Hall School of Journalism and Communication JRN 2201 Reporting Dr. Steven Padgett Hall School of Journalism and Communication Troy University Class Notes III

Covering events . . . Many news stores covered by newspapers and the electronic/digital media center around events. While these types of stories may be “routine” to reporters, they are important to the audience.

Meeting Madness

Meetings By now, you should know that reporters don’t hand around the newsroom all day waiting for someone to phone in a big tip. Lots of news is planned, such as covering meetings and speeches.

Meetings Keep in mind that sometimes important decisions are made at meetings and important information is given at speeches.

Coverage vs. Advances Advances alert your readers, viewers and listeners to coming events. Advances let the audience know: What will happen When it will happen Where it will happen Who will be involved The Daybook in the Trop is one form of an advance.

Coverage vs. Advances Covering the actual speech or meeting Needed: Advanced preparation Sound news judgment Accuracy An ear for interesting quotes An eye for compelling details

Issues: You may be covering a topic that you are unfamiliar with Meeting may cover complicated issues Some topics may be confusing Strong personalities may be involved You don’t want to misunderstand what is being decided or the importance of these decisions

Planning to cover meetings Try to learn about the meeting and the participants before attending Try to learn about the agenda before the meeting Many organizations release the agenda prior to their meetings Think about what may be newsworthy at this meeting

Covering the Meeting Arrive early, find a good seat Introduce yourself to the speaker/participants Take detailed notes Talk to the speaker/participants after the meeting Talk to groups/individuals who might have different points of view or who may be affected by the actions taken to help you provide a story as complete possible

Remember your readers Clarify issues so that your readers will understand Clarify jargon Check facts Check controversial statements Talk to as many different people as practical

Writing your story . . . Quotes add color – use them! Describe what you see Good quotes should be up high in your story Human interest should be up high in your story

Writing your story . . . Accuracy

About choosing your words We’ve talked about this before in your previous assignments Stay away from “editorial” words in your copy. For example, you don’t want to call an event “remarkable.” But, you can write your story so that the reader will say “That’s remarkable.”

Closing thoughts Your lede should focus on the most important point from the meeting You cannot pack all of the points into your lede If you need to list the less-important actions in your story, these may be placed near the end of it or in a sidebar.

Are there any questions? Additional questions? Are there any questions?

There will be more next time! The End