Track 56

Track 56.

OK, everyone, I’d like to start by introducing myself.

My name is Warren Short and I’m a freelance news reporter.

So, what that means is that news agencies hire me to go to different parts of the world and report on on-going stories as they develop.

The reason I’ve been asked to speak to you is to give you some tips on making your own news reports, which I know is something you have to do for your media course.

Let’s begin our talk with a few general points.

The first one is know your audience.

By that I mean, are they older or younger viewers, where are they from, what are their values, ideas or beliefs, what level of education do they have?

The reason we try to find out as much as possible about the audience is that we want to interest them.

If they can’t engage with or relate to the stories we choose or how we present them, they’ll choose another news channel.

The same story can be presented in different ways for different audiences.

So, for example, if there’s an oil spill into the sea, will our audience be more concerned about the environmental or the economic consequences?

The next general point I want to make is that pictures are as important as words.

You need to choose very carefully what you’re going to show, in what order and for how long.

The first and last shots the audience sees are the ones that make the most impact.

The last of my general points is that you must be fair and balanced.

The reputation of the TV station is at stake here, so it’s crucial not to give the impression that the station is trying to push its own agenda.

If you interview someone from one side of a debate, you should then interview someone from the other side.

Without this balance, you will definitely get complaints from viewers.

Right, so I’ll just repeat those general points for you before we move on.

Get to know your audience, choose your pictures wisely and avoid bias.

OK, so let’s take a simplified look at the process of making a news report.

As with any project, the first stage is planning.

What you have to remember is the five Ws: Who, What, When, Where and Why.

These are the five questions you need to have answers to.

Once you’ve gathered the information about the story, you need to put together a script. The key advice here is, keep it simple or you may lose your audience.

As part of writing the initial script, try to visualize the report in your mind.

Make sure you’re clear on who you’re going to interview, where this interview will take place, the questions you want to ask, and what shots you’re going to include.

After that it’s time to get the camera rolling.

A news report begins with the reporter talking to the camera and giving a brief introduction to the story.

Keep it snappy.

Don’t go into unnecessary detail or say things that will be covered by the interviewees.

Just outline the story that your report will tell in a straightforward and appealing way.

The next stage of the report is the interview or interviews.

Choose someone directly affected by the story who can put their ideas across in a clear and concise way.

This could be, say, a witness who observed the events of the story directly.

The ideal place to interview them is somewhere that reveals something about the person or the events of the story.

For example, if he or she works in a factory affected by the story, interview him or her inside the factory with machinery and workers in the background.

On the other hand, there shouldn’t be too much going on in the background as that would detract from the story.

OK, moving on to the second interview.

This person’s views should contrast with those of the first speaker.

I’ve already mentioned the need to avoid being accused of bias, and that’s why his or her position on the story must be different.

So, if the first person was a worker in the factory explaining why jobs must be saved, the second interviewee could be one of the factory managers giving their perspective on why job cuts are necessary.

Now, depending on the length of your report, you might or might not have time for other views and shots.

But the piece should finish with the reporter on camera again, rounding up the story, and if possible saying something about the possible next steps in this story.

For example, if the story is about a court case, when the verdict is expected.

So.

that’s about it.

To sum up, be fair, be balanced and be interesting.

Now, are there any questions?