Harder than it looks - Kate Chizek

I am going to be honest; before entering journalism school and interning for a broadcast news medium this summer, I thought writing and reporting for a visual medium was relatively easy. I just assumed that reporters could sit down, pinpoint their story, and write the copy easily; the interviews would be easy to get, and most,if not all, would support the story being told. I have quickly found, especially in 4802, this is not the case. First of all, your sources shouldn't support your story; good reporters go in without pre-notions of what they are looking for. They have questions prepared to ask, but they don't only dig for what falls in the scope of their intended story. They ask questions and see the big picture, withholding all bias they may have had.

In the Poynter article, Al Tompkins states that journalists should, "Connect your eye, your heart and body to journalism." Journalists have to be passionate and willing to go the extra step. Finding the perfect words may be hard, but they have to dig to nail a story. I like how Poynter discusses focusing within a "story-in-a-sentence." I think this is wise - if you can't sum up your story in one sentence, your readers will be confused. If there is too much going on with the visual aspects and the copy, no one will be able to follow the story nor will they care.

In our use of natural sound, the reading from Chapter 9 says you must use it "liberally" because it helps establish the news environment. After the NPR radio story, I know I personally have to remember that the natural sound really must fit the story. If I use it just to have natural sound, it may confuse readers. In the visual medium, this natural sound can also be captured with images, making the viewer feel as if he or she is there. Obviously, more thought is necessary for the visual medium than I originally thought!