Newscasts are dying?

So says KNBC News Director Bob Long. Long was on an RTNDA panel, where he predicted that traditional TV newscasts will die with the baby boom generation. Read more here.

How to be a Journalism Student

Paul Bradshaw at the University of Central England has 10 quick tips.

The suspect is described as an hispanic male.....

When is a racial identification useful in a news story? When is it simply meaningless as a description? These are questions newsrooms across the country continue to debate. Viewers and listeners want to know what dangerous criminals look like, but a description like "black male in a green hooded shirt" could apply to potentially hundreds or thousands of residents. So, do you use the limited description you have? Or does it invite racial stereotyping? Here's an article about the current debate going on at the Sacramento Bee newspaper. I'm interested in your comments because there are interesting arguments on both sides.

Another Storyteller

If you've had any of my classes you know I like to show examples from NBC Today Show Correspondent Bob Dotson. Here are some remarks Dotson made about storytelling this past Saturday at Kansas University.

It's All About Storytelling

I spend lots of time in class talking about how to shoot well-composed, exposed, steady video. But in the end, the most important thing is telling a good story. One of my favorite Video Journalists is a fellow named David Turecamo. Watch one of his pieces here and see what a good storyteller can do with just a handheld camera and excellent writing.

Is That What I Said?

Today's electronic audio editors make it easy to slice and dice sound files. It's possible to make someone sound like they're saying something that they really never said.

That's why it's important to follow some ethical rules in how you cut audio sound bites.

Mary McGuire has a great list of guidelines here.

It's OK to "clean up" a quote, but never OK to change its meaning.

SIU Alum Chris Bury has been a National Correspondent for ABC's Nightline since 1993. Now, the network is sending him back to Chicago as Midwest National Correspondent. That's good news on two fronts. First, we'll get to see more of Chris' reporting on other ABC News programs. And, since he's closer to Carbondale, perhaps we'll get to see him more often talking with students.

Chris has always been willing to come back to campus when he can. But now the logistics should be a little easier.

More on Chris' new assignment.

Dirty Dancing

A Chicago anchor apparently got in some hot water over his behavior at an off-duty going away party. WFLD's Mike Barz was said to have been "dirty dancing" with a female production assistant at a night club. Read about it here.

So what, you say? The point is...you've chosen a very public business to be in. No, you won't get the same paparazzi treatment as Britney, but you WILL give up lots of your privacy. You will be recognized when you go out. And, if you do something silly, everyone will soon know.

It doesn't always matter that you're thousands of miles from home, as anchorwoman Catherine Bosley found out in 2003.

If you're a woman, everything you wear will be critiqued every day by your audience. Your hairstyles, makeup, and weight will be constantly monitored by your "fans".

Living in a glass bowl is not easy.

Or...you could become a producer. Dress however you want, eat all the Frito's you want, become a regular at the local strip club, and spike your hair. No one will know. And you'll still get to control what goes on the air at 6 pm.

One of the smartest guys in TV news is a guy named Don Hewitt. He was part of Edward R. Murrow's team at CBS in the in the 50s and 60s that virtually invented TV journalism. Another thing that Hewitt invented is a little program called 60 Minutes. That newsmagazine has been an award-winning cash-cow for CBS since 1968.

Hewitt was kinda pushed aside at 60 Minutes in 2004 in favor of a younger Exec Producer. But it seems Don isn't finished trying to innovate. He's trying to create an online newsmagazine aimed at and produced by college students. Read about it here.