Angelica Malin is the Editor of About Time Magazine – the publication has just turned one-year-old this month. She discusses what it’s like to be the ‘new kid on the block’, a young editor aged just 24 and what’s it been like starting out in the industry as a woman.
editor
16/10/13 Debrief with Guest Editor Joe Curtis (Hampshire Chronicle)
Joe gave us a quick evaluation of the overall stories in this week’s WINOL as his background is in newspaper reporting. He was extremely useful to the subbing team and at giving tips for finding stories on a relatively difficult beat.
He thought the starting story was good because planning affects a lot of people so they are meaty and people will give you a story. We must learn to get in on the action immediately; planning can be a bit dry so make sure you have pictures of where it is affecting. Where are they building? What are the grounds used for previously?
*Cross promotion is integral to news* promote the site in bulletin and social media
Harvey’s local independent shops needing help is a story with a good opportunity for follow ups. Chris Turner is a good contact to have for stories – use angles for a balanced package.
The strike package had good, strong graphics but more images were needed. Ian thought that the range of voices and interviews was strong with good quality sound bites but the pictures were lacking NATSOT.
Today’s OOV appealed directly to our target audience, this is where the wolf and finally was weaker. I created the Michael Zander OOV from the footage from the launch of the crime and justice research centre. We recorded sound and video separately and aimed to sync the two together but this we had difficulty with as the shots zoomed in at certain points so sent the sound out. To find a sound bite for the OOV was hard because the footage was around two hours long and academics are generally hard to condense into good quality sound bites. There was some trouble with the lighting as we could not use lighting in the Stripe and altered this slightly in post-production. We found that there was not enough variety of shots for cut aways to look professional, I would have used more angles and a sequence.
In sport, there were a few jumping shot pictures so the finish was slightly jolted but Laura’s volleyball package was fully involved and done really well. There were issues with NATSOT volume in the football report too.
Ian thought that technically we are now being held back; sound and camera work still needs some more practice and to be smoother and professional. With pre-recording the headlines in the radio studio, the titles ran more smoothly and there was less pressure on sound for this week. Reporters need to remember to write headlines to your picture; in this clip you are essentially selling the story.
He really liked the twinning of Alex and Calum’s packages to have a balanced report and a longer feature length piece. If the pictures aren’t right, viewers are not going to listen to your script – this is so important. Interviews need to be in the verge of the interviewee’s personal space – get in close like a conversation.
For the ease of the director and production team, the script needs to be laid out more readable for OOVs this would allow the bulletin to be cued correctly.
‘Stories come from regular people’
Production Analysis
Roles:
Director = Alex
Vision mixer = Bracken
Autocue = Kirsty
Sound = Katherine
VT = Me
The running of the bulletin went really smoothly and we did not have to re-record any links this week – this was surprising as there were a few issues in the newsroom beforehand. This week Sportsweek was done outside and did not require the studio so we did not get a chance to practice our roles before Wednesday, considering we were in new roles this did have some knock on effects on the team’s confidence. We did not get a chance to do a full rehearsal on Wednesday because the script was late and deadlines for sport were getting pushed back later and later unfortunately. I managed to control the VT easily with Alex’s direction; I knew exactly when to press the next VT and was fully prepared.
Journalism Now: What is news?
I first thought that this would be easy to define and had previously been unquestioned in my mind but when the subject was raised in Journalism Now it was of a puzzling kind for all the journos. It is fact, truth, everything of interest everywhere we go.
News must most importantly be new, from a news peg or an angle. It is about people doing things.
Hard and soft news:
- Hard news covers the likes of crime, politics, natural disasters etc
- Soft news has the subject of entertainment, animals etc (page two/three focus)
Editorial reasons for publication
- Availability? – quotes and pictures are the ‘lifeblood’ of the story, are they available to the reporter/publication?
- Do people care about the story? Is it relevant to the audience of the publication or broadcaster?
- How many have been affected by the story?
- Is it fresh or an exclusive?
- Dramatic or simple? Is there a clear narrative and recognisable characters?
- Does the story fit with current obsessions?
- Is the content acceptable for the audience? Before or after watershed viewing?
Practical reasons for the journalist
- Is there space for the content?
- Has a similar story already been covered?
- Has the story been successfully pitched to the editor? Does it fit with the editor/publication’s political views?
PERFECT ARTICLE = BALANCE + TRUTH
Where does news come from?
- The wires (agencies) – have their own reporters and subs and produce their own content that TV, radio and the papers can use: news for wholesale
- Diary stories (scheduled) – court cases, openings, sports fixtures, festivals, conferences
- These can be useful for follow-ups
- Check calls – numbers of emergency services (recording)
- Police: accidents, crime, appeals
- Fire: fires and rescues, appeals
- Coastguard: rescues
- Handouts and press releases – official sources, Press Officers are a starting point but must check facts!
- Tip offs – user generated content but must be curious and cautionary. Ask questions.
- Leaks – PROTECT YOUR SOURCES, you must be prepared to risk jail for the protection of your sources. Never reveal.
*Reporters are expected to work off diary and generate their own stories*
megrosefisher 