Crime and Conflict Reporting 1-21-16

7/25/2019 Crime and Conflict Reporting 1-21-16

1/18

Covering Crime & Conflictin a digital space


2/18

Recap: Breaking News Workshop

Why shells matter

Details from the verdict & aftermath: what to look out for at a

breaking news event

Twitter exercise

Who were reliable sources?

Who should/shouldnt have been included?

Where else can you find that information?


3/18

Whos legit on Twitter?

Things to look for:

Verified checkmark

#hashtags

Geolocations


4/18

Fact-Checking Viral Content

images.google.com

TWEET: Bombing in Chicago #solidaritywithrunners


5/18

Fact-Checking Viral Content


6/18

Guest Speaker: Geoff Ziezulewicz

The Beaufort Gazette

Staff Reporter

Stars and Stripes

Reporter

Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain

Freelancer

DNAinfo.com Chicago

General Assignment Reporter

Chicago Tribune Reporter

Twitter: @JournoGeoffZ


7/18

Crime Scene Guidelines

Identify yourself upfront as a reporter

Remember: nobody has to talk to you

If people start crying, acknowledge their feelings

Take great care when interviewing children

Police and prosecutors have their own version of events or how

crimes occurred

Get documents

All homicides are worth counting

Follow up on routine crimes and take the time to ask questions Dont forget to look for the good in law enforcement

Take the time to debrief

Source: SPJ Ethics Committee


8/18

Anatomy of a Crime Story

Lede What happened? Get the who, what, when, where in here -- especially if

this is the first time youre writing about the incident/subject.

(Example: In the Navy Pier shooting scenario, the most vital thing to express is

thata woman is dead after a gunman opened fire at Navy Pier Thursday night,

also leaving a child and another person wounded.)

2nd-3rd grafs: Here it depends on how much information you have. If you

have witness quotes, a police statement, the ID of the victim or suspect, that

should be here. Never bury quotes or official statements beneath hospital

details or pronouncement times.

Later: That said, the end of the story is where you can stick some of the boring

stuff. If police say theyre working with other departments to investigate this

crime, you can add that here.


9/18

Allegedly

When you need it: Identifying a suspect for the first time. Were the media, not the judge and jury. If

youre presenting info from prosecutors and police, its fine to just say John Doe

did XYZ, prosecutors alleged or prosecutors said.

NO: The man responsible for killing a woman at Navy Pier last week was identified by

police Thursday as Joe Cool of suburban Schaumburg.

YES: Police said they caught the man who opened fire at Navy Pier last week, leaving a

woman dead and child wounded. Joe Cool, of suburban Schaumburg, set out to kill his ex

wife after she asked for a divorce, prosecutors said.ORJoe Cool, of suburban Schaumburg,

allegedly opened fire at Navy Pier last week, leaving his ex wife dead and his 7-year-old

daughter wounded, officials said..

Headlines/tweets/Facebook posts: Just because you have fewer characters

DOES NOT mean you can drop attribution. You can (and will!) get sued

for tweeting out an accusation without an allegedly or police said.


10/18

When to Show News Videos & Photos

via The Daily Beast


11/18


When to include primary-sourced photos + video

When it is essential to the story

When it adds context/background to a story

When it serves a greater purpose

When to exclude news photos + video

When it doesnt serve a greater news purpose

When victims are identifiable When its source/content is unverifiable


12/18

When to Edit News Video

For clarity

can include zooming, cutting extraneous detail, repeating key

sequences

For time

includes a value judgement on what is/isnt important to share

To add context

adding in text, other videos or photos that help explain whats in

the video

To warn viewers about graphic content


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18/18

Assignment

Edit raw Cedrick Chatmanshooting video into a news video feature

Source videos:

http://bit.ly/MedillClassVid1

http://bit.ly/MedillClassVid2 tool to download (these & other YouTube vids): http://www.

ClipConverter.cc

TO SUBMIT:

email to [email protected]@northwestern.edu

YOUTUBE:

login: [email protected] / password: NUm3d1ll (thats d-one-LL)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.clipconverter.cc/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.clipconverter.cc/http://www.clipconverter.cc/http://bit.ly/MedillClassVid2http://bit.ly/MedillClassVid1

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Crime and Conflict Reporting 1-21-16