Using The Weather Forecast As a Guide To News

Posted June 26, 2018 by Bill Wheelhouse

This tip comes from the American Press Institute.  It asks What Journalists Can Learn From Their Local TV Weather Forecast.  It points out that if you follow the template of TV weather folks for your own news stories you will be doing good journalism plus you will get what they call an “organic” opportunity to improve the audience’s news fluency.

How can journalists do that?

  • They discuss what’s happening right now, what happened yesterday, and various scenarios for the future.
  • They use highly attractive visuals to make complex data easier to comprehend.
  • They attribute their information to weather sources and models.
  • They provide context: both historic and geographic.
  • They offer information for each type of weather consumer.
  • They engage with audiences by providing more information through social media and fighting misinformation.
  • They display their credentials.
  • They build, recycle and update “explainers,” adding depth to their reports.

The full article provides a good breakdown of how to do this.