Transcript Chapter 15 – Speeches, News Conferences and Meetings

Chapter 15 – Speeches, News
Conferences and Meetings
News Reporting and Writing
10th Edition
Distinguishing Among Speeches,
News Conferences and Meetings
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What is a speech?
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A public talk
In person or on radio or T.V.
A speech is one-way communication
Speakers are usually invited to address an audience
What is a news conference?
– A news conference is “held” or “called”
– Invitations aren’t sent to the general public, but news media are alerted
– Media respond because of the importance of the person calling the news conference and
because the person may have something newsworthy to say.
– A news conference is usually two-way communication
– The speaker usually gives an opening statement and then accepts questions from reporters
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What is a meeting?
– a meeting is primarily for communication among the members of a group or organization
– Reporters who are permitted to witness a meeting tell the public what is of interest and
importance
Preparation
• Preparing for the Speech Story
– Look up background info on the speaker either before or after
the speech
– Identify the speaker correctly (middle initials, Jr. Sr. etc.)
– Prior to the speech, contact the group sponsoring the speech
and ask for the topic
– If you are lucky, you might get an advance copy of the speech
– If the speech is important enough, contact the speaker ahead of
time for a brief interview
– You may also want to arrange ahead of time to interview the
speaker after the speech
– Keep up with local and/or national current events so you
understand what a speaker is talking about
Preparation
• Preparing for the News Conference Story
– Research up-to-date background info on the person giving
the news conference
– Learn why the news conference is being held
– Check out any rumors, call the person’s associates, friends
or secretary
– Talk to you editor about specific info they want
– Draw up a list of questions to ask at the news conference
– The better prepared you are, the better chance you will
have of coming away with a coherent, readable story
– If may be impossible to arrange an interview before or
after a news conference, but you can always ask. You might
end up with some exclusive info
Preparation
• Preparing for the Meeting Story
– Know who is holding the meeting, what kind of
organization is involved and who the key figures
are
– Contact the key figures
– Get a written agenda if possible
– Study and investigate the issues before arriving
– Knowing what to expect and being familiar with
the issues will make covering the meeting easier
Covering Speeches, News Conference
and Meetings
• The Medium Matters
– If you are writing for print, good notes, an audio recorder
and getting audience reaction might be enough
– But if an editor expects a Twitter or mobile phone update
from the site of the event or breaking news item for the
website, you might need to send an instant update, write a
brief item for the Web during the meeting and update the
story in several forms when the event is over
– Learning to become a multimedia journalist – able to
produce written material, video material, sound bites and
info for the Web – makes you a more valuable reporter.
Covering Speeches, News Conference
and Meetings
• Getting the Content Correct
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Consider using an audio (or video) recorder
Practice using it before you get there
Know how sensitive the microphone is
Some reporters shun audio recorders because they think that listening
to an entire recording takes too long and finding quotes to double
check is too hard
Even if you record an event, take notes – most reporters develop them
own shorthand. You never know when a recorder will fail.
Quote people exactly and in context
Note the background, personal characteristics and mannerisms of the
main participants
Cover the event. Also look at audience size, reactions and sometimes
at what is happening outside the building
Get there early, position yourself and hang around afterwards.
Covering Speeches, News Conference
and Meetings
• Describing the Participants
– Watch the gestures and expressions of the
speaker
– You might note that a speaker deliberately winked
while reading a sentence or hear an unmistakable
sarcasm in his/her voice
– Understand when physical facts about the speaker
are essential to the story. Example: A blind person
pleading for funds to educate the blind
Covering Speeches, News Conference
and Meetings
• Be Observant
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Measure the mood and reaction of the audience
Listen to the tone of audience questions
Is there laughter, applause or boos
Is the speaker or person holding the news conference
relaxed, calm and in control?
– Sometimes the real story is what’s happening outside
the news conference…. for example, protesters kept
away by police
– Don’t overlook the obvious… for example, don’t say it
is was a “full house” unless you also indicate the
seating capacity.
Covering Speeches, News Conference
and Meetings
• Arriving, Positioning Yourself and Staying On
– Arrive early – not all events have special seating for reporters
– The first row isn’t necessarily the best place if you are reporting on a
speech. You may want a location that allows you to better see
audience reaction.
– Be in a good position to be able to ask questions
– If you are attending a news conference, you should have your
questions prepared
– Listen to other reporters questions (even if you don’t get a chance to
ask yours), and be able to recognize the makings of a good story –
identify what’s newsworthy and pursue it
– If you are attending a board or council meeting, know which members
are sitting where so you can take notes on people’s quotes more easily
– Don’t leave as soon as the meeting ends. Listen to reactions from the
people who attended. Ask for clarifications. Arrange to interview a key
spokesperson.
Structuring and Writing Your Story
• Structuring and Writing Your Story
– Writing a lead for the speech, news conference or meeting story
is no different from writing the lead for any other story
– All of the qualities of the inverted pyramid news lead are
important for these types of articles
– Reminder: Inverted Pyramid
• Put the most important information first
• Arrange the paragraphs in descending order of importance (most
important to least important)
• Requires the writer to rank the importance of information
– Because of the nature of the inverted pyramid, you probably
won’t be following the chronology of the event. However, the
flow of your article may demand some attention to the order of
events so that you don’t accidently distort or cause readers to
misinterpret the meaning of the event.
Structuring and Writing Your Story
• Writing the Speech Story
– Convey an accurate message
– Get reaction from listeners
– Read the Associated Press story on reaction to
President Obama’s 2009 speech calling for a new
era in U.S.-Muslim relations = page 325
Structuring and Writing Your Story
• Writing the News Conference Story
– Because you will go to the conference with different
questions than other reporters, you may come away
with a different story or a different lead.
– News conferences often cover several topics
– Usually, you will treat the most newsworthy item first
and deal with the other topics in the order of their
importance
– Remember, your job is to give readers the news as
simply and clearly as possible
– Read example on page 327-328
Structuring and Writing Your Story
• Writing the Meeting Story
– You are the eyes and ears of the reader at the
meeting you are covering
– Remember to the 5Ws and H for possible inclusion in
the lead graphs
– Also report on who was there, who represented the
public and any reactions after the meeting was over
– In addition to getting the facts, your jobs is also to be
interesting and get people to read the story.
– Your article should be relevant, useful and interesting.
– Read examples of a local school board meeting story
on page 328-330
Finish Harbor Campus Story
• Due today at end of class
• Submit on TurnItIn.com
• Remember to include:
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Quotes and attribution
At least 3 sources
One idea per paragraph
1-3 sentences per paragraph
Quotes are their own paragraph
Double check name spellings, titles etc.
Use clear, straight-forward language
No particular length = as short/long as it needs to be to be to
convey the news (300-500 words)
– Spell check