Reading for the Week

The reading for this week was Chapter 13 in the text. The chapter explains other types of basic stories and the basic structures that should be followed when writing them. An important element of reporting is preparation. In preparing for a crime story, reporters should contact the victims, the witnesses, and police officials. In preparing for accident and fire stories, important facts to included are: a description, the location, the name, age, and address of the victim or victims, the extent of injuries and the names, ages, and addresses of witnesses. A key concept mentioned on page 272 is that "there is no magic formula." According to the author, the most important thing is to be accurate, gather the facts (who, what, when, where, why, how), and usually follow an inverted pyramid style. The variable of time has a definite effect on how a reporter covers breaking, or spot news. The level of depth of facts to be sought is directly proportional to the amount of time that a reporter is given before a deadline. Reporters should also be familiar with court proceedings and legal guidelines so that they can have a background in reporting on such issues.
Included in the issue of the press and the court is the free-press/fair trial controversy, which holds that it is possible for a jury to be swayed by too much press attention. This can lead to a change in venue, so that the jurors will not be directly involved in the press activity that surrounds the event. Finally, Megan's law states that all people convicted of violent sexual crimes should register a current address with local law enforcement agencies. 'Ethics should dictate careful reporting of addresses of sex offenders."
I find it difficult to pinpoint the subject of ethics, because I think that the idea of ethics is highly situational, however, it is my hope that the future generation of journalists will take ethics into close consideration. Sensitivity should be placed high on the priority list for someone in this field.