Chapter 10 Newswriting for Broadcast
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assigned to the guidance department beat should also be involved in the
story. When will the requirement go into effect? Which students will be
affected? When can students begin registering for the class? Ideally, both
student reporters would get this information by diligently covering their
beats and would bring up the topic in the pre-production morning meet-
ing. The producer or assignment editor decides if it is a story, who will do
the story, and from what angle the story should be developed.
Researching Stories
Once a story is determined, research begins. The purpose of research
is to gather all the information necessary to frame a story responsibly,
fairly, accurately, and completely for viewers. There are usually several
ways to get information, and the reporter should be persistent in fi nding
out everything possible about the story and getting the facts straight. The
information and details of a story should be double-checked to ensure that
every word is verifiably truthful and factual. Hearsay is as unacceptable in
reporting as it is in courtrooms; hearsay is gossip, not reporting.
The amount of research necessary can vary a great deal depending on the
story type and approach to a story. In the previous “Shoe Drive” example, the
research could be as brief as getting the details of the drive in a quick conversa-
tion with the event sponsor, or may be as involved as researching the charity, its
operation, and its clients. A story may cover an accident on the main high-
way through town, which caused the road to be closed in both directions
and will affect hundreds of local residents. Researching the exact road location
and other details with the police department may be as simple as listening to
a police scanner and making a follow-up phone call. In this case, the story can
be written and put on the air as soon as possible. Or, the news director may
choose to send a camera crew out to the location and do a live feed or produce
a package of the story for a later newscast. The actual research necessary for this
story is very minimal, but is absolutely necessary to verify the facts of the story.
Deadlines are a constant concern for reporters trying to be diligent
about responsible research. An approaching deadline should not com-
promise a reporter into writing and airing a story that has not been fully
researched. Once a story is aired, incorrect information cannot be taken
back without embarrassing the reporter, news program, and higher admin-
istration. Airing incorrect information may also have legal consequences
for the station and can endanger viewers. Reporters should always work
under the assumption that they will have to prove everything they say or
write. Attribution (crediting the source of information) should always be
given for the quotes, information, and facts of a story.
Two important concepts in developing a news story are “KISS” (keep
it simple, silly) and “be complete.” These seem to be in opposition with
each other, so reporters must carefully balance both concepts at all times.
To keep a story simple, write with simple sentence structure using simple
language. A story should not be cluttered with insignificant or irrelevant
details. A complete story leaves viewers with no unanswered questions.
A reporter needs to fully understand the story and fi nd an angle before
writing the story. An angle is the approach used to tell a story, which helps
the viewer understand why this story is important, why the viewer should
attribution: Crediting
the source of
information used in a
story.
angle: The approach or
point of view used to tell
a story.