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Not just where you are, but why you are where you are
Going live is a key part of broadcast journalism. It adds urgency, proves the reporter was really there gathering information and can be a powerful storytelling tool. One way to make sure your live...
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Technology - pros and cons
The technology we use in local television news today is so advanced compared to just a few years ago. How and from where we gather news, how we transmit it, how our viewers consume it - it's getting so...
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Go ahead, ask. What's the worst that can happen?
Today's story was a follow up to yesterday's hit-and-run crash that left a pedicab driver hospitalized. When I got the assignment, there wasn't much new - the morning shows had pretty much repeated...
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The Clash and TV news
There's no way to overstate the importance of time management in broadcast journalism. As my students know: "the best story you ever did never happened if you don't make deadline." So, a reporter's...
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Safety first
Being a TV reporter these days can be a risky proposition. The stories of crews having their equipment stolen are all too common. So, all the stations in the Bay Area have decided when a potentially...
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Have a plan
A good reporter is an organized reporter. There are so many variables we can't control, it's important to be in charge of the ones we can. In this case, I had to control my schedule for writing and...
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Wide, medium, tight tight tight
When shooting video, it's imperative to get tight shots. This is difficult for lots of beginning MMJs, because they feel as though they're intruding when they get close - they feel safer shooting from...
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Know the rules
There are so many occasions when TV reporters show up to the scene and they're not welcome. This is not meant to be depressing, it's just a fact. If you think about it, quite often, when we're there...
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Once is faster than twice
Deadline, deadline, deadline. Absolutely, positively have to make it. Until you've been under that pressure, it's hard to explain the feeling. It can be overwhelming. But, in those situations, when you...
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Back to the big city
It’s time for another round of returning to the old job at KPIX to see what’s new in the television news business. For all the stories about how San Francisco has problems on the street with...
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Story ideas - you find them in the boringest places
By far, the number one most difficult thing for Newhouse Broadcast and Digital Journalism students to execute in class is finding good story ideas. Granted, they are new to Syracuse and Central New...
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Kitchen sinks don’t make for good TV
Performing in front of thousands of people and talking to them live isn’t easy. It takes a lot of courage and confidence. One way you can build that is to be prepared - really, really prepared....
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"Do your job." - Bill Belichick, football coach
The famous coach of the New England Patriots professional football team, Bill Belichick, is known for a quote that many say is key to his and his team’s success: “Do your job.” What he means by that is...
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Can I text you?
So many times, reporters will resort to the Person on the Street interview to fill out their stories. Unfortunately, so many times, the people included in the story are just random people who agreed to...
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Don't start with yesterday
One of the difficult habits for beginning writers to break is putting their stories in chronological order. While this may work on occasion, what’s better, in most cases, is starting with what’s...
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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
The viewer doesn’t care. — Simon Perez, Syracuse University Sometimes story ideas come through. The way you planned it is the way it happens. Sometimes story ideas don’t come through. And then they...
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Ready or not
Covering breaking news is the most exhilarating and demanding part of broadcast journalism. It pushes news crews to their limits, requiring split-second decisions. The choices can mean being the first...
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When you only have one subject in a room or small area, it’s hard to capture a lot of different angles of the subject because two different shots back to back showing the subject in two different...
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The news(casts) never stop(s)
Here’s the list of people working on the July 4th holiday. Pretty much the same number of people who work June 4th and August 4th. The news never stops. One of the strange things about broadcast...
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It's not personal
Trying to get random people to talk to you about a story is difficult. I’ve noted as the years have gone on, people are more and more wary of engaging with the media. I suppose it’s not our place to...
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