Five things online news journalists should keep in mind
Aug 26th, 2008 by handolio
I’ve been plagued of late by the creeping realisation that we’re a department of between four and six journalists, depending how you count it, in a company where 114-116 people aren’t journalists. Lately, we’ve been so busy trying to shore up our position that I wonder if we’ve taken our eyes off our craft just a little.
It’s troubling Charlie and me. Over a coffee we sat talking it over, and realised that we needed to write down some basic rules that, if we all followed them, would help us get news stories right every time. This is what we came up with:
1) Find the source - whatever the story, unless you’re breaking it, find out where it originated.
2) Understand and verify - now you’ve found the original story, analyse it and make sure you properly understand. Check that everyone else has got the story right, speaking to the source if you’re in any doubt.
3) Question - Check every fact. Make sure claims stack up. Attribute opinions and assertions to their owners - never repeat them in the publication’s voice.
4) Counterpoint - If the story is contentious, find someone to debate or debunk it. If it sounds plausible, still find someone qualified to comment - they may strengthen it, or pick up holes you didn’t spot.
5) Explain - Once you have a story you understand and that you’ve properly probed, you’re ready to explain it to your readers. This is where you start writing. Don’t forget links to supporting information - it’s the one of the biggest advantages of writing online.
I should point out that neither Charlie or I studied journalism. Some of you lot did: what have we missed? I know these are elementary, but are they all bollocks?
“I know these are elementary, but are they all bollocks?”
Errr . . . no. They are the foundation of any decent news reporting. Or feature writing for that matter.
I would add: if your story is about a report or research publication from an organisation or some kind of official body, ALWAYS get hold of a copy of the report first, don’t rely on what other people say the report is about / says. Any organisation worth its salt will have a press officer who can give you a copy of the report and a decent summary of key points.
Having worked within an organisation like the Home Office that regularly generates “news” with its publications, research and recommendations, I can confirm from bitter experience how often lazy journalism has led to an erroneous interpretation or claim about the contents of a report/research being reported as Top Story News - FACT by media channels up and down the land. You’ll be able to spot it when this happens:
One day there is a huge story on BBC online saying something like: “Home Secretary urges parents to chop off their own children’s feet”.
The next day, the dailies are all running the same story, with commentary from experts such as Prof. Winston saying things like: “Chopping off children’s feet won’t solve anything, and could be harmful.”
The day after that, everyone shuts up and the story miraculously disappears from the airwaves, because someone has finally got around to actually reading the report and what it actually says is: “Our research shows that there may be a connection between the current prevalence amongst teenage girls for growing their toenails really long and tripping accidents in playgrounds and parks. Parents are advised to encourage their children to trim their toenails regularly.”
It duplicates rules 1, 2, 3 and 4 to an extent, but I’ve always been a believer that the one, key, rule is: pick up the (insert expletive of your own choice here) phone.
Going to quote someone? Pick up the phone. Not sure about an aspect of the story? Pick up the phone. Got one quote and need something to set it against? Pick up the phone. Think there’s possibly nothing to the story anyhow, but you’ve got ten minutes to dig a little just in case? Pick up the phone. Company dodging your calls? Pick up the phone, increment the number you dial by an integer between one and nine, rinse, repeat.
Of course if nobody answers the f***ing phone, choosing instead to hide behind the switchboard staff and the poor staff left to field your messages, you’re pretty much stuffed. But then, such is life.
This via Paul Bradshaw - Alison Gow on the lifecycle of a news story.