Searching for a newsworthy story is still a work in progress for me. I have taken the suggestion of keeping a folder with all of my submitted story ideas, so when the time comes I will have ideas to pull from. This has worked decently well, although some of my story ideas were dated, and I can no longer use them. A story idea I proposed that seems really interesting to me is looking into the caseloads of the public defenders for Boone County. Many public defenders are receiving an obscene number of case -loads, and the fear is that the defenders will eventually have to turn away cases. I would love to look into humanizing this story with finding an individual whose cased was turned away. Initially, the idea seemed very simple, but I now realize how much work a piece like this would take (if done well). So if we are required to do a longer feature for the end of the semester, this may be my topic. Overall, I feel I have progressed from the beginning of the semester in my ability to spot a potential story, and to work an interesting angle into my story scripts. I know I have a LONG way to go, and I'm not great at it, but I honestly feel I am improving! Finding a good story idea and scripting a story well are definitely the hardest parts of producing a great story, but I am taking steps to continue getting better.
As per usual, news coverage this week affords me an opportunity to critique what works well and what doesn't work well with for a variety of stories. The readings and lectures we have had over the past 8 weeks gave me a more critical eye in viewing new stories and coverage, and hopefully I can avoid similar mistakes in my own news, and emulate great practices from talented journalists. The other day, I arrived home from school and was watching television. "Inside Edition" came on, and I watched the entire segment, in order to pick up on what key things NOT to do in news. A key theme I noticed while viewing, was leads crossing the line between presenting an element of surprise and misleading a viewer. I remembered a lecture we had earlier in the semester where we discussed how to surprise a viewer/listener and create suspense without misleading.
One show I look to for inspiration and a great example is a show I have honestly watched for years. Every Sunday night when I was living at home, my family would gather around and watch 60 minutes and 20/20. Each news story is quality, and starts out peaking my interest to keep me hooked for the entire segment. The two shows have an incredible balance of hard-hitting news, investigative reporting, heart-warming features, and stories with celebrities/stars to stay current with entertainment news.
When a story is complete, the lead for an upcoming segment (ex. "Homeless Veterans" for next week on 60 minutes) is always outstanding, and creates suspense for the viewer.
As time goes on and I gain more experience reporting, I hope my news stories will be ethical yet exciting, and NEVER cross the line of misleading my listeners/viewers.
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