Journalism within the audiovisual world - Lesson 2
Posted Oct 19, 2019 01:55 PM
This is lesson 2 of the Journalism within the audiovisual world lesson series. Enjoy.Research
To write a thorough journalistic article, to make a video item or to shoot a photo (series), it is important to view the subject that you highlight from all sides.
For example, you may have an opinion about Donald Trump. But if you delve into the opinions of others, the history of Donald Trumpp, if there are similar characters in other countries, then you come to the conclusion that things are more nuanced. Many subjects are not white or black, but something in between.
A journalist has the task and the duty to look at a case from as many sides as possible, and then to report on it as honestly as possible, without expressing his / her own opinion. A journalist strives to be as "objective" as possible.
A journalist:
- Selects the news based on the public interest
- Bases him/her-self on facts
- Checks the facts and refrains from interpretation
- Balances opinions and distinguishes them from facts
- Uses objective language
Where can you find a topic?
External source:
- In your network (family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, fellow students)
- Internet
- Newspaper, TV, radio
- Local broadcasters
Internal source:
- Creativity
How do you come up with a story idea yourself?
You can come up with suitable topics through:
- A reason (a message, news story or interview in a newspaper or magazine or on the internet can give the editor a useful idea for a story.)
- Mind mapping
- Remarkability and imagination
How do you do research?
- Find information on the internet:
Google tips
Enter the correct keywords.
On Google itself, you will find several tips. Search for anything using Google, and then look at the bottom of the first results page. At the bottom, there is "Search tips" - click on it. Those are the tips from Google itself.
Try to use words that the websites you are looking for will use. For example, if your tooth hurts, look for "toothache" instead of "my tooth hurts." This will lead to more informative websites.
If you need an exact result for your search, put quotation marks around it. For example, Google will only search for the exact word or the sentence in quotation marks. For example, if you type baking cookies, without quotes, Google will find all pages with the word "cookies" or the word "baking" (but pages with both words are higher in the results). If you enter "bake cookies", Google will only search for pages that contain the exact phrase.
Find information by calling an expert or interested party
If you need information quickly, it's best to call. You can then ask specific questions, and you will receive answers sooner. The person calling you can often refer you to other good and reliable sources. If the person is a good speaker, you can consider asking that person for an interview. Then make an appointment or ask if you can call back for an appointment.
Find information by going somewhere
In many cases, it can be enlightening to go somewhere. If the news comes that the fire brigade has rescued pigs that had fallen into a slurry pit, then it may be good for your article to take a look at how pigs are kept, what a slurry pit looks like, etc.
Hear and be heard
This is the most important rule of journalism. If you let one party speak, then allow the other party to respond to that. For example, don't let someone accuse another, but give the other the chance to tell his or her side of the story. If you have no response from the other party, you may not broadcast something. No comment is of course also a response.
There are exceptions. For example, if the volunteer who has been coming to the retirement home for 15 years now goes into the retirement home himself. In such a case, audi alteram partem is needed. (Audi alteram partem (or audiatur et altera pars) is a Latin phrase meaning "listen to the other side") But if the volunteer tells you that he or she wants to go to another retirement home because the food in the house is too dirty for words, I would go and have a look in the kitchen and taste it if necessary.
Sources
In general, if you do research or make a journalistic story: one source is not a source. Always look for Audi alteram partem or check the story of your source with another source. This also applies to articles that you read on the internet or in a newspaper or book.
The journalist has a lot of power. He has a stage to spread his message, and people listen to it. So a journalist also has a big responsibility. That is why a journalist, when choosing the person to be shown, must ask himself: how stigmatizing am I? Do I pay attention to diversity? Is every population group speaking enough? Can I not even look for another "spokesperson" who is not white and male? Is it essential for the subject to let a specific group speak?
Data collection
Google and Desk research
Desk research is the collection, analysis and interpretation of data for which you must conduct research yourself and the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data that can be used for your research but others have already collected that.
You can search for existing information in all sorts of ways. Public authorities such as the CPB and CBS or Movisie (Dutch organizations) regularly publish reports on the internet about current issues that play a role in Dutch society. But international organizations such as the American research center Pew, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Wildlife Fund (WNF), the refugee organization (UNHCR), the world trade organization (WTO), the world food organization (FAO) regularly publish reliable information. That can sometimes be the reason for writing an article. It can also help you substantiate your views.
Bell¿ngcat
There are various forms of investigative journalism. A form of investigative journalism, originally carried out by citizens (ie, citizen journalism), is Bell¿ngcat. They use existing images and link them to information that is available about the area. Google street view, for example, helps to locate places precisely. They call the information available interactive geospatial data and describe it on their website. This way you can also start searching for yourself!
https://www.bellingcat.com/
That concludes lesson 2! :)
