All of us in the business have witnessed the following scenario (or one just like it): a law enforcement press briefing is announced and shortly before it starts, the local beat reporter comes in, heads for the coffee and donuts, and then starts to chat with the PIO or any other departmental contact he knows. Then its time for the briefing, and everybody sits.
10 seconds before the PIO opens his mouth, the newspaper’s photographer strides into the room. He or she starts snapping almost immediately. The photographer gets on the floor and shoots up at the podium, then stands behind the speaker and shoots out at the assembled reporters and media, then gets a few profile shots, then stands on a chair and shoots down, then goes to the table displaying the seized drugs or weapons and shoots 6 different angles of that.
Finally the photographer gets names and ranks of the speakers, even interrupting if need be, and then dashes out the door to his or her next assignment across town.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is pretty much the way web reporters and editors need to operate. We must move fast, gather a lot, make certain we’ve got the facts (correctly and sufficiently), and then move the hell on to the next story.
We need to be filing our “first report” story live and getting the second, more complete update ready to be published in 15 minutes. We need to move with alacrity and thoroughness of the photog and probably follow him or her out the door to the next story.
We web editors just should not have the time for that coffee and donuts…..
Posted on January 5, 2010
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