3. A Brief Overview of Ruth’s
Education & Experience…
1997-2002
– The
University of
Calgary
BSc
(EXHP)
2002-2003
–
University of King’s
College
Bachelor
of
Journalism
4. 2002-2005: Halifax Daily News
Job Title: Reporter
Freelance
/
Weekend
Reporter
Covered
everything –
crime, health,
entertainment,
etc…
1993 - Halifax Daily News was first Canadian newspaper to publish an
online edition.
5. 2003-2004: The Canadian Press
Job Title: Editorial
Assistant
Edited
incoming
copy
Formatted and
redistributed
material for
pickup
Covered regional
news as required
7. Metro Halifax – Senior Reporter
Nominally
their city
hall reporter – only
2 full-time reporters
on staff
Primary
responsibility is to
cover municipal
government &
politics
Does write some
feature stories
“If I see an issue that I
think is going to be of
relevance or interest
to people, then it’s
up to me to identify
that and try to jump
on it.”
8. Working Within Different Media
Constraint
Every
story at Metro Halifax goes online
immediately and has a web component
Longer versions of each story are
published online
Online
story represents all voices &
perspectives
Space constraints in print
In
general:
Online
Stories – 500 to 600 words
Print Stories – 275 to 325 words
9. Print vs. Radio
Process
is generally the same
Start
with the latest & most important, and
then flesh the story out from there
More
liberty in print to use quotes that are
too long or too dry
Print
allows you to explain context
Radio discourages quotes from people who
mumble or suffer from speech impediments
11. Where To Find Stories
Public
Information Meetings
Schedule
and agendas are online.
Twitter
History
What
happened on this date 5 years ago?
Effect of recent laws or initiatives?
Competitors’
stories.
Reader Comments
12. Reader Comments…
“If you’ve got the stomach for it, and
sometimes I don’t, I’ll read the reader
comments on stories and see if they’ve
brought anything up that we’ve missed and
see if there is anything worth chasing.”
14. Determining What Is Good
News
Guided by the 3
principles of:
1)Health
2)Heart
3)Pocketbook
“Is it going to affect
my readers’ health?
Is it going to tug at
their heart strings?
Is it going to cost
them money?”
16. Talk
to a large
and diverse
group of people
every day.
Listen to people
vent
Are all over the
place at all times
of day and night
Are generally
pretty chatty…
Talk
to them,
but make sure
to LISTEN!!!!
Cab Drivers…
“People let their guards
down in a cab and they’ll
vent.”
17. “I give more business cards to cab drivers
than I give to anyone else. They know what
people are talking about, what people are
interested in and what they are concerned
about.”
18. “…can give you all
kinds of dirt about
what goes on
behind the scenes
at a police station.
Sometimes that’s
information that
you file away for
later use and
sometimes you
can get a story out
of it.”
Former Cops…
20. When A Story Isn’t A Story…
People manipulate the facts to seem more
sympathetic
Happens often in he said-she said situations
I.E.: Tenants vs. Landlords
Decision rests upon how committed you are
to the story
Are you in the preliminary fact checking phase?
Have you budgeted space for it in paper and
told copy editors it is coming?
21. Exceptions…
Does
the story
speak to a broader
social issue?
Is it in the public
interest?
Health, heart, &
pocketbook?
“I am always trying
to look at the
broader message, is
there even a moral
lesson there?”
22. What Ingredients Are Needed
For A Great Story?
Someone with a
legitimate plight
Someone willing to talk
openly
Someone credible
Someone who
responds defensively
to allegations or
questions
Documentation
Health, Heart, and
Pocketbook!
23. A Certain Something…
Your
gut instinct will tell you if you have a
great story.
Gut Instinct + 1 Ingredient = Probable
Story
Gut Instinct + 2 Ingredients = Definite Story
24. A Little Controversy…
“A sweltering,
suffocating
nightmare: Metro
reporter spends a
dangerous 40
minutes in a hot car”
Metro News
July 8th, 2013
25. Experimental Journalism
Spent
40 minutes in a parked car on a
day when the temperature reached 37 C
Inspired by a rash of stories about children
dying and dogs rescued from unattended
cars
Thought she could articulate the suffering
in a way that children and dogs could not
Compared experience to “bending over
in a hot stove.”
26. Criticisms
Story
was labeled a “dangerous stunt”
Was
supervised at all times
Former high level athlete with awareness of
her own physiology
Criticized
for “seeking attention”
Personally
HOWEVER
committed to animal welfare
- Felt that the story brought
attention to an important issue.
27. “We’re not just
saying don’t leave
your dog in a hot car
because it’s kind of
mean, it’s actually a
torment. That’s my
job as a reporter.”
29. Advice For Young Journalists –
WAIT!
Fill
in all the holes in
your story
Be patient – Don’t
tweet before the
story is published
It is better to have
the right
information than it
is to be first
“The hardest thing for
young journalists to
do is wait.”
