Minneapolis TV Reporter Boyd Huppert emphasized that importance of knowing the focus of your story, when speaking to the Illinois News Broadcasters Association over the weekend.

It motivated me to focus on FOCUS in future Tips of the Week.

Huppert’s working definition of focus is “Character, emotion or concept that ties together disconnected pieces”.

Another definition I learned a few years ago (1992)  was “Someone doing something for a reason and why they are doing it”.

You can use either of those two definitions and they will help you create a much better story for your viewers, listeners or readers.

Huppert emphasized that you keep that focus statement going the entire time you are working on the story. The focus could change as you do more reporting, but having it will make keep you better focused on getting the story.

“You might have good reports, but unless you have a good focus, you won’t have a good story,” says Huppert.

Try to spend more time on the focus and you will see better results.