A media house needs to be continually assessing whether its output is meeting the needs of the audience and achieving business targets.

This starts in the newsroom and filters through to every area of the organisation.

News is a classic people business: one relatively small set of people passes on information to another larger set of people.

There is a lot of other stuff going on, of course: newsgathering, writing, photography, technology, distribution, business and so on. But in the end it’s one person telling stories to other people.

We know that every human being is different from every other human being and not surprisingly every news boss is different from every other news boss. They all have their own ways of doing things and there is no single formula for success. A lot depends on personality.

But there are some things that are common to every good newsroom and continuous, critical review of its own output is one of them.

In the absence of a formula for the news review process, here are some things a news boss should keep in mind.

• You have to care deeply and passionately about the output. 
  • This means reading, listening or watching everything that comes out of the newsroom and assessing whether it is up to standard.
• You have to convey your enthusiasm to your team.
  • They have to know you are closely interested in all their work. Your enthusiasm will rub off on them, with positive results.
• You set the standards for all to follow.
  • You should work out some simple messages that you keep repeating. For example:
    • The most important quality of every story coming out of this newsroom is accuracy. We don’t accept ANY errors.
    • We all have opinions but when you come to work here, you leave your personal opinions at home.
    • We keep notes on EVERYTHING. We can’t defend a story if you can’t produce your notes.
    • We always try to be fair and straight with everyone, from the subject of our stories to our readers and our colleagues.
    • We don’t just report on a community, we are part of that community and we cannot serve the community unless we understand it intimately
• You never let an error pass unnoticed.
  • This is the single most important element of quality control. If one of your team makes a mistake and nobody mentions it, it means either you didn’t see it or you don’t care. This is demotivating for staff. You must at least talk to them about it.
• Deliver your critical messages wisely.
  • The old days of quality control by means of a fierce telling-off are over. You can be stern and disapproving without bullying. You can also understand that the best journalists are their own fiercest critics. They already feel bad about their error and you don’t need to rub their noses in it. Simply noticing that you are disappointed in them will be enough of a penalty.
• Praise and criticism should be dished out judiciously.
  • We expect a consistently high level of competence so high praise should be reserved for work that is exceptional. Similarly, though, there will always be mistakes, they should be rare and criticism should be proportionate.
• Critical review needs to be systematic, not haphazard.
  • There needs to be a structure, a regular routine of looking back and assessing what has gone right and what has gone wrong. The existence of the routine is a guarantee that important messages will not get overlooked in the pressure of the daily news cycle.
• There should be short-term review meetings.
  • In day-to-day operations, my own preference was to start the morning news meeting with a brief review of what we had done the previous day, before continuing on to plan the day’s coverage. If there was something too sensitive or too important to be raised at that meeting, I would ask the relevant people to stay behind for further discussions.
• There should be long-term review meetings.
  • You need to take a step back, every now and then to look, not just at individual stories, but also at how well you are covering issues. What important themes are you missing? Do you have the right staff to produce the coverage that circumstances require? Are you publishing in the right places and on the right platforms? And so on. I remember attending a meeting in 1975 and my editor suddenly saying: “I’ve realised we did not adequately cover the revolution in Portugal last year.” He explained that if we had thought more carefully about it at the time, we would have spotted the implications of Portugal abandoning its colonies, the result of which was to embolden revolutionary movements throughout Southern Africa.
• Include the competition in your reviews.
  • You should not assess your organisation’s performance in isolation.It’s no good if you did a pretty good job but your competitors did a better one. Did they have stories you missed? Were they first with the news? Did they think more creatively about how to handle a particular story? Were their headlines better? Always tell your own staff that you will never accept being anything less than number one in your market.
• You need to identify and understand your audience.
  • A great British newspaper editor in the middle of the 20th Century told his staff they were writing for “the man on the Clapham omnibus and the woman on Rhyl promenade.” He went on to say these imaginary folk represented ordinary people who were interested in improving their lives, owning their own homes and getting on in the world. This is similar to the modern technique of audience segmentation. It helps you to know what kind of stories your audience is interested in, and where they go to get their information. You cannot have too much information about your audience.
• A news organisation that goes broke is no use to anyone.
  • The news media is frequently under financial pressure and many titles have disappeared in the past 20 years. The editorial output of the news must be consistent with a viable and sustainable business strategy. So there should be regular reviews, with the relevant business colleagues, about how the news operation can play a part, within its existing ethical and editorial standards, in ensuring the success of the business.
• Review your own performance.
  • You expect your staff to be self-critical and you should do the same. At the end of every day, ask yourself: did I do everything I could to make today’s output as good as possible? If not, did I miss any obvious chances? Did I deal with everybody fairly and professionally? Did I inject a bit of fun into proceedings, to alleviate tension and make everybody feel better?

Bob Eggington

Related articles

Creating a vibrant newsroom culture

How to run an effective news meeting

Getting the best out of a news meeting

Hey AI, what are the top stories of the day?

The post Reviewing news output is essential first appeared on Media Helping Media.

I can remember when I first realised I was a data journalist, or at least helping to produce data journalism.

It was in the summer of 1997 when we were getting ready to launch the BBC News website.  (And by the way, I don’t get any marks for being perceptive, because as we point out in the article ‘What is data journalism?‘, all journalists are data journalists, whether they know it or not, so I had been one since the 1960s.)

Anyway, we were looking at how to produce and improve news stories – and all our assumptions belonged in the analogue age.

We were obviously aware that unlike television and radio, online news was not an ephemeral, one-word-at-a-time medium. Users could dwell on text and be directed to other information for valuable context and background.

We wanted to offer rich, instantly-available material that supplemented and enhanced every story.

But to produce that kind of material, we were used to relying on our own and our colleagues’ memories and archives, the BBC’s tape and audio libraries, a newspaper cuttings library and rudimentary newsroom systems that were not connected to the Internet.

In other words, it was a bit haphazard, almost certainly incomplete, relied on a lot of legwork and took ages.

Suddenly, as our tech guru patiently explained to us, we had electronic access to all kinds of valuable material.  He called it “data”.  The penny dropped.

We could automatically link to related stories. We could use search to produce the raw data for time-lines and fact files.  We could pull down stories being written on primitive terminals in the BBC’s  Moscow newsroom and automatically format them as web pages.

We even had a stab at a bit of software that would automatically create a timeline on important, recurring stories. It would search all our sources for, say, unrest in any particular country and produce a list of events.

To make the list usable, we had to instruct it not to put any two items too close together chronologically, unless they were very important, and to exclude items of lesser importance if the list was too long.

It was very ambitious and I cannot remember if we ever got round to implementing this functionality.  If we did, then we almost invented an early version of artificial intelligence.

But now, the real thing is here, and the new capabilities that fascinated and thrilled us in those early years are now easily and freely available to everyone, in much more powerful versions, thanks to the power of large language models, neural networks and immense distributed computing power.

So now, not only are all journalists data journalists, we all have access to immense quantities of priceless data and the tools to make good use of it.  We have listed many of those data tools and resources.

They are wonderful.  But do not forget that in the term “data journalist” the second word is more important than the first.

We should all be thrilled and grateful for the things Artificial Intelligence makes possible, but the most powerful tools are still the human journalist’s instinct, judgement and training.

Bob Eggington

This text offers a fascinating glimpse into the nascent stages of digital journalism, particularly the moment when the author recognised the inherent data-driven nature of the craft. Let’s expand on this, adding depth, meaning, and perspective:

The ubiquity of data journalism 

The assertion that “we are all data journalists” transcends a mere label. It’s a fundamental recognition of the information age’s defining characteristic: the sheer volume of data surrounding us. Even before the term gained currency, journalists were implicitly engaged in data analysis, sifting through facts, statistics, and records to construct narratives. The shift, as the author articulates, lies in the accessibility and utility of data.

The analogue to digital leap

The author’s recollection of the BBC News website’s launch in 1997 is a powerful illustration of this transition. The limitations of analogue methods – reliance on memory, physical archives, and disconnected systems – highlight the transformative potential of digital data. The “tech guru’s” revelation wasn’t just about accessing “valuable material”; it was about recognising the inherent structure and relationships within information, the ability to connect disparate pieces into a coherent whole.

Beyond automation

The ambitious attempt to create an automated timeline generator speaks to the early recognition of AI’s potential in journalism. The challenges faced – managing chronological proximity and prioritising information – are precisely the problems that modern AI and machine learning algorithms address. This anecdote is more than a historical footnote; it’s a testament to the foresight of those who recognised the need for intelligent data processing.

The democratisation of data and tools

The author rightly points out that the tools that were once the exclusive domain of tech-savvy journalists are now widely accessible. Large language models, neural networks, and distributed computing have democratised data analysis, empowering individuals to explore, interpret, and visualise information in unprecedented ways. This democratisation, however, does not diminish the importance of journalistic ethics and skills.

The enduring significance of the journalist

The emphasis on “journalist” over “data” is crucial. While AI can automate tasks and provide insights, it cannot replace the human element of journalism. The author’s “instinct, judgement and training” remain indispensable. This encompasses:

• Critical thinking: Evaluating the credibility and relevance of data sources.
• Contextualisation: Placing data within a broader social, political, and historical framework.
• Ethical considerations: Recognising and mitigating biases in data and algorithms.
• Narrative construction: Crafting compelling stories that resonate with audiences.
• Human empathy: Understanding and conveying the human impact of data-driven insights.
• Accountability: Holding power to account, even when the power is expressed in data.

The evolving role of the data journalist

The modern data journalist is not merely a data wrangler but a storyteller, an investigator, and a communicator. They must possess a blend of technical skills and journalistic acumen. They must be able to:

• Extract meaningful insights from complex datasets.
• Visualise data in a clear and engaging manner.
• Communicate data-driven findings to diverse audiences.
• Understand the limitations and biases of data and algorithms.
• Use data to uncover hidden patterns and trends.

A call for responsible innovation

As AI continues to transform journalism, it is essential to remember that technology is a tool, not a replacement for human intelligence. The focus should be on using AI to enhance journalistic capabilities, not to automate them entirely. The ethical implications of AI in journalism – including issues of bias, transparency, and accountability – must be carefully considered.

In conclusion, the author’s reflections provide a valuable perspective on the evolution of data journalism. The journey from analogue limitations to digital possibilities underscores the transformative power of data. However, the enduring importance of journalistic integrity and human judgment reminds us that technology is only as good as the people who use it.

Related articles

Data journalism – resources and tools

Data journalism glossary

What is data journalism?

The post Good journalism has always been about data first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Journalists can sometimes present an inaccurate or false version of events by trying too hard to ‘balance’ a story or incorrectly treating elements of a story as being roughly equal.

This article looks at ways of avoiding two errors, applying ‘false equivalence’ and ‘false balance’, which are both about making inaccurate comparisons.

False equivalence is when you say that two or more things are the same, when in fact they are significantly different.

An example of false equivalence is to state that “politicians are all the same”. They are not. They might have similarities and some common attributes but that does not mean they are the same.

False balance is when a report suggests that two sides in a dispute have equally valid arguments, when in fact the evidence weighs heavily in favour of one side.

An example of false balance is the treatment of the climate change debate. Scientists come down heavily in favour of the proposition that human beings are causing, or at least helping to cause, global warming. A tiny minority, perhaps as low as three per cent, disagree, and it is false to represent the dispute as evenly-matched.

Ironically, many cases of false balance happen because the journalist is trying to avoid being biased.

When reporting a controversy, quite properly the journalist does not want to take sides.  But sometimes it is necessary to show that one side’s arguments and evidence are much more persuasive than the other side’s.

An example here is Donald Trump’s often-repeated claim that he won the 2020 US Presidential election. He has failed to produce any evidence to support that claim and has lost numerous court battles challenging the result. So it is false to present his claim as a viable argument.

False equivalence and false balance can both be used deliberately to mislead people. They are often used in misinformation and disinformation campaigns. Or they can be examples of lazy thinking by the journalist.

Either way, they are inaccurate and care must be taken to avoid using them. In order to avoid using false equivalence and false balance keep the following in mind:

• Justify: When you are tempted to say that two or more things are equal, ask yourself if you can justify the statement.
• Explain: If the comparison is likely to be controversial, explain why you think it is valid.
• Validate: Do not accept or repeat other people’s statements of equivalency, without testing their validity.
• Reflect: When covering a dispute, make sure you reflect accurately all sides of the argument.  If some of the arguments are questionable, explain why.

It’s important to keep in mind that it is not biased to expose deficiencies in an argument, as long as you subject all sides to the same level of scrutiny.

Questions

1. What is false equivalence, and how does it differ from false balance in journalism?
2. Provide an example of false equivalence mentioned in the text.
3. Explain why false balance can be misleading in journalistic reporting.
4. How might a journalist unintentionally create false balance when reporting on a controversy?
5. Discuss the potential consequences of using false equivalence and false balance in media.
6. Why is it important for journalists to test the validity of statements of equivalency?
7. How can journalists ensure they are accurately reflecting all sides of an argument in their reporting?
8. Analyse the role of bias in the context of false balance and false equivalence. How can journalists avoid it?
9. Evaluate the statement: “It’s important to keep in mind that it is not biased to expose deficiencies in an argument, as long as you subject all sides to the same level of scrutiny.” What does this imply about journalistic integrity?
10. Synthesise the strategies mentioned in the text to avoid false equivalence and false balance. How can these strategies improve the quality of journalism?

Answers

1. False equivalence is when two or more things are presented as the same, despite significant differences. False balance occurs when a report suggests that two sides in a dispute have equally valid arguments, even when evidence heavily favors one side.
2. An example of false equivalence is the statement “politicians are all the same,” which overlooks their differences.
3. False balance can mislead by suggesting that both sides of an argument have equal merit, even when evidence strongly supports one side over the other.
4. A journalist might unintentionally create false balance by trying to avoid bias and presenting both sides equally, even when one side lacks substantial evidence.
5. Using false equivalence and false balance can mislead audiences, contribute to misinformation, and undermine trust in journalism.
6. Testing the validity of statements of equivalency is crucial to avoid spreading misinformation and to ensure accurate reporting.
7. Journalists can ensure accuracy by thoroughly investigating all sides, presenting evidence, and explaining why some arguments may be more credible than others.
8. Bias can arise when journalists fail to critically evaluate the evidence for each side. Avoiding bias involves scrutinising all arguments equally and presenting evidence-based conclusions.
9. This statement implies that journalistic integrity involves critically evaluating all arguments and presenting evidence-based conclusions, rather than striving for artificial balance.
10. Strategies to avoid false equivalence and false balance include justifying comparisons, explaining controversial comparisons, and scrutinising all sides equally. These strategies enhance journalistic accuracy and credibility.

Lesson plan for trainers

If you are a trainer of journalists we have a free lesson plan: False equivalence and false balance which you can download and adapt for your own purposes.

Take a look at these other modules on Media Helping Media to help you keep your journalism up to the highest standards.

Unconscious bias and its impact on journalism

Impartiality in journalism

Accuracy in journalism

The post False equivalence and false balance first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Journalists should not waste words. Their writing should be concise and tight. Adjectives and adverbs clutter up news stories and should be avoided wherever possible.

When it comes to writing – not just news writing but any kind of writing – adjectives and adverbs have a bad reputation.

Mark Twain said: “When you catch an adjective, kill it.” Stephen King said: “The road to hell is paved with adverbs”.

For many decades, the conventional wisdom in journalism has been that you do not, usually, need adjectives and adverbs. Your sentences will be better if you cut them out.

But wait! I just used “usually”, an adverb, and “better”, an adjective. If I cut them out, the first sentence will no longer be accurate, since I am trying to say that there will, occasionally, be a need. And the second sentence does not work at all if I remove “better”.

So you cannot ban the use of adjectives and adverbs.

But you should keep them to a minimum. Mark Twain, in fact, modified his advice:
“I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them (adjectives) – then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart.
“An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice.”
Instead, make a virtue of economy: use as few words as possible. The newspaper guru, Leslie Sellers, in his 1968 guide, “The simple subs book”, put it this way: “fewer words, better sense”. Apply this across the board, but especially (a permissible use of the adverb in this case) with adjectives and adverbs.

Adjectives and adverbs are words that modify. Adjectives change the meaning of nouns. Adverbs change the meaning of verbs, phrases, clauses or sentences. You should always test whether the modification is necessary.

Here are a few examples of commonly-used but unnecessary modifiers, in which the first word can always be cut:

• completely untrue
• strictly necessary
• broad daylight
• considerable difficulty
• firm decision
• together with
• along with
• grateful thanks
• high-speed car chase

Adjectives to do with size are often too broad to add any useful meaning, like “big”, “huge”, “massive”, “astonishing” . They can be cut or replaced with something that adds to the understanding of the story.

Adjectives like “tragic”, “improved” “sad”, “incredible” “unfortunate” are especially dangerous since they include value judgements. Leave it to your readers or listeners to make their own judgements.

Two of the most objectionable words are “really” and “very”. They seldom add any meaning. Mark Twain suggested that every time you are tempted to write the word “very” in your story, substitute the word “damn” – then, as he put it, “your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be”.

Mark Twain was also down on adverbs. He said they were the tool of the “lazy writer”. In their most common form they end in “ly” and are attached to verbs. Here are some sentences which would be better without their adverbs:

“She tiptoed silently into the room.”
“He glared aggressively at the traffic warden.”
“She knew perfectly well he was lying.”
“He completely rejected the allegation.”

In all these cases, the adverb states the obvious. The verb does the job without needing modification. Always try to let the verb stand alone – if it needs strengthening with an adverb, it is the wrong choice of verb.

Journalists choosing their words are the same as carpenters choosing a piece of wood or tailors choosing a length of cloth. We are all craftspeople and our success depends on using the right raw materials – in our case, words.

So be sparing in your use of adjectives and adverbs. It is one of the qualities that marks a professional.

Journalists, like any craftsperson, wield words as their tools. Just as a sculptor chisels away excess stone to reveal the form within, journalists must prune unnecessary words to expose the core of their story.

This principle of concision isn’t merely about brevity; it’s about clarity, impact, and respect for the reader’s time.

While the conventional wisdom in journalism cautions against the overuse of adjectives and adverbs, the issue is more nuanced than a blanket ban.

Using adjectives and adverb properly requires an understanding of their function, and then careful and precise usage.

A single, well-chosen adjective can illuminate a noun, while a cluster of them obscures it.

The same holds true for adverbs. They can add subtle shades of meaning to verbs, but often they merely state the obvious or, worse, mask a weak verb choice.

The problem with excessive modifiers isn’t just wordiness; it’s that they often introduce subjectivity and weaken the writer’s authority.

Words such as “tragic,” “incredible,” or “astonishing” tell the reader how to feel, rather than letting the facts speak for themselves.

Similarly, adverbs such as “really” and “very” rarely add substantive meaning; they are intensifiers that often intensify nothing.

The real skill lies in choosing strong verbs and nouns that carry their own weight.

This isn’t to say that adjectives and adverbs are inherently evil. They have a legitimate role to play in adding detail and nuance.

The job for the journalist is to understand their purpose.

A well-placed adjective can sharpen an image, while a carefully chosen adverb can clarify an action.

The key is to ask: Does this modifier add essential information, or is it merely decorative? Does it enhance the reader’s understanding, or does it simply clutter the sentence?

The journalist’s craft is to choose each word with care, considering its weight, texture, and purpose.

A journalist shouldn’t rely on a weak verb propped up by an adverb when a stronger verb would do the job better.

The pursuit of concision isn’t about stripping language bare; it’s about using it with precision and power, allowing the story to resonate with clarity and impact.

It’s about showing, not telling, and trusting the reader to draw their own conclusions.

By mastering the art of economy, journalists can elevate their writing from mere reporting to compelling storytelling.

Questions

1. What is the main argument presented in the text regarding the use of adjectives and adverbs in writing?
2. How do Mark Twain and Stephen King view the use of adjectives and adverbs, according to the text?
3. Identify two examples from the text where adjectives or adverbs are deemed unnecessary. Explain why they are considered unnecessary.
4. What is the role of adjectives and adverbs in modifying language, as described in the text?
5. Discuss the potential impact of using adjectives that include value judgments, such as “tragic” or “incredible,” in journalism.
6. How does the text suggest journalists should approach the use of adjectives and adverbs in their writing?
7. Analyse the metaphor comparing journalists to carpenters and tailors. What does this metaphor suggest about the craft of writing?
8. What criteria does the text provide for determining whether an adjective or adverb is necessary in a sentence?
9. Evaluate the effectiveness of Mark Twain’s suggestion to replace “very” with “damn” in writing. What is the intended outcome of this advice?
10. Synthesise the text’s recommendations into a set of guidelines for writing concisely and effectively without overusing adjectives and adverbs.

Answers

1. The main argument is that journalists should write concisely and avoid unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, as they often clutter writing.
2. Mark Twain and Stephen King view adjectives and adverbs negatively. Twain suggests eliminating adjectives, while King warns against adverbs, implying they lead to poor writing.
3. Examples include “completely untrue” and “high-speed car chase.” They are unnecessary because the first word does not add meaningful information to the sentence.
4. Adjectives modify nouns, and adverbs modify verbs, phrases, clauses, or sentences. They change the meaning of the words they modify.
5. Using adjectives that contain value judgements may unduly influence the reader towards the journalist’s view, instead of simply presenting the facts and letting the reader form their own opinions.
6. Journalists should be sparing in their use of adjectives and adverbs, ensuring that each one adds necessary meaning to the sentence.
7. The metaphor suggests that writing, like carpentry or tailoring, requires careful selection of materials (words) to create a quality product.
8. The text suggests testing whether the modification is necessary by seeing if the sentence retains its meaning without the adjective or adverb.
9. Twain’s suggestion aims to highlight the redundancy of “very” by replacing it with “damn,” which would be removed by an editor, thus simplifying the writing.
10. Guidelines include: use adjectives and adverbs sparingly, ensure they add necessary meaning, avoid value judgments, and let verbs stand alone when possible.

Lesson plan for trainers

If you are a trainer of journalists we have a free lesson plan: ‘Adjectives and adverbs in journalism‘ which you are welcome to download and adapt for your own purposes.

For further reading on this subject, you might want to read the excellent “A journalist’s guide to the use of English”, by Ted Bottomley and Anthony Loftus. It was written in 1971 and has been updated for this website by Ted’s son John.

The post Adjectives and adverbs in journalism first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Many news stories are about action. You want to capture that in your writing and seize the attention of your audience. One of the ways is by choosing the active voice.

Strong verbs are the best words for suggesting action: run, leap, hit, accuse, rescue, build, explore, kick, ride, catch, etc. And verbs have two “voices”: the active and the passive.

In the active voice: I wrote this module.

In the passive voice: This module was written by me.

In the active voice, somebody is doing something. In the passive voice, something is being done.

They are both perfectly correct, grammatically, but the active voice is shorter, stronger and more direct. It works much better in news stories. There are exceptions, which we will come to later, but in the vast majority of cases, the active voice gives your story impact and vitality.

Here are two ways of writing the same story:

Passive voice: After several months of better trading conditions, the annual bonus to staff at the Fred Smith store group will be paid for the first time in four years.

Active voice: Staff at Fred Smith stores will get their first annual bonus in four years, after the group reported better trading conditions.

The active voice works better – it is less wordy and it puts the human interest angle first.

So the active voice is a basic part of a journalist’s toolkit. It is the default way of writing an interesting story. But the passive voice is not all bad! Sometimes it is the right choice.

“A lion has eaten the president” is much less effective than “The president has been eaten by a lion”.

This is because the overwhelmingly important subject of the story is the president, not the lion, and you want the president mentioned at the beginning of the story. The passive voice serves better in this case.

So the starting point for news writing is to favour the active voice – and to recognise the comparatively rare occasions when it will be better to use the passive.

But there is another reason to understand the use of the active and passive voices. They do not just affect style and impact, they can also affect meaning.

People in the public eye, particularly politicians, sometimes use the passive voice to obfuscate, confuse and mislead.

The classic example is “mistakes were made”.  From the politicians’ point of view that is better than “I made mistakes” because it sets up uncertainty about what happened.

“I made mistakes and I’m sorry” is a very different statement from “mistakes were made and I regret them”.

In the latter case, the politician leaves open the possibility that the mistakes were made by someone else and his regret could easily be about someone else’s error. Because of the way he has phrased his statement, we cannot tell.

It is the skilful use of the passive voice to evade accountability.

Notice that when politicians describe their successes, they say “We took swift action to deal with the situation”. But when they talk about things that have gone wrong, they use words like “it was considered that…”, or “it was felt necessary….”, distancing themselves from the decision-making process through use of the passive voice.

I remember a philandering politician was asked at his latest wedding whether he would now be a faithful husband. He replied: “When a man marries his mistress, a vacancy is created.”

He was saying, in effect, that he would continue to have extra marital affairs – but in his choice of the passive voice, “a vacancy is created”, he was implying that some external force was creating the new opportunities for infidelity that he would no doubt later take up.

Again, the passive voice suggests the politician is an observer of what is happening, rather than the author of it.

So when you are quoting some public figure, make sure to point out any ambiguities created by his use of the passive voice.

You might want also to look at these thoughts on use of  the passive voice by David Poulson at the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.

by Bob Eggington

The choice between active and passive voice significantly impacts clarity, conciseness, and the perceived objectivity of news reporting. While both voices have their uses, understanding their nuances is crucial for effective communication.

Understanding active and passive voice

• Active voice

  • Subject: performs the action.
  • Structure: Subject + Verb + Object (e.g., “The reporter interviewed the witness.”)
  • Characteristics: Direct, clear, and emphasises the actor.

• Passive voice

  • Subject: receives the action.
  • Structure: Object + Verb + Subject (e.g., “The witness was interviewed by the reporter.”)
  • Characteristics: Emphasises the action or the recipient of the action, can obscure the actor.

Applications in news reporting

• Active voice: Best practices

  • Clarity and directness: Active voice promotes clear and concise writing, making news easier to understand.
  • Accountability: It clearly identifies who performed an action, holding individuals or entities accountable.
  • Emphasis on the actor: When the actor is essential to the story, active voice is preferred.
  • Examples:
    • “The police arrested the suspect.” (Clear and direct)
    • “The CEO announced the company’s new strategy.” (Emphasises the actor)

• Passive voice: Appropriate uses

  • Emphasis on the action or recipient: When the action itself or the recipient is more important than the actor.
    • Example: “The museum was vandalised.” (Focus on the vandalism)
  • Unknown or unimportant actor: When the actor is unknown, obvious, or irrelevant.
    • Example: “The road has been closed.” (Actor is implied or unimportant)
  • Avoiding blame or accusation: In sensitive situations, passive voice can soften the impact of a statement.
    • Example: “Mistakes were made.” (Less accusatory than “Someone made mistakes.”)
  • Formal or technical writing: Passive voice is sometimes used in formal reports or scientific writing.
    • Example: “The data were analysed.”

Pitfalls of overuse of passive voice:

• Obscuring accountability: Passive voice can hide who is responsible for an action, leading to a lack of transparency.
• Vagueness and ambiguity: It can create unclear or confusing sentences.
• Weak and impersonal tone: Overuse can make writing sound distant and detached.
• Example of bad passive voice: “It was decided that the budget would be cut.” This phrase does not say who made the decision.

Suggested best practices

1. Prioritise active voice: The active voice is usually the better choice for clarity, directness, and accountability.
2. Use passive voice strategically: Employ passive voice only when it serves a specific purpose, such as emphasising the action, hiding the actor, or softening a statement.
3. Avoid unnecessary passive constructions: Review your writing to eliminate passive sentences that weaken the narrative.
4. Identify the actor: When using passive voice, consider whether the actor should be revealed to provide context and accountability.
5. Maintain consistency: Choose a voice and stick to it within a paragraph or section, unless there’s a specific reason to switch.
6. Read aloud: Reading your work aloud can help you identify awkward passive constructions.
7. Consider your audience: Who is your audience, and what is the best way to present the information to them.
8. Training and review: Regularly review news copy for excessive or inappropriate use of passive voice and provide training to journalists on effective writing techniques.
9. Ask “who?”: When reviewing a passive sentence, ask “Who performed this action?” If the answer is important, rewrite the sentence in active voice.

Conclusion

Mastering the use of active and passive voice is essential for producing clear, accurate, and impactful news reporting. By prioritising active voice and using passive voice strategically, journalists can enhance their writing and ensure they are effectively communicating information to their audiences.

Questions

1. What is the primary advantage of using the active voice in news writing?
2. Provide an example of a sentence in the active voice and then convert it to the passive voice.
3. Why might a journalist choose to use the passive voice in a news story?
4. How can the use of passive voice affect the meaning of a statement?
5. Explain how politicians might use the passive voice to their advantage.
6. Compare the impact of the sentences: “A lion has eaten the president” and “The president has been eaten by a lion.” Why is the passive voice more effective in this case?
7. Discuss the role of strong verbs in conveying action in news writing.
8. Analyse the sentence: “Mistakes were made.” What ambiguity does the passive voice introduce here?
9. How does the choice between active and passive voice influence the reader’s perception of responsibility in a statement?
10. Reflect on the statement: “When a man marries his mistress, a vacancy is created.” How does the passive voice shape the interpretation of this statement?

Answers

1. The primary advantage of using the active voice in news writing is that it is shorter, stronger, and more direct, which helps capture the attention of the audience and gives the story impact and vitality.
2. Active voice: “The journalist wrote the article.” Passive voice: “The article was written by the journalist.”
3. A journalist might choose to use the passive voice to emphasise the subject of the story or when the doer of the action is unknown or irrelevant.
4. The use of passive voice can obscure who is responsible for an action, creating ambiguity and potentially misleading the audience.
5. Politicians might use the passive voice to evade accountability by distancing themselves from actions or decisions, as it allows them to avoid directly stating who is responsible.
6. In the sentence “The president has been eaten by a lion,” the passive voice is more effective because it places the focus on the president, who is the more important subject of the story.
7. Strong verbs are crucial in news writing as they suggest action and help convey the story’s dynamics, making it more engaging for the reader.
8. The sentence “Mistakes were made” introduces ambiguity because it does not specify who made the mistakes, allowing the speaker to avoid taking direct responsibility.
9. The choice between active and passive voice influences the reader’s perception of responsibility by either clearly identifying the doer of an action (active) or obscuring it (passive).
10. The passive voice in the statement “When a man marries his mistress, a vacancy is created” implies that the creation of a vacancy is an external event, distancing the speaker from personal responsibility for his infidelity.

Lesson plan for trainers

If you are a trainer of journalists we have a free lesson plan: Using the active or passive voice in news writing which you can download and adapt for your own purposes.

The post The active and passive voices in news first appeared on Media Helping Media.

While delivering a training course at a TV station I noticed that all the packages were made in exactly the same way. The reporters would go out with a camera operator, shoot some footage and get an interview or two. They would come back to the office, decide what interview clips to use in their package and start typing.

The scripts they wrote would have worked fine for radio or newspapers – but they had no connection with the pictures. Apart from the interview clips, all the other pictures they used were just wallpaper behind the reporter’s voice.

This misses the point of television reporting; let the pictures tell the story, wherever possible. Here’s one way of making a TV package by thinking first about the pictures:

Pictures come first

When the pictures have been ingested into the system, make a shot list then show the editor the pictures.

Which are the most interesting shots? What is their optimum lifespan (in seconds)?

What is the right sequence to tell the story? (It is not necessarily the order in which they were recorded)

Do you have a good opening shot? Do you have a good shot for the end?

What is the best place for your stand-up (piece-to-camera) if there is one?

Agree with the editor how the package is to be put together and the key elements of the text

Agree the target length of the package.

Now do your rough cut. Each shot should be as long as it is visually interesting.

Do not use the same shot twice in the package, unless there is a compelling reason to do so (helping with the edit is not a compelling reason).

Does each shot join up smoothly with the next?

The points which attract the eye should ideally be in the same area of the screen at each shot change.

Avoid jump cuts.

If someone is walking, try to end with them walking out of the picture (especially if they are in the next shot in a different place).

With moving shots, only use the moving part, not the static beginning or end.

If you cut away from an interview or a press conference, don’t go back to it unless there is a good reason to do so (helping with the edit is not a good reason).

Don’t use the first question in an interview – start with the first answer.

Watch the finished edit carefully. Does it flow, is there anything that can be cut without damaging the overall package, is there anything missing, is it visually effective?

Now write a shot list with accurate timings.

Now write your script.

By Bob Eggington

In the fast-paced world of television news, where deadlines loom and soundbites reign, it’s easy for journalists to fall into the trap of over-explaining.

We craft eloquent scripts, meticulously select our words, and often feel compelled to fill every second with narration. But sometimes, the most powerful stories are the ones we let the pictures tell.

Embracing visual storytelling isn’t just about adding pretty images; it’s about understanding the unique power of the medium and using it to connect with viewers on a deeper, more impactful level.

So, how can TV journalists effectively let the pictures do the talking?

Trust the visuals

The first step is recognising that visuals are not merely illustrations of the script; they are a language in themselves.

A well-composed shot can convey emotion, establish context, and tell a story in a way words simply can’t.

A close-up of a trembling hand speaks volumes about fear, while a wide shot of a devastated landscape paints a clearer picture of the scale of a disaster than any descriptive sentence.

Trust that your viewers are intelligent and capable of interpreting these visual cues.

Shoot with purpose

Visual storytelling begins long before the editing room. It starts with the camera operator and the journalist working together to capture footage that tells the story.

Instead of simply grabbing generic shots, think about what emotions you want to evoke.

What details are crucial to understanding the narrative?

Are there specific moments that can be captured visually to create a lasting impact?

Consider the framing, composition, and movement of each shot.

A deliberate and thoughtful approach to shooting will make all the difference in the final product.

Less is often more

It’s tempting to cram as much information as possible into a news segment. However, when it comes to visual storytelling, less is often more.

Resist the urge to over-narrate. Allow the images to breathe.

Silence, even for a few seconds, can be incredibly powerful. It gives viewers time to process what they’re seeing and allows the emotional impact of the visuals to sink in.

A well-placed pause can be more effective than a paragraph of explanation.

Craft a visual narrative

Think of your story as a visual journey. How can you use images to guide the viewer through the narrative?

Consider the pacing and rhythm of your edit. Vary the shots to keep the viewer engaged.

Use close-ups to highlight key details and wide shots to establish context.

Think about how the visuals can build tension, create emotional peaks, and ultimately deliver a powerful message.

Collaborate with the editor

The editor is your partner in visual storytelling. Work closely with them to ensure that the visuals are used effectively.

Share your vision for the story and discuss how the images can be used to enhance the narrative.

A good editor can bring their own creative insights to the table and help you craft a truly compelling visual story.

Increased engagement

Visuals are inherently more engaging than words. They capture our attention and hold it.

In a world saturated with information, compelling visuals can help your story stand out.

Emotional connection

Images have the power to evoke emotions in a way that words often can’t. They can make viewers feel empathy, sadness, joy, or anger.

By connecting with viewers on an emotional level, visual storytelling can make your stories more memorable and impactful.

Enhanced understanding

Visuals can help viewers understand complex issues more easily. A well-chosen image can clarify a complicated concept or illustrate a statistic in a way that words simply can’t.

Greater impact

Stories told through powerful visuals have a greater impact on viewers. They are more likely to remember these stories and share them with others.

In conclusion

TV journalists should embrace the power of visual storytelling. By trusting the visuals, shooting with purpose, and crafting a compelling visual narrative, we can create stories that are not only informative but also engaging, emotional, and impactful. Let the pictures speak, and you’ll be amazed at the stories they can tell.

Questions

1. What is the primary issue the author identifies with the TV station’s current approach to creating packages?

• According to the text, what should be the first step in creating a TV package?
• How does the author suggest determining the sequence of shots for a TV package?
• What is the significance of having a good opening and closing shot in a TV package?
• Why does the author advise against using the same shot twice in a package?
• What is the recommended approach when editing moving shots?
• How should an editor handle the transition between shots to maintain visual coherence?
• What is the author’s advice regarding the use of interview footage in a TV package?
• How does the author suggest ensuring the final edit of a TV package is effective?
• What are the final steps in the process of creating a TV package according to the text?

Answers

1. The primary issue is that the scripts have no connection with the pictures, using them merely as wallpaper behind the reporter’s voice
2. The first step is to ingest the pictures into the system and make a shot list
3. The sequence should be determined by the most interesting shots and their optimum lifespan, not necessarily the order in which they were recorded
4. A good opening and closing shot help to effectively tell the story and provide a strong start and finish to the package
5. The author advises against it unless there is a compelling reason, as it can disrupt the flow and coherence of the package
6. Only use the moving part of the shot, avoiding the static beginning or end
7. Ensure that points which attract the eye are in the same area of the screen at each shot change to avoid jump cuts
8. Avoid cutting back to an interview or press conference unless there is a good reason, and start with the first answer, not the first question
9. Watch the finished edit carefully to ensure it flows well, identify anything that can be cut without damaging the package, and check for visual effectiveness
10. The final steps are writing a shot list with accurate timings and then writing the script

Lesson plan for trainers

If you are a trainer of journalists we have a free lesson plan: ‘Letting the pictures tell the story‘ which you are welcome to download and adapt for your own purposes.

You might want to read our training module on ‘How to create a broadcast news package”.

The post Letting the pictures tell the story first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Planning is critically important in the news business. It’s the mark of professionalism and the essence of good coverage. But there are some things you can’t plan.

Big stories happen out of the blue. And when they do you have to spring into action immediately.

Your audience is counting on you to bring them the facts, quickly, and to answer all the questions that have immediately sprung into their minds.

They will be anxious for information – in some cases they might be worried that their loved ones are in danger.

You need to come up with high-quality, accurate, comprehensive reporting at a moment’s notice.

By definition you can’t be completely ready – you don’t know where, when or why the story is going to suddenly appear.

But there is a lot you can do to be prepared. And the old rule applies: fail to prepare, or prepare to fail.

The police and ambulance, fire and health services know this – that’s why they have rapid response teams or routines and resources that can be put quickly into place to deal with a major incident.

Just like the emergency services, the news media has a vital role to play when a big story happens. It is a time when the public turn to the media for good quality, accurate information.

So you need to be ready.

Media organisations should have their own versions of the rapid response team – a plan for how to use people, production teams, and communications to cover a big story. So what goes into the big story plan?

So what goes into a big story plan?

It is about ambition, organisation and the allocation of resources: people, equipment and space in your news product.

Ambition

In some ways this is the key to the whole exercise. You want to raise the effort, skills, production values and all-round performance of your team to the highest levels they have ever achieved. You can set an example by demonstrating your own energy, concentration, news judgement and determination to produce the very best content.

Space in the product

Depending on your product, you might need to:

• Order a bigger print run or extra editions
• Clear your radio or tv schedules for special programming
• Buy additional bandwidth so your website can cope with increased demand

People

One of your most important decisions is about the people. As in a World Cup final, you want to pick your best team to help you develop the plan.

Get them all together and tell them how you envisage it working. Take their input and go through scenarios: what if it involves personal danger? What if the big story happens in the middle of the night? What if it’s an environmental disaster and we can’t get to the scene? What if it de-stabilises the economy, or the country?

An important part of this preparation is to create the right calm and purposeful atmosphere that you need to prevail when the big story breaks. Journalists are human beings like everyone else and they will be equally shocked or appalled by what has happened, but they need to set that aside and operate in an objective, professional manner. The more you discuss the plan the better it will be.

Broadly, the roles and responsibilities can be split into two categories, Reporting and Production. Between those two categories sits a co-ordinating figure who has an overview of the entire operation. This can be the editor or someone else nominated for the task. The organisation chart looks like this:

Equipment

Reporters, photographers and technical crew depend heavily on having the right equipment. They should each have a grab-bag with them at all times, ready to use on a big story. The grab-bag should contain:

• At least one power-pack to re-charge mobile phones
• Extra batteries
• Extra memory cards
• Flashlight
• Bad-weather clothing
• Extra leads and cables
• High-energy snacks
• Bottled water
• ID documents
• Press credentials if appropriate
• Equipment for hazardous environments if available and necessary

For video camera operators, this our additional checklist:

• Tripod
• Mini tripod for table-top use
• 2 x Lapel mics with long leads
• Wireless lapel mic with hotshoe receiver
• Stick mic
• Cable for stick mic
• Cables for connecting to PA systems
• IT cables (USB, HDMI, FireWire etc)
• Headphones
• White balance card
• Lens cloth
• Lenses
• Filters
• Reflector
• Extra lighting
• Spare batteries for camera and wireless mic
• Spare memory cards
• Rain cover
• Multitool
• Gaffer tape
• Logo cubes

Your company’s vehicles, if you have them, should be fuelled up after every story as a matter of policy, so they are always ready to go. If you do not have them you need a way of acquiring transport quickly.

Communications

Your coverage of the big story is entirely dependent on having good communications, so make sure everybody knows how they are supposed to talk to each other.

Mobile phones are the default tool and some news operations like to use a special WhatsApp group. But what if the story happens in an area where there’s no reception? Then you need a back-up plan, which might involve walkie-talkie radios or runners and vehicles to take messages and content back from the scene to a place where comms work properly.

On the day

The first requirement on a big story is to get to the scene as soon as possible. Before you team leaves, remind everybody that their personal safety comes first. There is no time to do a big risk assessment so they will have to rely on their judgement, experience and instincts, but you should make it absolutely clear that their safety is more important than getting the story.

The second requirement of your team arriving at the story is to file something, quickly, so that the team back in the office has some material to work with. It can be a short written report, a bit of audio, a still picture or video.

It is worth stressing the role of the reporter as the “eyes and ears” of your audience. Some of the most valuable reporting on any big story is the simple descriptive piece. This is often the best thing to file in the early stages.

While your team has been making its way to the scene, social media will be alive with reports, pictures and gossip about what’s happened. It will be a confusing mess and impossible for your audience to know what is correct and what is pure speculation or outright nonsense.

Your social media researchers need to be across all of the activity and help you identify useful and accurate material that can be built into your own coverage.

Meanwhile your background researchers should be looking into the context, using our module “Story development, ensuring all angles are covered” as a checklist, so they can provide you with vital elements that help explain the story.

All of the output from the reporting side should come through the co-ordinating figure, who maintains a picture of what is available, understands the challenges on the ground and deploys the team to fill any obvious gaps in the coverage.

The production team, meanwhile, should be changing the basic structure of your news product to reflect the importance of the big story. They have to find extra space and use it to create maximum impact.

They will be looking for the telling picture, the dramatic fact, the raw emotion or anything else that conveys the power and significance of the story.

They will also be the people calling the authorities to check the basic facts – a task that should not be left to reporters in the field.

This is where the news media differs from “citizen journalism”. Your job is to clarify, to end the confusion, to establish the firm facts and the relevant context.

When people turn to your coverage, you want them to know they can trust it, above all, to be accurate. No matter what is being said elsewhere, yours is the reliable source of information – the gold standard.

The post Adopting the ‘big story’ approach first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Guidelines for media organisations planning to create new products to inform the audience.

This is the third article in a three-part series about managing a new news project, event or product.

In the first, ‘Project development for a media company‘ and the second ‘The skills of media project management‘ we’ve demonstrated how to develop ideas for new products and how to create them using project management discipline.

These methodologies have been thoroughly tested and proven over time in numerous media houses.

But in the news business you do not always have time for the Gantt chart/whiteboard approach. Stories spring up so quickly you have to be flexible and find other ways of working in a planned and disciplined manner.

In this example, we were asked at short notice to help produce a televised debate between political candidates before a general election. We had three-and-half weeks to make it happen.

The importance and the risk factors were obviously high and we could not afford to spend a week or two planning.

For one thing, we needed to hire a venue and so we had to start checking availability immediately.

But we still needed to think the whole project through before making other commitments, and we decided to use the production schedule as a form of project plan.

The first step was a long meeting of all the key staff. For a show of this sensitivity and high profile, we were glad to have the Director General of the broadcaster at the meeting. This both underlined the importance of the task and gave the DG’s approval for the plan.

But we still needed to think it through before springing into action and we decided to use the production schedule as a form of project plan.

Every television programme should have a production schedule. The difference with this one was that it went into much more detail about what we needed to do to make the show happen.

Essentially it is a vertical version of the Gantt chart/whiteboard but it also identifies all the personnel, and includes all the main operational details.

Candidates debate

Staffing

• Producer/editor
• Deputy producer/editor
• OB (outside broadcast) producer
• Director of photography
• Presenters
• Candidate producers
• Scenography producer
• Graphics producer
• Titles producer
• Audience producer
• Sub-titles producer
• Picture editor
• Control room producer
• Make-up
• Internet content producer
• Floor manager
• Camera operators
• Lighting
• Sound
• Stagehands
• OB truck

Production schedule

TX (transmission) minus 25

• Discuss and plan
• Determine overall editorial remit
• Write brief overview document

TX minus 21

• Venue lined up
• Produce design brief (set, titles, endboard, graphics, captions, internet content)
• Appoint production and OB crews
• Appoint HQ-based staff
• Assign one producer to each candidate

TX minus 18

• Briefings for all producers
• Briefings for OB staff
• Briefings for HQ-based staff
• Candidate producers establish contact with candidates, arrange to meet to discuss plans
• Secure location for recording
• Reconnaissance of location
• Produce promotional schedule for TV, radio and internet

TX minus 14

• Produce technical requirements document (TechReq)
• Invite audience
• Plan titles
• Schedule internet content (web pages and social media)

TX minus 10

• Produce lighting plan
• Produce camera plan
• Define range of shots to be used throughout recording
• Source music for titles
• Record/obtain VT for titles

TX minus 9

• Edit titles and end-board
• Produce graphics

TX minus 8

• Production day off

TX minus 7

• Production day off

TX minus 6

• All-staff meeting to review progress
• Sign off titles and graphics
• Draft script
• OB crew briefing on camera use
• TV and radio promos start be aired

TX minus 5

• Script conference, approve script

TX minus 4

• All-staff meeting, final checks

TX minus 2

• 0900 – Call time for production crew and OB crew, briefing
• 0930 – Build set, dress set, install cameras, lights etc
• 1130 – Technical checks, studio, graphics, scanner etc
• 1200 – Rehearsal
• 1400 – Production and OB crews review

TX minus 1

• 0900 – iron out all remaining problems

TX 0

• 0900 – Call time for production crew and OB crew
• 0930 – Technical check, facilities check
• 1100 – Call time for HQ-based staff
• 1200 – Audience arrives, audience briefing
• 1215 to 1230 – Candidates arrive, greeted by presenter and the relevant producer
• 1230 – Candidates in their dressing rooms, make-up, final brief
• 1300 – Record debate
• 1500 – Record teasers
• 1530 – Edit teasers
• 1600 – Edit programme and insert sub-titles
• 1800 – Take clips for news bulletins
• 1830 – Take clips for internet
• 2000 – (or whenever) Debate transmits

TX plus 1

• Press release on audience figures
• Wash-up meeting to discuss lessons learnt

We circulated the schedule widely and referred to it constantly in the progress chasing. If something slipped (and several things did) we revised the schedule and re-issued it.

In this approach to project planning, you as the project manager need to keep the dependencies in your head – they are not identified so clearly on the schedule.

In the wash-up meeting we identified numerous lessons to be learned. For example, we should have included more operational detail about the arrival, on the day, of the audience and the candidates: they both came in through the same door which made filming the arrival of the candidates (for the opening sequence) problematic.

There were other lessons, too, but they all re-inforced the main point: every significant problem would have been avoided if we had planned in more detail.

Lesson plan for trainers

If you are a trainer of journalists we have a free lesson plan: Project management for journalists which you are welcome to download and adapt for your own purposes.

Related articles

Project management in media

The skills of media project management

The post The project management process first appeared on Media Helping Media.

If you are planning a media project – whether it be a new programme, covering a live event, launching a new product, there are certain rules you should observe.

In the first in this series of three articles we looked at the basics of project development for a media organisation in order to launch new products or refresh current output.

That module included defining the target audience, setting out the unique editorial proposition, assessing the cost of the project, and calculating the return.

In other words, you have done the thinking. But there is a lot more thinking still to be done, if you are to turn your idea into a real-life product. To do that, you need to use the skills and techniques of project management.

Many books have been written on this subject.  There are detailed project management methodologies you could learn, if you wanted to do so.  A man called Gantt invented a useful chart that helps you manage your project.

But you can do without all that if you follow the basic rules.  Here they are:

Specification, time, and money

The three main components of any project are the specification, the time allowed and the money available. You want to finish the project to specification, on time and within budget

This speaks for itself, but it is vital that you understand the three components in detail before you begin work. Then you know, and everybody else knows, precisely what you are trying to achieve. Your whole project plan is based on that understanding.

The reason I make this point is that external forces often want to change the basic components after the project has started. They might (and often do) try to change the specification, bring forward the launch date or reduce the amount of money available.

They have to understand that any change in the specification, the time or the budget might mean a total re-think.

Planning

It is important that you plan everything before you do anything. If you forget all the other rules, do not forget this one. Your thinking time is your most valuable time. Get a complete picture of the project in your head before you allow work to start

Workstreams

Next you need to identify the workstreams involved in the proposed project. The workstreams are the pieces of work that all need to be done.

They might include recruitment, training, buying equipment and software, commissioning design work, writing technical specifications, producing guidelines or standards, renting space, getting permissions, booking travel, market research, rehearsing, printing, marketing, producing pilots or prototypes, testing – whatever.  You need a complete list.

The project plan document

Once the workstreams are in place you need to write down all the elements in a project plan document.

This can be a large piece of paper, a Gantt chart, a spreadsheet or a whiteboard in your office. Start by writing today’s date at the top of the left hand side, and the date you want to launch your product at the top of the right hand side (If you read right to left, invert these instructions).

Let’s say there are two months between today’s date and the launch of your product.  Divide the space between them into equal time segments. For example, you might have two months to complete the project, so your top line will be divided into eight segments representing eight weeks:

Below “Today’s date” you are going make a vertical list of all the workstreams – the things that need to be done.

In the row next to each workstream heading, you are going to write the critical milestones, in the week when they must be achieved.

Let’s say one of the work streams is Design. It might appear like this, showing the important milestones:

Do this with all the workstreams. In particular you are looking for dependencies: where one piece of necessary work can’t be carried out until another has been completed. Here is an example of a Gantt chart showing dependencies in an architectural project:

Plan for the unexpected

It’s important with any project to include a bit of slack to allow for the things that will inevitably go wrong.

Planning is the central to success, but as Mike Tyson said: “Everybody has a plan till they get punched in the mouth”. Things WILL go wrong. So you have to build a little slack into your project to allow for that: a bit more time than you think you’ll actually need; a bit of money tucked away in case an emergency arises that can be solved by throwing money at it; and one or more of the specifications that can wait until after launch, without drastically affecting the outcome, if need be.

Teamwork and collaboration

Ensure that you share the plan with your team, and let them improve it if they can.

The team will actually do all the work and they need to own the results. You achieve that by listening to them, involving them and respecting them. Make sure they are all absolutely clear and supportive of the objective. If people are doubtful about the wisdom of the project it would be better for them to find somewhere else to work.

Get started

Now the work can actually begin.  And you will soon notice the benefit of having thought everything through carefully beforehand.

Communication

Make sure you communicate with your team constantly and meet together at least weekly.

Set an example to the team by understanding what they are doing. If you are not interested in their work, they won’t be either. Know all the details of the project inside out. Be available to everyone and don’t ask anyone to do something you would not be willing to do yourself.

Chase progress sensitively

You need to ensure people are doing what they are expected to do, so a project manager must always chase progress, but it is important not to overwork people – that is not sustainable.

It is your job to make sure that deadlines are met and the weekly meeting is a vital checkpoint. Know exactly how you are going to react if a work stream is running behind schedule. It must be clear how any lost time is going to be made up. But it’s also your job to make sure they do not overwork.

I have seen people burn out trying their darnedest to hit deadlines. Their dedication is admirable but that way of working is not sustainable. So keep the workload within reasonable bounds and ensure they take some time off. It will be better that way in the long run.

Testing

Be sure to plenty of time for testing before launch.

Ideally, your product should be ready at least a couple of weeks before launch so that you can test if thoroughly. However well you have done your job, testing is sure to throw up problems that need to be addressed. Because testing is just about the last thing before launch, it is also the thing that gets squeezed most by delays earlier in the schedule. So be ruthless about getting into the testing phase on time. Otherwise the first thing you know about some problems will be when the product is launched on a startled public.

Learning

After launch, do a thorough wash-up, learning all the lessons from the project.

Typically, everyone is exhausted after launch. They want to go away and celebrate or lie down in a darkened room. They should have some time to do that. But it is important to do your review of the entire project while memories are still fresh. That way you can record all the lessons that have been learned and begin to schedule corrections or improvements to the product that the project has thrown up.

In the third and final part of this series we look at an example of a successful media project and the steps taken along the way.

Lesson plan for trainers

If you are a trainer of journalists we have a free lesson plan: Project management for journalists which you are welcome to download and adapt for your own purposes.

Related articles

Project management in media

The media project management process

The post The skills of media project management first appeared on Media Helping Media.

The public interest means anything that is relevant to the lives and well-being of all of us, to society and our communities. It concerns the “common good”, meaning matters that affect our health, livelihoods, quality of life, security, and our governance.

The public interest does not mean what the public might find interesting. Broadly speaking, the difference here is between what is relevant to members of the public, as opposed to what might merely entertain, fascinate or titillate some of them.

News journalism is reporting matters of societal relevance. Not gossip and titbits about well-known figures, or about personal events and circumstances of others that do not affect broader society, but which merely pander to voyeurism. A journalist with a brief to report news should therefore apply a public interest test before deciding whether to cover a story.

In most cases it is clear what is and what is not in the public interest. But in some cases, such as stories concerning the private lives and actions of public figures in positions of power, the distinction is not clear.

The public interest is in having a safe, healthy and functional society. In a democracy, journalism plays a central role in that. It gives people the information they need to take part in the democratic process. If journalists are good at their job, they hold governments and other institutions to account.

All serious journalism, then, contains a public service ethic. To fulfil this public service role, journalists must build and retain the trust of their audiences by behaving in an ethical and professional manner.

A journalist must have compelling reasons to deviate from standard good practice: if it is the only way to bring an important subject to the public’s attention.

For example, journalists should be honest about who and what they are; they should always give their names, and say for which news organisation they work.
However, there are times when a journalist might have to go undercover and hide their true identity and the real reason for their actions. Such cases could include the investigation of crime or political wrongdoing.

This is an act of deception, which is generally to be avoided, but if it brings justice and an end to criminal activity, it may be justified in the wider public interest.

Journalists should not intrude into people’s private lives – but there might be a case for doing so if the person being investigated is a public figure whose private behaviour is at odds with what they advocate in public life, especially when their position can influence legislation.

In this case, media intrusion – normally an objectionable practice – could expose hypocrisy and dishonesty. However, such intrusion must be clearly shown and clearly seen to be in the wider public interest.

Things become more difficult when the story in question may actually involve a journalist breaking the law, or encouraging someone else to do so. Here you need to have a serious discussion with colleagues about the circumstances, the public interest benefit in covering the story, the risks involved and the likely consequences.

Some countries build “the public interest” into their legal systems. So if you want to publish a difficult or controversial item because it is “in the public interest”, you should check whether the legal framework gives you the protection you need in each and every case.

In some countries, those in power might actively oppose journalists revealing information which, although in the public interest, might threaten their control of society. In such cases the public interest test takes on another meaning. How those in power define the public interest might be more about control than freedom of information. Here, extra care is required.

Some public interest justifications

If the decision is taken to publish, it is likely to be because the story would do one of these things:

• Correct a significant wrong.
• Bring to light information affecting public well-being and safety.
• Improve the public’s understanding of, and participation in, the debate about an important issue relevant to our society.
• Lead to greater accountability and transparency in public life.

None of this is easy. Journalists grapple with these issues every day. Many factors at play have not even been considered here, but if you get the public interest test right, you will be fulfilling the highest purpose of journalism.

Questions

1. What is the definition of “public interest”?
2. What is the difference between “public interest” and what the public might find interesting?
3. What role does journalism play in a democracy?
4. Why is it important for journalists to maintain ethical and professional behaviour?
5. Under what circumstances might a journalist justify going undercover?
6. What are some potential consequences of media intrusion into a public figure’s private life?
7. How should journalists handle situations where covering a story might involve breaking the law?
8. What are some reasons a story might be published in the public interest?
9. How might the definition of “public interest” differ in countries with varying legal systems?
10. What challenges do journalists face when applying the public interest test?

Answers

1. Public interest refers to anything relevant to the lives and well-being of society and communities, concerning the common good, such as health, livelihoods, quality of life, security, and governance.
2. “Public interest” is relevant to the public’s well-being, while what the public might find interesting could merely entertain or fascinate without societal relevance.
3. Journalism provides information necessary for democratic participation and holds governments and institutions accountable.
4. Ethical and professional behaviour helps journalists build and retain the trust of their audiences, fulfilling their public service role.
5. A journalist might justify going undercover if it is the only way to bring an important subject to the public’s attention, such as investigating crime or political wrongdoing.
6. Media intrusion could expose hypocrisy and dishonesty if a public figure’s private behaviour contradicts their public advocacy, but it must be justified in the wider public interest.
7. Journalists should discuss with colleagues the circumstances, public interest benefits, risks, and consequences before covering a story that might involve breaking the law.
8. A story might be published to correct a significant wrong, bring to light information affecting public well-being, improve public understanding and participation, or lead to greater accountability and transparency.
9. In some countries, the legal system incorporates “public interest,” providing protection for publishing controversial items, while in others, those in power might oppose such revelations.
10. Journalists face challenges such as determining the public interest benefit, legal implications, and ethical considerations when applying the public interest test.

Lesson plan for trainers

If you are a trainer of journalists we have a free lesson plan: Journalism and the public interest which you are welcome to download and adapt for your own purposes.

Related training module

Public interest – scenario

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