A good beat can be useful for more than just music. It is also an very useful tool for a reporter to top the competition and get the story before everyone else. The beat reporter has a major advantage over the competition by being proactive, going to the source himself, instead of being reactive, and waiting for the story to come to him or her.
A journalist is not any different than a professional in any other line of work, the best are able to specialize. A reporter needs to be able to handle a general news story, but at the same time needs to have one area that they know inside and out. One topic that they are able to find and maintain sources. These sources will in turn help that reporter find out details that they would otherwise not have access to.
I’ll use my writing as an example. I was lucky enough to have my name given to every NAIA baseball coach in the country. These people have now heard my name and been given an example of my work. I have also heard from some of them already. Each time that they have contacted me, I have made sure that I have responded to them with a kind and thankful word and filed away their contact information.
Now that I have been in touch with these sources, and started building a relationship with them, I will be able to gain their trust. I know that they will include me on updates about their team and their season. I will be on their mailing lists with the latest team news. All of this information can in turn be used to write a story that I wouldn’t be able to get from watching the scoreboards or stat pages.
The best part about having a specific beat is that it is a topic that I love. If I had to write articles about movies or entertainment, I would struggle with my research and my writing because I don’t have that passion for the topic. Baseball on the other hand is perfect for me. Send me to city hall to cover a budget meeting and I will be bored out of my mind. Send me to the ballpark to watch games for eight hours and I am in heaven.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
How much coverage is enough?
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/harristrial
http://www.ktiv.com/Global/story.asp?s=9640498
http://kscj.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/harris-trial-may-be-postponed
There is one major news story that has been the focus point lately and it is the trial of Lawrence Harris. Lawrence Harris has been accused of the ritualistic slaying of his step-daughters a little over one year ago.
The Sioux City Fire Department responded to a house fire call at the residence. When they were there, they found the girls dead in their room. Lawrence Harris told the police that he was performing a witchcraft spell and it had gone wrong.
From that date, the media in Sioux City have been all over the case. You can’t blame the media though. They are doing their job. The media is giving the community the information they need.
The local television media have had their cameras at each event containing Mr. Harris. From the initial coverage of the story to his first hearings and at every court appearance along the way.
The local newspaper has had a live blog from the courtroom everyday. It is on the front page of the newspaper and is the first item on the web site. If the newspaper follows their previous examples, there will be a special section on the web site for years to come.
This trial has been delayed for some time because of motions involving the psychiatric well being of the defendant. Lately, the main focus of the defense attorneys has been the location of the trial. They feel there is no way that Lawrence Harris can receive a fair trial in Sioux City.
The defense may have a point. With the amount of media coverage that has taken place, is it possible for the potential jurors to be completely fair? At this point it must be as the jurors were sworn in yesterday and the trial has started.
Sioux City is a town of about 100,000 people. News of this magnitude very rarely happens in our quiet community. The people want to know about this crime, these little girls, and the resulting trial. The media is performing their duty to the community by giving them access to the information they crave. When is there a line crossed between what is needed for the community and what is needed for the courts.
http://www.ktiv.com/Global/story.asp?s=9640498
http://kscj.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/harris-trial-may-be-postponed
There is one major news story that has been the focus point lately and it is the trial of Lawrence Harris. Lawrence Harris has been accused of the ritualistic slaying of his step-daughters a little over one year ago.
The Sioux City Fire Department responded to a house fire call at the residence. When they were there, they found the girls dead in their room. Lawrence Harris told the police that he was performing a witchcraft spell and it had gone wrong.
From that date, the media in Sioux City have been all over the case. You can’t blame the media though. They are doing their job. The media is giving the community the information they need.
The local television media have had their cameras at each event containing Mr. Harris. From the initial coverage of the story to his first hearings and at every court appearance along the way.
The local newspaper has had a live blog from the courtroom everyday. It is on the front page of the newspaper and is the first item on the web site. If the newspaper follows their previous examples, there will be a special section on the web site for years to come.
This trial has been delayed for some time because of motions involving the psychiatric well being of the defendant. Lately, the main focus of the defense attorneys has been the location of the trial. They feel there is no way that Lawrence Harris can receive a fair trial in Sioux City.
The defense may have a point. With the amount of media coverage that has taken place, is it possible for the potential jurors to be completely fair? At this point it must be as the jurors were sworn in yesterday and the trial has started.
Sioux City is a town of about 100,000 people. News of this magnitude very rarely happens in our quiet community. The people want to know about this crime, these little girls, and the resulting trial. The media is performing their duty to the community by giving them access to the information they crave. When is there a line crossed between what is needed for the community and what is needed for the courts.
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