TTMediawatch: Your questions answered (Conclusion)

- Adrian Best & Diahann Hinds: Why do reporters so often miss fantastic story opportunities? Is it a political symptom? An economic hiccup? Can anything be done to avoid it? And what are the avenues for progressing in the field if your desire is to deliver news with truth, impartiality and free from bias?

TTMedia Watch: Very interesting questions. Well reporters are human too and sometimes they are so busy doing the mundane reporter stuff that they often don't see the great stories that are right beneath their noses.

Other times, they are just not paying attention because they are amateurs and wouldn't know a great story if it jumped up and bit them. (Did you hear the story of the rookie reporter who went to cover the wedding of a town mayor and when he got back to the office without a story his editor asked him what happened and he said there was no wedding because the church burned down?)
On the other hand, some stories are 'buried' for various reasons, political bias/favours being one.
If you desire to deliver news with truth, impartiality and free from bias, then you may need to open your own media house. Every media house/manager/editor has biases and these often come to bear on stories written by reporters, with no avenue for complaint by the reporter.

*Thanks again to Martine of TTMedia Watch for participating in our exercise.

TTMediawatch: Your questions answered (Pt 4)

Jason Granger: I love writing, but I don't like being poor. Have I chosen the wrong field?

TTMedia Watch: Yes and no. Yes you've chosen the wrong field if your writing/reporting does not distinguish you from every other writer/reporter out there, so you'll have to be contented with making minimum wage and running after mundane stories.
On the other hand, you are in the right field if you can write with flair, passion, understanding, and come up with brilliant story ideas that no one else is looking at and get people to read and talk about your writing. Your editor will eventually notice and will eventually pay you top dollar because he'll get the heads up that some smart editor out there is also noticing your brilliant writing. If not, you can always quit and go become a lawyer.

TTMediawatch: Your questions answered (Pt 3)

Darcelle Beekley: What do you think can be done to make young people more interested in reading newspapers and watching news on TV?

TTMedia Watch: Young people need to be taught the importance of the world around them by either their parents or teachers, and that doesn't begin in high school, it starts at the primary level with an introduction to current affairs.

Do you think there should be more transparency regarding how errant reporters are penalized?

TTMedia Watch: Yes there should be more transparency, but unfortunately it seems that the local media is an employees market, so if these errant reporters feel they have been slighted by their bosses, they can easily move on to the next media house where they feel their worth (or ego-tripping) is more appreciated.

Media managers are often held to ransom by these over-inflated egos, so the easiest thing to do is nothing at all.

Alice Dain: How do editors and administrators typically respond to significant on-air flubs?

TTMedia Watch: Significant meaning telling the nation that the PM was shot when he wasn't? Most times a grudging apology is offered almost immediately, while other times the policy is do or say nothing and maybe everyone will forget it even happened.

Avalene Harris: I do not think that media workers should purchases tickets to cover fetes. The onus should be on fete promoters to facilitate the media's request if they want their event publicized. In the event that tickets are not sent, do you believe that their 'demanding' behavior was justified? If not, how should editors/management deal with these reporters?

TTMedia Watch: If fete promoters or anyone one else wants an event publicized they rightly should send invitations and the necessary tickets, but since when does it take a crew of 12 (scantily dressed) people to cover a fete when the story on that fete will not last more than 2 minutes?

Assignments editors are the ones to make arrangements for these events and not reporters, so they can often be unreasonable in their requests, depending on the hype surrounding the event. Do you believe that same assignments editor would 'demand' 12 tickets to a luncheon for a home for the aged?

These fete tickets are not cheap, so any fete-loving editor would promise to cover the event once several tickets are sent so the three cameramen, the broadcast assistant, the six reporters and the cleaner can get in for free. Oh, add their grandmother (who is freelancing as an editor) to the list for tickets.

Do you think that a reporter should be blamed for reporting incorrect information which was given to them by the police?

TTMedia Watch: One of the fundamentals of reporting is that information should go through at least three sources before being published/broadcast. So if a police source gives information, there must be some way to corroborate that information before going to air with it. Otherwise, use the other fundamental principle...if in doubt, leave it out.
But we live in a culture of reporters/editors/media houses which prefer to have incorrect scoops rather than stale facts.

TTMediawatch: Your questions answered (Pt 2)

Danielle Fraser & Kirt Carmona: (Given the rapidly-changing face of the news media) Where do you see the global media industry in the next 10-15 years?

What suggestions would you give to improve the media landscape in Trinidad and Tobago?

What are your picks for the best media houses in T&T (by specialization), and why?

TTMedia Watch: The media is already going high-tech. CNN paid for a satellite image of the crowd that went to see Obama's inauguration, and they used some fancy technology to enhance viewers' photographs of the inauguration. They also used hologram technology on the night of the US election. What will they think of next? Whatever their money can buy.
It's a bit different for the local media when advertising budgets drive what the newsrooms and production departments of media houses can do. Even if a reporter or a producer has a great idea to do something different, the budget will determine what actually gets off the ground.
Expect reporters to video edit their stories at their desks, expect to broadcast live from anywhere in the world with hand-held technology (instead of with a huge bus), expect the internet and telephone technology to play a greater role broadcasting. Stick around...it's going to be a wild ride.

You just have to read earlier posts to get an idea on how the media in general can be improved...but one of the main things is that media managers need to understand their responsibility to their viewers/readers/listeners and stop paying so much homage to the almighty dollar, i.e. spend a little more to hire people with training and qualifications, or invest in on-the-job training programmes.

There are few media houses which specialize in anything, unless you mean the radio stations which offer niche music markets. IBN is Muslim, Gayelle is local, WIN TV is East Indian; everyone else shows/plays everything else. All local media houses could do with some overhauling, but the media surveys tell a different story where news, sport, business are concerned.

TTMediawatch: Your questions answered (Pt 1)

Earlier this week, we submitted questions to the anonymous minds behind the TT Media Watch blog. Many of you are impressed (and, perhaps, a bit intimidated) by the constructive, and often scathing criticism of the local media that is doled out on a regular basis on the blog. We hoped that Martine, the blog's persona, would be able to offer some guidance to those among us who intend to get into the media full-time.

Martine's answered the questions, and I'll be posting a few every night until class on Monday.

Leave feedback in the comments section.

Rodney Granado: How credible is the media in Trinidad and Tobago given the proliferation of journalism errors in reporting?

TTMedia Watch: The media is generally credible, though some media houses more than others.
Their strengths lie on the genuine qualifications and training of those who run the newsrooms. In days gone by, most local journalists had to learn their trade on the job, with no formal training and they became good at what they did by trial and error, rising through the ranks of their organizations.
But today, there are so many institutions offering training that there is no excuse for any journalist (young or old) not to be the best that they can be (mind you, there are many "training" agencies that are not qualified to teach journalism).

Attaining respectability in less than ideal industry conditions means sometimes walking away from situations which threaten/clash with your journalistic ideals. Don't settle for a job just because it's the only one you can get, or because you are just trying to get a foot in the door. You may very well have to compromise your standards to keep that job.

Jamila Richards: How do we find our true identity as journalists?

TTMedia Watch: Your true identity as a journalist comes in reporting on what drives you the most...whether it's sport, the arts, business, politics. Try different beats (if possible) then try to stick with the one which makes your writing most passionate.

Kirt Carmona: Which international journalists should we take inspiration from?

TTMedia Watch: You can take inspiration from any number of international journalists...we've mentioned a few on the blog like Lyse Doucet of the BBC, Katie Couric of ABC, Dan Rather (formerly of CBS), for the younger ones there's Anderson Cooper of CNN and of course the grand dame of reporting, CNN's Christiane Amanpour. The local journalists of note are Tony Fraser, Lennox Grant. These people know the tenets of journalism inside out and strive to give their audience every angle of a story, good and bad. There are lots more good journalists out there, local as well, that you can also take example from but you'll have to look them up yourself. Everyone's style is different so while one journalist may appeal to you, others won't.

Keith Francois: Do you think there is a need for more journalists in Trinidad and Tobago?

TTMedia Watch: Yes there is a need for more journalists in TT because the crop that's out there has not exhausted all the stories that are waiting to be told. Some of them are already stuck in their various ruts and will not do anything different on pain of being fired, so you new ones have to challenge the status quo...go dig up the hundreds of stories waiting to be told that are right under everyone's noses, but that no one is telling. You may have a neighbour who is in an abusive relationship, or know that a drug dealer lives on your block, or a retaining wall in your neighbourhood that could come crashing down and cause serious damage or even death...there's always a story waiting to be told right under your nose.

A note

On the state of the media.

On the state of the media pt 2

(Check sidebar for more information)

We defined a sidebar in class today as a short, separate piece of complementary text that places a larger story in context.

Sidebars are useful, and often essential, in delivering the full story to readers. They expand upon the information presented in the article, offer opposing viewpoints, or update the reader on late-breaking developments that didn't make it into the story. Sidebars are excellent tools for pointing readers to external sources of information. Some reporters even use sidebars to comment on their story-writing process or the challenges they faced while writing the story.

Their separation from the actual story helps the latter maintain focus. As always, brevity and conciseness are key to a well-written sidebar, as they are complementary, and not central, to the article.

Check these external links for more info on sidebars:

The Dabbling Mum's page on How to Write Sidebars.

About.com defines the sidebar.

(Sidebar one is from Cyberpat.com, Sidebar 2 is from Gregfelton.com)

Info hunt

Today's practice assignment will test your online research skills.

We discussed internet search techniques, and relied heavily on this online research guide to provide us with tips on keywords and Boolean entry methods. One of the assignment choices requires less runaround than the other, but you'll still need to find info very quickly.

Keep in mind the methods we discussed regarding sources like Wikipedia. Don't fear it. It's all about how you use it.

That said, the assignment will also test your ability to summarize and present as much information in as few words as possible. Keep that in mind, and keep your eyes on your word count at all times.

Here's a University of Pittsburgh guide to efficient summarizing.

You can also download this PDF on the same topic from the University of Houston.