News Now

Visual Storytelling in the Digital Age (2-downloads)

Susan Green, Mark Lodato, B. William Silcock, Carol Schwalbe

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781317346098
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Langues et linguistique
• Subtopic: Journalisme

• Dynamic, colorful design Reflecting the highly visual approach to storytelling of today's broadcast media, the design of News Now helps students quickly find the information they need — and presents that information with the clarity and visual flair of today's best multimedia journalism. A substantial art program, numerous video stills, and examples of stellar photojournalism demonstrate the importance of imagery to telling a coherent and captivating story.
• Voices from the Newsroom These boxesshowcase the experiences, stories, and advice of an extraordinary array of journalists from various media in newsrooms around the country and around the world. Most of these successful working journalists are former students of the Cronkite School or colleagues of the author team, further underscoring the professionalism and expertise of News Now as a resource not just for students but for working journalists.
• What Would You Do? This boxed feature presents students with a practical or ethical situation they might encounter while working a story, and asks them to think through how they might respond based on what they've learned in the chapter.
• Time Saver and Rule of Thumb Brief boxes that offer quick, highly practical tips for immediately applying a larger concept or strategy.
• Timeline A two-page visual timeline highlights key developments in the history of broadcast journalism, allowing students to situate its emergence and growth within a larger social, cultural, and political context.
• Side by Side This boxed feature uses two images of a similar scene or story to encourage critical thinking about how visuals can be used — or misused — in the service of journalism.
• Pitfalls Using real-life stories to offer cautions to young journalists about how to proceed in difficult situations, these boxes offer additional context and support for making difficult decisions in the newsroom and on the beat.
• Career guidance that matters Part 4, "Your Career, " offers expert strategies and advice from authors who have launched the careers of hundreds of successful professional broadcast journalists.

News Now

DOI: 10.4324/9781315663432-1

“Our job is only to hold up the mirror—to tell and show the public what has happened.”

—WALTER CRONKITE

Contributed by Jason Manning, Director of Student Media, Arizona State University

Chapter Outline

• 2 NEWS JUDGMENT
• 3 THE PEOPLE FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE AUDIENCE
• 4 THE WEB CHANGES EVERYTHING
• 8 UNDERSTANDING THE FLOW OF INFORMATION
• 9 EVOLVING STORIES AND TOPICS
• 10 HOW A NEWSROOM WORKS
• 12 FINDING NEWS TO REPORT
• 14 RULES FOR DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA
• 15 MEASURING NEWS CONSUMPTION
• 18 OBJECTIVITY, BIAS AND TRANSPARENCY
• 20 A NEWSROOM THAT FITS YOU

News Judgment

The definition of news has been debated for centuries, but most professional journalists agree on a few common elements. News is information that is important, timely, interesting and relevant to a particular audience.

News judgment—deciding what is important, timely, interesting and relevant—is a big part of a professional journalist’s job. Reporters, editors and producers use news judgment every day to decide what to cover:

• IMPORTANT: Will this information have significance in the lives of my audience?
• TIMELY: Is this information new and recent enough to have an impact on my audience?
• INTERESTING: Will this information interest my audience? Is it compelling or surprising?
• RELEVANT: Does this information apply to a significant portion of my audience?

As you evaluate a potential news item, ask yourself whether it meets the four criteria above—and to what degree. Now imagine a News Meter. The far left side of the meter reads “No News,” and the far right side reads “Big News.” Answering yes to each of the questions above would move the meter’s needle to the right. Answering no would keep the needle on the left. Keep in mind that the criteria are closely related and often overlap.

Developing Good News Judgment

You are a reporter for a local television station. You hear about a car crash on the main freeway in your city. How do you and your editor determine the potential newsworthiness of this story? As you read each fact, think about how it might affect the News Meter in Figure 1.1.

Is it important?	The crash snarls local traffic traffic for hours.
	The crash only causes a short, minor slowdown.
	The crash results in major injuries to multiple people.
	The crash results in minor injuries to a few people.
Is it timely?	The crash happened within the past hour.
	The crash happened hours ago, and you’re just learning about it.
Is it relevant to your audience?	The crash knocks out power to 15 city blocks.
	The crash knocks out power to a few houses.
	The crash affects traffic patterns and commutes for a large number of people.
	The crash has only minor impact on traffic.
Is it interesting?	First responders to the crash made a dramatic rescue of trapped passengers.
	The ...