Wednesday February 08, 2012

CCJ Books

The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect

Completely updated and revised
"The most important book on the relationship of journalism and democracy published in the last fifty years." – Roy Peter Clark, The Poynter Institute
We Interrupt This Newscast: How to Improve Local News and Win Ratings, Too

Just Released
A landmark study on what people watch and why. The most exhaustive study ever of local TV news -- what helps ratings, what drives viewers away, and what editorial approaches and story-telling techniques most influence viewership.

50 Best Practices

The 50 best ideas one group of foreign journalists took home from a CCJ training program

For Individuals
Best practices checklist Multi-tasking is the future so develop skills
Stop to think Identify newsroom “winners” and understand how they do it
Tom French’s Red Pencil Balance fast with good
Keep a list of our common spelling errors Be aware of your biases or assumptions – see if your pre-conceived lead matches the lead you’ve written
Dinner table conversations yield stories You are not just a reporter but also a sense-maker
Short brainstorming for ideas Readers are not merely spectators – they are the “deciders”
Use “the 360” to see more What information do “deciders” need?
Assume “ON the record” Look for “tensions,” not just conflict
Third places yield expertise Report on the middle ground, not just the extremes
Listen to your “little voice” Think beyond words in story telling
Open-ended questions reveal more Find you focus checklist
“What do you make of that?” Accuracy checklist
Sell your results to the boss but don’t sell until you have some results You can’t say it’s broken until you understand how it works
Plan, plan, plan

 

For Newsrooms
Debate can generate ideas More ideas = better stories
Don’t be afraid of allowing your web site users to go to other sites – include links The use of web video is growing and short ads might work
It will be easier to get reporters to write for the web if they know how popular the site is – give them you web site statistics Some stories should be published first on the web or held until the web package is ready
The web can engage the audience so use interactive techniques in your stories We know how it all works but we do not/cannot do it all
Determine priorities and make coverage decisions based on what’s most important Civic mapping – think about 3rd places and find them in your community
First strike video – look for amateur video/pictures Transparency – explain or justify
The ultimate goal of diversity is diversity of thought Investment in time and effort = more audience
Think less about breaking “the big one” and more about advancing every story Make “boring” issues engaging – don’t give up on issues
Fact checking – “official” does NOT make it “true” Investigations – “no pain, no gain”
Be right rather than first “Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups”
Think of the audience as “deciders” not “spectators” Bring visual thinkers such as photographers/graphic artists and others into the story planning process earlier