online resource for Illinois broadcast news managers, reporters, producers, photographers and students
Do you wish you could make it to a conference of the Investigative Reporters & Editors? At the group’s NICAR (better known now as “data journalism”) meeting last month, experts in several areas offered up “Lightning talks” which give you good lessons ranging from stopping the feeling that you are an impostor to data tracking of 911 calls. More
Today (April 2) is International Fact Checking Day. Check your favorite journalism sites and you will likely see excellent suggestions for snooping our fake news and doing a better job of fact checking. I found some advice from across the pond that may be helpful, especially for reporters trying to do investigative work. More
This week the Illinois Auditor General released a high profile audit examining the State’s response to the Legionnaire’s disease outbreaks at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy. There are many other audits released throughout the year and most can provide you with interesting information and stories that affect taxpayers across Illinois. More
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has given its Open Governments guides a going-over. As our Tip Of The Week… Here is the newest guide for Illinois.
Whether it is a U.S. Senator announcing a proposal to lower the cost of drugs or an advocacy group arguing for state regulations on prices, you will likely encounter this topic. It is one that will interest your viewers or listeners. You will be doing them a service if you know what you are talking about. More
Harvard’s Journalist’s Resource site has a good tip sheet of a half dozen tips on covering teachers unions. A link to the full article is at the bottom. A couple of the suggestions caught my eye.
Get to know people in various levels of union leadership
Develop relationships with people in leadership positions within the local teachers union as well as the statewide teachers union (Illinois Education Association & More
Reporters always feel rushed. Take the extra time with these simple steps to make sure your story is accurate. It may sound basic, but it is important to be “Brilliant On The Basics”, as someone once said.
I first came across this list from Deborah Potter who ran Newslab in the early 2000’s. More
Good reporters are always trying to get better at their job. Everyone wants great stories and wants to avoid mistakes. Here is a series of online tutorials that can make you better at verification!
This training will help you avoid mistakes that could undermine the work you do. More
Our Tip of the Week comes from The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at Arizona State University.
To cover a local or regional economy, you need to know what makes it tick. Find a few lists, or compile them on your own:
• Fortune 500 companies based in your area
• Other local publicly held companies
• The largest privately owned companies in your region
• The 10 largest employers in your locality. More
There is a big election coming up in Chicago. Some of the issues are entirely parochial. Others have a wider impact. There is room for the Chicago mayoral election in newscasts across the state. That coverage can be very selective and focused. You need to tell your audience what’s important and even why they should care.