Last week I offered Shoptalk readers a Top Ten list of goals for 2010 for better writing, reporting and producing. In the article, I encouraged readers to offer other suggestions. Thanks to all who wrote in ideas, and today I include a few of those:
Web
“Integrate interactivity (UGC, comments, polls) and the web in a meaningful way.”
Jacques Natz
Promo Writing
“Please tell readers to make these changes in news and promo copy in 2010.
Stop using “massive” when you might find a more descriptive way of saying big, enormous, tremendous, widespread, or even something specific in something’s largeness. Count the number of times you hear “massive” in a newscast these days.
Why are reporters who are sent to far-flung places considered “on the ground”? It’s military speak, I think, and it’s meaningless. Do we expect correspondents to hover over the faraway places they’re sent? Do we mean to say Joanne Reporter is now in ______. Or she ‘finally arrived’ there?”
Scott
Avoid lame phrases
“Your “2010 To Do List” is a great reminder of how TV NEWS is SUPPOSED to be produced and presented.
My nomination for #11 is: Cut out the BS (baloney stuff).
Save promo copy for promos and do not make “We are learning…,” “We are hearing…,” or “New information…,” leads to NEWS stories.
For #12: Ease up on “Breaking news,” “Developing story,” and “Continuing coverage” –they are so overused that viewers are not impressed anymore.”
Kenn Venit
Writing with passion
“Just a quick note to say I agree with your picks in your top ten list for better TV story writing, but I’d like to suggest a small qualifier to the absolutely essential rule that a reporter must watch the video before starting to write.
My colleagues always joke that I do my best writing in the back seat of the news car, racing back from shooting a story on deadline. The truth is, after 26 years as a reporter– for local markets NPR and CNN– I’ve found that it works so much better (for me at least) to try to start writing– even if it’s just a few opening lines– right away. If I wait to write the story until I’ve *logged* the soundbites– forget it. All the passion I felt for the story gets sapped by the tedium of verbatims and time codes. Don’t get me wrong– I generally remember which soundbites and pieces of nat sound seemed the best from the interview and video gathering, but I think too many young reporters feel they’ve got to go back to the newsroom and start logging EVERYTHING, before they start to write.
If I scribble something in the car that doesn’t quite match or work well with a soundbite as I remember it, no sweat. I just swap it out for something that works. And if the photog points out a better piece of nat sound or vo than the one I remember in my mind’s eye, that’s great. I’ve also learned over the years to do as much pre-interviewing over the phone as possible (unless it’s spot news), so that I’ve got a pretty good outline of what kind of story I’m going to get in the field, which frees me up to look and listen, instead of trying to fill up a notebook with all the details I could get in advance.
Hope this doesn’t sound pedantic! It’s just that I feel sorry for reporters wearing headphones, logging entire tapes while chewing their fingernails down to the stubs on deadline. And I really do believe that some of the best writing is done quickly, and more conversationally to boot, when it’s done without chaining yourself to a monitor.”
Susan
Be nice
“Number #11 on “TO DO” List
Remember that people are human beings and treat them kindly.”
Beth
Thanks to everyone who wrote in. If you have more ideas, or ideas on columns you like to see this year, feel free to email me at ddrew@602communications.com
Doug Drew is a morning news specialist with 602 Communications.