Getting the story in an age of multi-channel communications.Probably more than any device since the telephone, the internet has revolutionized the way reporters do research and interview news sources. But both searching the web and exchanging e-mail with interviewees have their limitations, and each should be undertaken in the larger context of traditional reporting practices. Research Websites and online search engines have dramatically altered research for reporters, making it much faster and easier than ferreting out facts in the library and over the telephone. But beware of common PR hype on corporate websites. Print out what you find and then underline underline an animal's ventral profile; the shape of the belly when viewed from the side, e.g. pendulous, pot-belly, tucked up, gaunt. any sentences or phrases that ring hollow. Run that material by your news source for "elaboration" or "amplification amplification /am·pli·fi·ca·tion/ (33000) (am?pli-fi-ka´shun) the process of making larger, such as the increase of an auditory stimulus, as a means of improving its perception. ." Usually a phone call is the best method to get more spontaneous answers to your queries. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , online research should be just the beginning of your assignment--a sort of backgrounder--to be followed up by e-mail or telephone. I've also noted that some websites are not updated very frequently, so make sure the information you're reading is true today. Interviewing I've learned through trial and error that most news sources have their own preferred method of communicating--telephone, fax, e-mail, in-person. But often enough the most efficient method of interviewing someone is a combination of those communication channels. If I e-mail someone whom I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. and I do not hear back from him or her within a day or so, I'll telephone. The telephone and face-to-face interviews are the most personal approaches. But, of course, in-person interviews are often not practical (considering travel and deadlines, for example) or even necessary. And, sadly, it's become increasingly rare to actually get persons answering their phone calls. To avoid "playing telephone tag telephone tag n. A series of unsuccessful calls exchanged by two people who are attempting to contact each other by telephone. ," I often leave a message stating what I'm looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. and that I'll e-mail him or her some questions to be answered either in a return e-mail message or by telephone. The final edit However you craft your interview and article, it's often a good idea to run parts of it by your sources--to make sure the numbers are correct and the quotes are accurate--and that's done most efficiently and fastest by e-mail (or fax if the layout is important). I'm not proposing that you break the old journalism rule of not letting your sources edit the story. It's just that e-mail has made it easier for journalists to "fact-check" their articles before printing them. I have even used e-mail to follow-up on face-to-face interviews and notes taken from public presentations. The sources--even mildly antagonistic antagonistic adjective Referring to any combination of 2 or more drugs, which results in a therapeutic effect that is less than the sum of each drug's effect. Cf Additive, Synergism. ones--appreciate the fact that you want to quote them accurately. Speaking of sources who are less than cooperative, I highly recommend the telephone for at least the initial contact for two reasons: E-mails are easily ignored, and a conversation often yields those "off-the-cuff off-the-cuff adj. Not prepared in advance; impromptu: an off-the-cuff remark. Adj. 1. off-the-cuff " remarks that make great stories. I'm spoiled As the editor of The Newsletter on Newsletters, I'm spoiled by my news sources. The vast majority of them (you) are accomplished communicators--reporters, editors, publishers, copywriters This is a list of well-known advertising copywriters who founded a major multinational agency, have been inducted into an advertising hall of fame, or have been recognized with a lifetime achievement award. , PR people--so they appreciate the opportunity to make sure just the right words of theirs appear in print by writing down answers to questions and e-mailing them back to me. Conclusion In summary, do not get locked in to one communications channel Also called a "circuit" or "line," it is a pathway over which data are transferred between remote devices. It may refer to the entire physical medium, such as a telephone line, optical fiber, coaxial cable or twisted wire pair, or, it may refer to one of several carrier frequencies . Learn which way your sources prefer to be contacted and respect that. I asked Prof. Don Ranly, noted journalism professor and member of NL/NL's advisory board, his opinion of "internet journalism." "I think the internet has changed everything," he replied (by e-mail). "I'm amused a·muse tr.v. a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es 1. To occupy in an agreeable, pleasing, or entertaining fashion. 2. by reporters who say they don't trust the internet and yet call nearly anyone to get a quote. Some papers have internet sources for all their reporters in a whole variety of topics. "But sure, do what works best and is most trustworthy and credible, especially on deadline." |
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