Aug 30 2011
By Lynn Walsh, RTDNA Blogger

Journalism is about informing the public and providing information. While we are producing the stories and videos for the public we want them to be easy to understand, right?

When you work to make something informative and also easy to understand it can sometimes make telling the story a little more difficult. Questions like: what details do you include? and what information gets left out? come up all the time!

Those questions can also go beyond facts about the story to information about the people being interviewed in your story. What do you call them? Do you include their formal title that can be a combination of three, four, five and sometimes more words or do you just shorten it to make it faster to say on-air?

For example: if you interview someone who has a title, “community relations specialists” for Company ABC, do you include the whole title or do you shorten it to “spokesman” for Company ABC?

“Much of the decision about this has to do with how much room we have on the title line,” Tim Sharp a broadcast journalism professor at Ohio University said. “Because of that and because ‘very specific’ titles often are not essential, we often default to just the name of the organization.”

In the example above, Sharp says he would just use the company title, especially, “for people who are designated as spokespeople for an organization.” Sharp is also the News Director for WOUB, a news station in Athens, Ohio.

Ted Houston, a radio reporter in Arizona, says his station has “eliminated use of words like ‘spokesman’ or ‘vice president of community relations.’” Instead Houston says he uses terms like “the airport’s Jane Smith” or “Joe Smith of the FAA says.”

“We have a premium on time,” Houston said. “But…their title doesn’t really matter unless it is someone that they (listeners) know and love.”

Both Houston and Sharp say they use titles when they are relevant.

“If expertise is relevant, such as a nuclear scientist commenting on a power plant meltdown, then we will include such information in the title.,” Sharp said. “This is the case as well for elected officials, and bureaucrats.”

One important question to ask yourself while writing the story, whether it is radio, television or online, is whether or not the reader, viewer or listener will recognize the person. If the title is not going to be one that someone reading the story is going to recognize then you probably do not need to use it. If the viewer can recognize the person as being connected to the company without the title then it can probably be left out. But, if you think it is needed, then include it!

Remember you are writing for your audience. Houston says he thinks it is “part of a trend of being more conversational and relate-able to the audience, I think radio is doing that more.” The goal Houston said is to “sound like they are telling the story to somebody, not reading a news article.”

What does your station do? Do you shorten titles or keep them? Share your thoughts in the comments below or with me, Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com or on Twitter, @LWalsh.

Aug 17 2011
By Lynn Walsh, RTDNA Blogger & SPJ Generation J Committee Head

Are you a multimedia journalist or a video journalist? Or are you a multimedia producer? Or maybe you consider yourself a digital journalist?

As the technology in the newsroom continues to change, the responsibilities of each person in the newsroom is also changing.

A reporter may now also be considered a photographer, an editor, a web producer, etc. More and more of us do more than just write stories or make the phone calls and do the research for the stories. We are also responsible for taking the pictures, shooting video, creating an online story and more, all while still reporting.

So, what does that mean for you? What do you list your title as on social media sites, your business cards, etc.?

These questions have been raised several times at conferences and during discussions with journalists and it made me think, does the title you use matter? Specifically, does it matter while you are applying for jobs?

After raising those questions to several people who are currently in hiring position or have been in the past, the consensus was that the title you are using is not as important as the work you are doing.

“Titles never meant anything to me,” Julie Lane said. She said, she wants to know “what experience a candidate had and how adept was that person in handling his or her responsibilities.” Lane is not currently in a position to hire journalists, she said, but has been in the past.

“The days of pigeon-holing someone into an ‘XYZ’ title are gone,” Patricia Edwards, an editor and publisher in North Carolina said. “In this day and age, the title ‘journalist’ encompasses so much more than it did when I got into the business. I am a journalist by profession but have worked as a reporter, photographer, editor, publisher. And given the current trend in reporting the news, you really have to be a ‘Jane of All Trades,’” she said.

The need to be a “Jane (or Jack) of all Trades,” is what journalism schools are preparing us to be and it is why, I think, we wonder what to call ourselves.

“I do think in today’s market, having experience that goes beyond one medium is important,” Lane said. “You may be a newspaper reporter, but are likely expected to write for the paper’s website and to provide still photography, video clips and slide shows for the web.”

So, when you have all of that experience and you want to market yourself accordingly, what title do you use? I posed this question to members of the SPJ Generation J committee.

“Newscast Producer,” committee member Mike Brannen said. Brannen works at a television station in Seattle, Washington where he produces the station’s morning newscast. “We have web editors, and by title I would call our reporters our journalists (even though producers take part),” he wrote in an e-mail.

Nathaniel Miller, also an SPJ Generation J committee member, lists himself as an “online content developer,” on business cards. “It’s the official title here,” he said. Miller works at the Sacramento Bee newspaper in California.

“Although, I’m a producer,” he said and “overall, it’s best to describe myself as an editor. That’s a technically correct answer, considering I’m the online editor on Sundays. But it’s not entirely correct. Web producer with editor responsibilities is probably the most exact.”

“I think now the definition of ‘(Title) Journalist’ is applicable to the folks utilizing social media more than the ones on the traditional platforms,” Brannen said.

For employers, Miller said he would also use the title “editor” because “that would grab their attention.”

I list my title as an “investigative multimedia journalist.” For me, I have decided to add “investigative” because it shows a niche or area of news that I am experienced in. That said, I would probably drop the word if I was applying to a general assignment reporter position.

I chose “multimedia” over “digital” or “video” because I like and want to continue to do more than just video editing and I think the word “multimedia” encompasses more of my skills than “digital.” But, I think those two words may be more interchangeable, than others.

Bob Beyette, a longtime reporter and news manager in Athens, Ohio believes the word “multimedia” says a reporter does more. “‘Digital’ says to me that they only work on the Internet,” he said. Beyette is also a professor at Ohio University.

As for choosing ‘journalist’ over ‘reporter,’ I again believe it encompasses more. I want people to see my title and think that I do more than report, which we probably all do and it may be assumed, but I think by saying ‘journalist’ I am telling people that I want to continue to be a reporter, a producer, an editor, etc. I don’t just want to produce or just report, I want to do a little bit of both.

“I wouldn’t put ‘radio’ reporter on my business card, so I don’t think I would put ‘multimedia’ or ‘digital’ on that,” Beyette said. For Beyette, the most important word is ‘reporter.’

Aug 09 2011
By Lynn Walsh, RTDNA Blogger

As news consumption and delivery continues to change, your role in the newsroom probably continues to change too. Sometimes probably more quickly than you would like.

While you cannot always control what story you are covering on a particular day, you can work to help shape the topics and stories you become remembered and known for.

I think the best way to do this is to think about what you want to become an expert in. Think of it as the go-to person in your newsroom when someone needs a source, story idea or advice about a particular story.

You could be an expert in almost anything. Maybe it is a particular beat (city council, the local school board political races, etc.) or maybe it is a type of reporting (investigations, consumer, breaking news, etc.) You could also become an expert based on mastering certain skills (mobile reporting, creating multimedia and interactive web tools, public information requests, etc.)

Whatever it may be make sure you enjoy it!

Once you have figured out what you want to work on becoming an expert in, here are some tips on how to become the expert for your newsroom.

Build sources. While you may not always be the one covering the story it is important that you have the contacts related to your particular expertise if you want to be considered the expert. Keep contact information for everyone you talk to and keep it organized in a way that is easy to understand and share. Don’t forget about finding sources on social media sites like Twitter and Quora too. Also remember to create follower lists and join groups on these sites.

Obtain information. Sign-up for all the email updates. Ask to be sent all the press releases related to the topic or beat. Create google alerts related your subject. Sign up for local, state and federal newsletters related to the topic. More information provides you with more story ideas and keeps you informed.

Network with the real experts. Look up local experts and meet with them. Do it one on one or find group meet-ups or events planned by them and attend. It is a great excuse to talk to them and you never know when they may have a tip or story for you!

Practice makes perfect. If you like reporting from your phone or using new technology then practice these skills. Attend and apply for trainings to develop skills. Sign-up for webinars and take advantage of all of the free online training that are available on journalism organization sites like RTDNA.

Participate. Whether it is at an event or on a social media site, don’t just sit and observe people, participate in the conversations. Ask questions, share your stories and other stories related to the topics.

Also, remember to give back when you can. Even though you are not a doctor and did not go to medical school if your best had been covering the medical field for years, you can provide information and a different insight many in the medical field may not have heard before. If they ask you to speak at a conference, consider it. And also, remember to share your knowledge with other journalists. Whether that is at conventions, running a webinar or just making yourself available to other journalists, it will pay off in the end!

How are you working to become an expert in your newsroom? Let me know, Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com or on Twitter @LWalsh.

Make Reporting Life Less Hectic: How to Manage Story Ideas & Keep Your Quotes
By Lynn Walsh, RTDNA Blogger

While I am not sure anyone can ever have all of it “under control” there are some ways to make small tasks like phone calls more manageable. This is the third of a series of tips I use to help keep my life a little more orderly and less overwhelming. First was phone calls, second was FOIA requests, and the last is story ideas and background information.

Manage Story Ideas

Create a calendar. Calendars really are a reporters best friend. It allows you to constantly have new ideas popping into your head and not get overwhelmed. How many times have you been talking to someone and thought ‘that would make a great story!” It happens to me at least a few times a week and more if I am covering school board meetings. The challenge is to not forget them. For me it is easiest to make notes on my work calendar reminding me to look into the possible story. I make sure the event is created to last the whole day so it does not get lost in the shuffle and then I take a few minutes or more and begin to think about what I may need to make that story a reality. If you do not finish it all in one day just re-create the event for another day in the future. If the story has potential to be timely with something else going on, then maybe move the story to that time of the year. For example: if I wanted to see how much public school football coaches make, I may do the research when I have time and then move the information I gather to the time of year when it is football season.

Keep a working document. For every tip or every story I am doing, even if it is just an idea, I create a separate document in Google docs. Anytime I talk to anyone, receive documents from a public information request, etc. I make notes in the document. This document will include notes on who I called, when I called them and what the outcome was. The document includes links to meetings or other internet searches relevant to the meeting. The document has transcripts from interviews, basically anything I have done related to this story. For me this makes it so much easier to write the story and put the pieces together and I have a paper trail, so it is not all in my memory. The other good part about a single document is that it is all in one piece instead of scattered in different notebooks!

Set reminders. As reporters, editors or producers we get lots of e-mails. A lot of the messages pertain to possible story ideas or tips. When going about the day-to-day business of reporting it can be hard to keep up with them but you also do not want to ignore them. To help with this, I use a service called Nudgemail. If you do not have time to give the proper attention to an e-mail or you want to make sure you follow-up with the individual or on the story, just send yourself a reminder through nudgemail. The service is free and all you have to do is set a date (and even a time if you want) of when you want to follow-up and it reminds you.

Make notes of what sources said and follow-up. Whether you use a calendar, e-mails, documents, etc. the key is to follow-up! If you said you would call them, call them! The best way to lose a source and a contact is to not follow-up.

Keep Your Video/Audio Quotes

When dealing with audio and video clips it can be easy for them to get lost in the mix of tapes and produced packages. If there was a good quote that someone from an interview said but you did not use it in your story, do not forget about it — you never know when it can come in handy! Take the time to save them, either on a tape or somewhere in the newsroom. For me this is the easiest way to keep the clips straight:

Import them. If it means staying a few extra minutes or an hour do it — it will be worth it in the long run! Take the time to just import the clip off the camera or recorder so you have it for future use and it doesn’t get recorded over.

Organize them. Once you have them imported develop a system to organize them. This may be easier to do while importing or maybe just take the time to do it once a week. I upload everything to an external hard drive. I then put everything into folders and organize them by the individuals name and topic (some clips may be in two different places. I would rather have two clips that are easy to find than one clip that is hard to find.)

Transcribe them. If and when I have the time I try to take the time to transcribe the clip and add it to a story document where I think I might use it. This can be hard (mainly because it takes time) but it can also save you time in the long-run.

Make multiple copies. I have learned this the hard way and it is the most frustrating thing to lose a good quote you know you had. To try to make sure this doesn’t happen, I copy the quote in two places, an external hard drive, a computer, etc. Sometimes I even upload video clips to a YouTube page and make them private, this way I have them available to download online if all else fails.

Make notes that you have them and where they are. This is key. What good are the quotes if you do not know you have them. Make notes somewhere. Even if it is just sending out an e-mail to staff or photographers or editors, let people know and yourself know it is out there!

This list is not finished but is just a few things I have learned along the way. How do you make reporting life less hectic? Let me know, Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com or on Twitter, @LWalsh.

Test scores show improvements at Apollo 20 middle schools, Houston ISD says
Friday, Apr 29, 2011, 01:36PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

The percentage of students passing a state-sanctioned math test on the first try went up at three of the five Houston middle schools in the Apollo 20 turnaround program, and two schools saw increases on the reading test, district data shows.

Overall, the Houston Independent School District says the percentage of eighth graders passing the TAKS math test increased by two percentage points, from 76% last year to 78% this year. The overall percentage of HISD eighth graders passing the reading portion of the TAKS test decreased by one point, from 88% last year to 87% this year.

Only two middle schools that are a part of HISD’s academic turn-around program saw increases in the percentage of students who passed both the math and reading tests — Dowling and Key.

“We have some reasons to be optimistic,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said in a press conference Thursday. In “these schools, this year we have seen attendance up, we have seen discipline rates go down (and) out of school-suspension rates go down.”

Fondren Middle School saw the percentage of students receiving a passing grade decrease by six percentage points in both sections of the TAKS test. Compared to last year, Attucks Middle School didn’t see any change in the percentage of eighth graders who passed the reading test but saw the percentage of students passing the math test drop by 10 percentage points.

Ryan Middle School saw the percentage of students passing the math TAKS test increase by three percentage points and the percentage of students passing the reading test go down by four percentage points.

(View data from all of the Apollo 20 middle schools, including the number of students who did not pass the math and reading section of the TAKS test on the first try and the percentage of students who earned the highest performance level, “commended,” in the chart below.)

Being a part of the Apollo 20 program meant a longer school day and an extended school year for students at these five middle schools and four low-performing high schools in HISD. The longer school day allowed time for students struggling in core subjects like reading, math or science to receive an extra period of instruction. Longer school days also allowed time for sixth- and ninth-graders to receive math tutoring.

Grier says the academic growth of eighth-grade students at Apollo 20 schools is “most pronounced” among those “who participated in the double-dose of instructional time either in math or reading.”

Seventy percent of Apollo 20 eighth grade students receiving a “double-dose” of math instruction passed the TAKS math test. That’s an increase of 21 percentage points compared to the same students’ scores on the TAKS math test last year when they were in seventh grade, HISD data shows.

More than 75% of the students receiving a “double-dose” of reading instruction passed the eighth-grade TAKS reading test. That is a 20-percentage point increase compared to the same students scores on the seventh-grade reading test last year.

“You are looking at actual student growth from one year to the next,” Grier said. “So, is that progress, yes. Is that victory? (I) don’t think so. It is a small snapshot … I think it is still concrete evidence that we are in the right place.”

Grier says these schools have “been failing for such a long period of time” that turning them around is not going to happen overnight but, he says, HISD “is off to a great start.”

Key Middle School saw the greatest gains out of all of the Apollo 20 middle schools. Key saw the percentage of eighth graders passing the reading test go up by 11 percentage points, while the percent of eighth graders passing the math portion of the test went up by 24 percentage points.

Grier said he believes the passing rates at Key may be result of a new principal being hired.

“She was the first principal we hired,” he said. “We hired her early, and she had a chance to come to work and assess the staff that was there. And she had an opportunity to recruit…from other teachers she knew and other teachers across district.”

Roland Fryer, an Apollo 20 advisor for HISD, agrees with Grier’s reasoning, but also said that Key “had more to grow.” Key “had 30 points in math. Fondren couldn’t go 30 points in math unless you are somehow going to get 110% of the students to pass,” he said.

Fryer serves as the leader of the HISD partnership with Harvard University’s Education Innovation Laboratory, known as EdLabs, which has been working closely and making recommendations for HISD’s school turnaround program, Apollo 20.

Reading and math TAKS results from all fifth- and eighth-grade students in the district were released Thursday. The results are from the April 4 math tests and April 5 reading tests. Students who did not pass the first time around will have two more chance to pass the test, first in May and again at the end of June.

If a fifth- or eighth-grade student does not pass TAKS after the third attempt, he/she will not be allowed to move onto the next grade level, HISD said.

Some schools in the district have 100% passing rates in both subjects. Scott and River Oaks elementaries had 100% passing rates in both fifth-grade reading and math. Ross Elementary School has a 100% passing rate in fifth-grade reading and Briscoe, Bush and Seguin elementaries have 100% passing rates in fifth-graders’ math.

Briarmeadow and Kaleidoscope middle schools, along with Project Chrysalis, Wilson Montessori and Dominion and Wharton academies, all have 100% passing rates on the eighth-grade reading section of the TAKS test.

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Contact Lynn Walsh, lynn@texaswatchdog.org, 713-228-2850 or on Twitter, @lwalsh.

Seventeen HISD schools eyed for closure, consolidation in latest round of ‘right-sizing,’ budget discussions
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2011, 05:51PM CST
By Lynn Walsh

Many of the 17 Houston elementary and middle schools now being considered for possible closure or consolidation next year have had steep drop-offs in enrollment in the past decade, school system data shows.

The Houston Independent School District has been discussing whether or not to close some of its smallest schools since last year. HISD trustees have seen the list of possible schools go from 66 in December to 37 in March.

HISD trustees were set to vote on the possible closure of four elementary schools this week. But the district has put that decision on hold and is once again widening the pool of schools it will consider for closure or consolidation.

On the most recent list, released Tuesday by HISD spokesman Jason Spencer, there are 13 elementary schools and four middle schools. They are:

Elementaries:
Memorial
Paige
N.Q. Henderson
Port Houston
Gordon
Pleasantville
Stevenson
Houston Gardens
Burrus
Rhoads
Grimes
McDade
Love
Middles:
Ryan
M.C. Williams
Key
Black

View HISD’s 17 schools being considered for closure/consolidation in a larger map
View HISD’s 17 schools being considered for closure/consolidation in a larger map

The list contains some familiar names of schools that have been at the center of the small school closure discussion since the beginning, including, Love, McDade, Grimes and Rhoads elementaries — the four schools HISD trustees were set to consider closing Thursday.

More than half of the schools on the list received the state’s highest academic rating, “exemplary,” in 2010. Only one of the schools, Key Middle School, received the lowest academic rating of “academically unacceptable.”

About the 17 schools
View more data about all of the schools in the interactive table below, including enrollment numbers and program funding information. Use the table to group and filter results based on school type, enrollment, etc.)

However, many of the schools have substantially lost students since 2000, according to HISD data, and many are projected to have only a minimal increase in the number of students, at best, through the 2019-2020 school year.

All of the schools on the list receive additional funding for their small size through the district’s “small school subsidy.” This year, HISD expects to spend more than $10 million on the subsidy it provides to schools it considers under-enrolled. To receive the subsidy, elementary schools must have 500 students or less, middle schools must have 750 or less and, for high schools, the cutoff is 1,000 students.

Two of the middle schools, Key and Ryan, are part of the district’s academic turnaround model, Apollo 20. This school year only nine middle and high schools in HISD were chosen as Apollo 20 schools, four high schools and five middle schools.

In February, HISD trustees approved a list of 11 elementary schools to participate in the Apollo 20 program next school year, one of those schools, Grimes, is being considered for closure next school year.

HISD says it will schedule community meetings in the coming weeks as it moves forward with the process of possibly closing or consolidating these schools. See enrollment figures and other data on the schools below.

Schools’ building capacity

***
Contact Lynn Walsh at 713-228-2850 or lynn@texaswatchdog.org or on Twitter at @lwalsh

Step up and become a newsroom leader
By: Lynn Walsh

Lynn Walsh is an investigative video journalist for Texas Watchdog, a nonprofit online news organization that focuses on government transparency and government accountability. Lynn is also the committee chair for Generation J. She is obsessed with social media, new technology and news; get in touch with her on Twitter @LWalsh or by e-mail Lynn.K.Walsh@gmail.com.

How to be prepared for a journalism training
By: Lynn Walsh

Keeping these tips in mind has helped me better enjoy and take advantage of all of the learning and networking opportunities a training can offer. Is there anything I am missing? Let me know how you prepare for a training by posting comments below or on Twitter @SPJGenerationJ or @LWalsh.

7 Tips For Better Mobile Reporting
Jan 20 2011
By Lynn Walsh, Texas Watchdog

It can all be overwhelming but it actually is also really fun. You get to use so many different tools to connect and inform your audience. The great thing about it to is that since you are sending a lot of things electronically, you have created a trail, that can be used for your reference later on while writing the story.

5 Ways to Use Social Media to Enhance Live Coverage
Jan 27 2011
By Lynn Walsh, Texas Watchdog

5. Answer Questions. As clear as we think we are sometimes there are always more questions to be asked. Use this to your advantage. Before going live, ask viewers what they want to know about the story and if you do not address it in your story use it in your introduction or your tag. And be sure to say the question came from Twitter or Facebook so viewers know you are monitoring the sites.