Chapter 15 – Speeches, News Conferences and Meetings

News Reporting and Writing10th Edition

Distinguishing Among Speeches, News Conferences and Meetings

• What is a speech? – A public talk– In person or on radio or T.V. – A speech is one-way communication– Speakers are usually invited to address an audience

• What is a news conference?– A news conference is “held” or “called”– Invitations aren’t sent to the general public, but news media are alerted– Media respond because of the importance of the person calling the news conference and because

the person may have something newsworthy to say. – A news conference is usually two-way communication – The speaker usually gives an opening statement and then accepts questions from reporters

• What is a meeting?– a meeting is primarily for communication among the members of a group or organization – Reporters who are permitted to witness a meeting tell the public what is of interest and importance

Preparation

• Preparing for the Speech Story– Look up background info on the speaker either before or after the

speech– Identify the speaker correctly (middle initials, Jr. Sr. etc.)– Prior to the speech, contact the group sponsoring the speech and

ask for the topic– If you are lucky, you might get an advance copy of the speech– If the speech is important enough, contact the speaker ahead of

time for a brief interview– You may also want to arrange ahead of time to interview the

speaker after the speech – Keep up with local and/or national current events so you

understand what a speaker is talking about

Preparation

• Preparing for the News Conference Story– Research up-to-date background info on the person giving the news

conference– Learn why the news conference is being held– Check out any rumors, call the person’s associates, friends or

secretary– Talk to you editor about specific info they want– Draw up a list of questions to ask at the news conference– The better prepared you are, the better chance you will have of

coming away with a coherent, readable story– If may be impossible to arrange an interview before or after a news

conference, but you can always ask. You might end up with some exclusive info

Preparation

• Preparing for the Meeting Story– Know who is holding the meeting, what kind of

organization is involved and who the key figures are

– Contact the key figures– Get a written agenda if possible– Study and investigate the issues before arriving – Knowing what to expect and being familiar with

the issues will make covering the meeting easier

Covering Speeches, News Conference and Meetings

• The Medium Matters– If you are writing for print, good notes, an audio recorder

and getting audience reaction might be enough– But if an editor expects a Twitter or mobile phone update

from the site of the event or breaking news item for the website, you might need to send an instant update, write a brief item for the Web during the meeting and update the story in several forms when the event is over

– Learning to become a multimedia journalist – able to produce written material, video material, sound bites and info for the Web – makes you a more valuable reporter.

Covering Speeches, News Conference and Meetings

• Getting the Content Correct– Consider using an audio (or video) recorder– Practice using it before you get there– Know how sensitive the microphone is– Some reporters shun audio recorders because they think that listening to an

entire recording takes too long and finding quotes to double check is too hard– Even if you record an event, take notes – most reporters develop them own

shorthand. You never know when a recorder will fail. – Quote people exactly and in context– Note the background, personal characteristics and mannerisms of the main

participants– Cover the event. Also look at audience size, reactions and sometimes at what

is happening outside the building– Get there early, position yourself and hang around afterwards.

Covering Speeches, News Conference and Meetings

• Describing the Participants– Watch the gestures and expressions of the speaker– You might note that a speaker deliberately winked

while reading a sentence or hear an unmistakable sarcasm in his/her voice

– Understand when physical facts about the speaker are essential to the story. Example: A blind person pleading for funds to educate the blind

Covering Speeches, News Conference and Meetings

• Be Observant– Measure the mood and reaction of the audience– Listen to the tone of audience questions– Is there laughter, applause or boos– Is the speaker or person holding the news conference

relaxed, calm and in control?– Sometimes the real story is what’s happening outside the

news conference…. for example, protesters kept away by police

– Don’t overlook the obvious… for example, don’t say it is was a “full house” unless you also indicate the seating capacity.

Covering Speeches, News Conference and Meetings

• Arriving, Positioning Yourself and Staying On– Arrive early – not all events have special seating for reporters– The first row isn’t necessarily the best place if you are reporting on a speech.

You may want a location that allows you to better see audience reaction. – Be in a good position to be able to ask questions– If you are attending a news conference, you should have your questions

prepared– Listen to other reporters questions (even if you don’t get a chance to ask

yours), and be able to recognize the makings of a good story – identify what’s newsworthy and pursue it

– If you are attending a board or council meeting, know which members are sitting where so you can take notes on people’s quotes more easily

– Don’t leave as soon as the meeting ends. Listen to reactions from the people who attended. Ask for clarifications. Arrange to interview a key spokesperson.

Structuring and Writing Your Story• Structuring and Writing Your Story

– Writing a lead for the speech, news conference or meeting story is no different from writing the lead for any other story

– All of the qualities of the inverted pyramid news lead are important for these types of articles

– Reminder: Inverted Pyramid • Put the most important information first• Arrange the paragraphs in descending order of importance (most important to

least important)• Requires the writer to rank the importance of information

– Because of the nature of the inverted pyramid, you probably won’t be following the chronology of the event. However, the flow of your article may demand some attention to the order of events so that you don’t accidently distort or cause readers to misinterpret the meaning of the event.

Structuring and Writing Your Story

• Writing the Speech Story– Convey an accurate message– Get reaction from listeners– Read the Associated Press story on reaction to

President Obama’s 2009 speech calling for a new era in U.S.-Muslim relations = page 325

Structuring and Writing Your Story

• Writing the News Conference Story– Because you will go to the conference with different

questions than other reporters, you may come away with a different story or a different lead.

– News conferences often cover several topics– Usually, you will treat the most newsworthy item first

and deal with the other topics in the order of their importance

– Remember, your job is to give readers the news as simply and clearly as possible

– Read example on page 327-328

Structuring and Writing Your Story

• Writing the Meeting Story– You are the eyes and ears of the reader at the meeting you are

covering– Remember to the 5Ws and H for possible inclusion in the lead

graphs– Also report on who was there, who represented the public and

any reactions after the meeting was over– In addition to getting the facts, your jobs is also to be

interesting and get people to read the story. – Your article should be relevant, useful and interesting.– Read examples of a local school board meeting story on page

328-330

Finish Harbor Campus Story• Due today at end of class• Submit on TurnItIn.com• Remember to include:

– Quotes and attribution– At least 3 sources– One idea per paragraph– 1-3 sentences per paragraph– Quotes are their own paragraph– Double check name spellings, titles etc.– Use clear, straight-forward language– No particular length = as short/long as it needs to be to be to convey the

news (300-500 words)– Spell check