organization’s early days. He said he really likes the creativity he’s allotted by the website’s co-founders, Andrew and Angie Norman.
“It’s just very open, productive and creative,” Todd said.
He met the Normans, after inviting them on a radio show he hosted on KRNU – the University of Nebraska’s student radio station. After the show, Todd said he applied for an internship with the organization and worked his way to managing editor.
Todd said he focuses most of his energy on producing editorial content, leaving development and conferring with the organization’s board of directors to the Normans. However, he has worked on fundraising initiatives for the site.
Pitching ideas for the website is relatively easy, Todd said. He said he isn’t sure that would be possible at a newspaper that is already established.
Rebecca Thiele, Radio Producer at WMUK
I met Rebecca Thiele while she was freelancing for Patch.com in the St. Louis area. I was a Local Editor, and she had written some news coverage for the site I managed.
Thiele graduated from the University of Missouri in May 2011. She said she was trying to find a job in radio, and the WMUK job looked attractive.
She said the organization is very good about keeping the news department separate from fundraising and other nonprofit aspects of the organization.
“When we need someone to do on-air fund drives, the news people are pretty much the last pick,” she said.
However, she’s not totally isolated from all aspects of the non-profit model. For instance, the show she produces has underwriting from the Richmond Center for Visual Arts – an organization on which she might report.
Thiele said when an opportunity to cover the organization arises, she asks herself if she would cover that story if the organization wasn’t underwriting the show. If the answer is yes, she pursues the story.
Rob McLean is a Digital Managing Editor with Hearst Television. He has been a member of the Society of Professional Journalists since 2010 and a member of the Online News Association since 2012. Interact on Twitter: @robertmclean.
Not a day goes by where I don’t here an intern say, “I want to make it to market one, New York!”
New York City, the number 1 market in the country
Broadcast news is comprised of 210 markets. Many newcomers to the industry look at anything 150+ as the bottom of the barrel. There seems to be a constant rush to make it a to a top 50, then make it to a top 20, then make it to a top 10 and if the broadcast Gods are happy, make it to network.Calm down budding broadcasters!
Glendive, MT, the number 210 market in the country
Many people overlook that it is not the market you work in but the news you cover. In my personal experience, no one wanted to work in my Valdosta, Georgia, bureau. Sure, we were connected to Tallahassee, market 105. In reality, we were market 140. But, guess what? In the year I spent there, we had six homicides in less than eight weeks, historic flooding and a horrific crash on I-75. Not one reporter in Tallahassee had those reporting opportunities and experiences. After one year, market 47 called and I was on my way to Austin, Texas.
Jacqueline Ingles reporting from scene of washed away road.
One of the markets I always like to point to is El Paso, Texas. A border city, for a long time it was ranked market 99. With the international news coverage opportunities, national stories including boarder wars, drug related issues, etc, those reporters and anchors are launching out of that market right into top 5 jobs. So, the next time you snub a low ranking market job, rethink it. Instead of looking at number, ask the following questions:
1) What types of news does the station cover?
2) Is there a variety where I can cover a lot of different topics on a daily basis?
3) Is there room for creative and storytelling or is more of a nuts and bolts market?
4) Is there room to push yourself and do stories you are passionate about?
As a one-woman-band, I knew I had to work harder than a two man crew. But, pounding pavement, thinking outside the box and creativity led me to an exclusive that left other stations in the dust.In other words, I was in a market that gave me opportunity. Opportunity and experience are what you should look for because as you rise in markets (which you will), the opportunities lessen and you are more tied to a specific role and a specific beat.
Jacqueline Ingles is a multimedia journalist for WFTS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Tampa, Florida. She specializes in crime and courts in Pinellas County. She writes, shoots, edits, and fronts her own work while doing also doing all of her own web work. Prior to WFTS, Jacqueline worked for almost three years at KXAN in Austin, Texas, as a one-woman-band MPJ. While in Texas, she covered the devastating drought and wildfires. Jacqueline’s work appeared numerous times on CNN during her time in Austin. Jacqueline also worked at WCTV’s Valdosta, Georgia, bureau and at MTV News as a political correspondent during President Barack Obama’s campaign. A native of Chicago, Jacqueline received a masters in broadcast journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola University-Chicago. She held two internships at WBBM and WLS in Chicago. Her print journalism work been published in the Northwest Indiana Times, Chicago Syndicate, Beep!, and the New Mexico Free Press.
It’s not news to anyone that more and more news is being consumed online. Yes, people still read the newspaper and watch television and listen to the radio, but the Internet and social media are becoming the popular choice for consuming news.
So, we know this, but how are we capitalizing on it? And are we doing it often enough?
I would argue journalists can always do more with web content. More videos, more social media interaction, more interactives, the list goes on and on.
Here are some successful web content elements I have created.
1. Live streaming. The Oprah interview with Lance Armstrong is a perfect example of this. While the interview was live on television, it was simultaneously streaming live on the web. You can do this with court events, press conferences and more and you don’t have to interrupt any programs on TV.
2. Web interactives. Data is great but can be overwhelming and dull at times. Web interactives can make the data easy to understand andeasier to sift through for your audience.
3. Web extras. Have an incredible interview but can’t include it all in the piece? Why not add it to the web? Or behind-the-scenes videos or explanations of how the story came a part are always great too.
4. Live blogging. Live tweeting. Sometime your audience cannot always be watching or listening live to meeting, press conference or court event. So, why not live blog the event or live tweet it with hashtags? It can help you gain followers and it helps share information as it happens.
5. Photo slideshows. People love photos. From people to animals to scene photos, people will look and they will click on them. They are a great way to generate clicks and hits for your website.
I think all of these are worth trying and once you try them I bet you will keep doing them and see results.
Lynn Walsh in the Investigative Producer for WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida. She is the Chair for the SPJ Generation J Committee and also sits on the Board for the SPJ South Florida Chapter. Connect with her on Twitter, @LWalsh or send her an e-mail: Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com.
Anyone who knows me personally knows that I swear, and often. I rarely, if ever, use actual swear words in my writing — I often opt for the strong, but less shocking cousins, like heck and crap. This article (in the The New York Times) about women’s magazines got me thinking about what I’ve started to see as a trend as a consumer — swear words (or the character-laden alternatives) in print.
Basically, the article talks about how women’s magazines are looking to use stronger language, language used in the offices of the magazines — where women are powerful and not afraid to use whatever language necessary to get their points across. Even if those points seem to come across on the edge of their six inch stilettos.
Journalists have always cursed — I’ll never forget my first day in a newsroom…I think I heard (what I call) the big five within the first ten minutes, but those words NEVER graced the pages of the newspaper. They never even graced the screens of the blogs.
What do you think? Do you think it’s OK to curse? In my social media branding, I never use curses…I also dislike using LOL or other colloquialisms in my professional posts, but my personal blog is full of those types of “common man” phrases.
On one hand, I believe it is our job as reporters to analyze different things that happen in the world and bring it down to an easy-to-digest story in 500 words or less (or inches, if you’re into that sort of thing). On the other hand, I believe that part of that means learning and understanding — and using — the language of your readers.
Is it our job to lift people up? To educate them, to make them highlight our words on iPads/iPhones (or the good old fashioned highlighter) to be defined at a later date? Isn’t it our responsibility to make people learn?
Share your thoughts with me — I want to know if this is a women’s thing, a reporter thing or just a “thing.” And, if you need to swear to share your thoughts, take a minute and see if you can’t save a few characters by using another word (even perhaps (horror of horrors) an abbrev).
Victoria Reitano is the Digital Producer for LIVE with Kelly and Michael. She is also the publisher of The Giornalista Files, her personal blog and portfolio site where she shares her ideas about being an early career lady journo with anyone who will listen. Reitano feels Bikram Yoga is the perfect compliment to her obsessive need to consume information on a constant basis. Connect with her on Twitter @giornalista515.
“BREAKING: Confirmed flooding on NYSE. The trading floor is flooded under more than 3 feet of water.”
On October 29th, when Hurricane/Post-Tropical/Superstorm Sandy barreled through the east coast, water poured through the streets and subways of New York. Amidst the chaos, and people’s overwhelming desire to tweet the most exclusive information first, the aforementioned tweet was sent out through the Twitter user “@comfortablysmug.” CNN picked up the tweet before doing its own fact-checking, and realizing the New York Stock Exchange was not actually flooding.
CNN backtracked, which as of this year, has burned them badly. Cue the CNN Public Relations twitter account:
“CORRECTED: #NYSE officials reporting that floor is NOT flooding at this time.”
So many incorrect tweets, so much retraction. Now who is the culprit behind the original incorrect tweet? It is Shashank Tripathi, he is a manager for the congressional campaign of Republican Christopher Wright for New York’s 12th Congressional District. On Tuesday, October 30th, a day after his tweet, he resigned. He apologized for several false tweets, saying “I deeply regret any distress or harm they may have caused.”
I’m not sure of the timeline of events, but also on Tuesday, New York City Councilman Peter Vallone told Buzzfeed.com that he might consider criminal charges. He told the website, the “Manhattan DA is taking this very seriously.”
I want to discuss what is the likelihood of this happening and if there’s a Pandora’s box it could open. Since the First Amendment doesn’t narrowly address free speech posted through social media, we have to accept that all speech is protected (with perhaps the exception of violent threats, but that’s another discussion). Therefore, the chances of Tripathi facing any punishment seems doubtful. I’m certain Tripathi issued his apology after learning he could get in big trouble for it.
Clear and Present Danger Test
One could make the case that in times of natural disaster, such speech isn’t completely protected, even if it is on social media. Let’s go back to the old standard of protected speech: the Clear and Present Danger test. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. established it in his famous opinion for the case Schenck v. United States, back in 1919:
“The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that the United States Congress has a right to prevent. It is a question of proximity and degree.” Additionally, he said in times of war, speech is also limited given the tense circumstances war brings. Also in his opinion, he explains that free speech doesn’t protect someone from yelling “fire” in a theater when there isn’t a fire.
Natural disasters, especially in the moment of impact, create a dangerous environment. The dissemination of correct information is crucial when time is of the essence. People purposefully providing lies can jeopardize rescue efforts, or detract from them. However, what is difficult to prove is whether or not someone is intentionally lying, or just doesn’t have the right information. I would argue people who thoughtfully type the letters into a tweet are responsible for the facts they present. A simple verbal utterance, untruthful or misinformed, should receive a higher level of protection than that what is tweeted, because an audience within earshot of the message is smaller than the online community.
CNN Accountable
If the Supreme Court would rule on limiting speech made online, it could create a troublesome slippery slope for TV news. Consider how much cable and local news networks rely on social media to gather information. Earlier I mentioned CNN reported what Tripathi tweeted. Can you hold CNN accountable for false information? I’m sure the network would argue that by saying “we’re hearing reports” before any statement helps them wipe their hands clean of any responsibility. Obviously, they are still accountable for everything they report. A Supreme Court ruling may force CNN and other networks to do its own original reporting (gasp!). I would have to support such a ruling because it ensures accuracy.
When it comes to tweeters sending out information just to gain followers, Vallone told Buzzfeed: “I think the consideration of criminal charges will assure this kind of stuff doesn’t happen again,” but also said that the criminal case is a “very difficult case to make.” Ultimately, I don’t see the Supreme Court ruling on social media anytime soon. I think the Court is letting people use their own judgments when it comes to getting information from social media. So, people will simply have to rely on their instincts to figure out which tweets are true, which are incorrect, and which ones are completely made up.
Mike Brannen is a morning newscast producer for KSTP, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St.Paul. Before that, he was a producer at KIRO7 in Seattle, where he led the 4:30 a.m. show to a #1 share in the U.S. He received an MA in Broadcast Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010 and received his Bachelor of Journalism degree the year before. He shares more about his life at mikebrannen.com and on Twitter: @MikeBrannen.
I love my job because the four walls of my office aren’t these off-white pegboard walls, a former darkroom and a door frame with no door (I should install a saloon door, huh?) The real walls are the Nottoway River, State Route 288, Fort Pickett and the Surry County line.
Between those walls, almost everything is fair game for capture with my trusty Nikons for our newspaper, The Progress-Index.
It goes without saying that every day is different in journalism. Will I wind up triple-booked at 5 p.m.?
Am I under-dressed for a meeting with the governor? (Nah. That’s what the jacket in my car is for!) Will I go to bed pondering about the fate of a shooting victim?
Last week, I followed a farmer through fields of drought-stricken crops; donned a life vest and rode in a john boat to a national wildlife refuge to meet a group of high schoolers and science teachers on a week-long canoe trip; played paparazzi (a polite one, albeit) when a movie crew came to town; visited training units at the local army base, including soldiers loading a massive C-17 plane; spent an hour in 95-degree temps at a fatal accident scene; and let’s not forget the opening game of the big youth baseball tournament.
I enjoy the challenge of busy days and challenging myself on the slow ones. There are just so many stories these four walls hold.
Nikons in hand, Pat Kane covers the stories of the Tri-Cities of Virginia as multimedia editor of The (Petersburg) Progress-Index. Pat joined the Virginia Pro Chapter Board in 2008, stepping up to serve as chapter secretary the following year. After growing up all over the globe as a Navy brat, Pat graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2007 after working four years at The Commonwealth Times. 140-character insights are available @kane804.
