Starting from vox pop’s, through to interviews and finishing
up with article writing in a variety of different forms, this week has been
full of a number of different journalism ‘productions and practices.
Interview technique, though not part of production practice
came to the fore this week, when on Tuesday I had an interview with William ‘Bill’
Graham, one of only two independent members of the City Council. Writing down
my initial opening salvo as well as making sure that I had a solid question
base to work from ensured that I was able to ask questions that I felt were to
the point, and gained me some solid quotes which to base my 500 word article,
in for next Monday on.
Because I was able to guarantee that my information was
correct, I was able to be confident in my pitch over the phone, and therefore
came across, I hope, as professional and relaxed. Sourcing through the Council’s
website, as well as through clippings found online from other points in his
career allowed me to base a background profile on Mr Graham before the
interview, and allowed me to converse with him fluently rather than nervously
and often disjointedly, something that has become an issue for me over the past
year.
Come Thursday and the vox pop’s for Nick Turner. We were in
town at 10am and were set loose into the City centre for an hour, gathering
opinions on topics ranging from the school teacher strike to badger culling to
England’s chances in next year’s World Cup. This form of collecting information
from the public has become one of the biggest chores of modern journalism,
annoying Southampton Football Club to such an extent that they banned .conducting vox pops with fans on
land outside its ground.
I chose the
world cup question and immediately came up against a brick wall of
resounding ‘No’s’ as well as the classic
‘ignoring the guy with the notepad’. After my first few failures a strategy
developed, a strategy that ultimately gained me what I would describe as a
moderate success, and allowed me to collect relevant quotes, as well as a few
background details which could be used to make my article more relevant to the
regular Joe out on the street.
As a journalist
you must:
‘Walk up to people confidently, notebook and
pen in hand. Smile and be positive, use the word journalist, along with your
name and the publication you’re working for as soon as possible’
By
developing a persona, a smiling face and an initial patter, I was able to draw
people into answering the question rather than just scaring them away.
Introducing yourself by name and profession (student journalist) I was able to
let people see that I wasn’t selling anything, and was merely a ‘harmless
student’ looking to get a quick quote and get out of the cold just like they
were. From bored cold men waiting outside various clothes shops, to women
loitering outside HMV there were a variety of people who looked to have free
time to answer. Asking people walking with a purpose or currently engaged in
something else would lead to a sure fire rejection, and as such a theory of
spotting where to trap certain people led to a learning of how to correctly
conduct a vox pop.
If it is
one of the most hated jobs in journalism, then I may just have developed a
liking for the jobs that other journalists wouldn’t want to go near.
Finally,
article writing. With the conducting of the newsletter, and a meeting on
Thursday lunchtime with our third year group, the overall outline has been set
and the articles are beginning to come in. From a piece on the Lakes Comic art
festival, to a nib on the sexual assault at the Sugarhouse in Lancaster,
articles are becoming a regular occurrence out of my printer at home. Pages
being drafted, redrafted and finally printed have led me into a schedule of
churning out piece after piece. Getting the right quotes and being able to
frame them in the middle of articles has become a hobby, allowing me to hone my
skills in order to produce pieces not only for print, but also for online
journalism. Different formats need different editing, and although I had
problems at first coming to terms with the way in which I was meant to edit and
quote in print when compared to online, I now believe that I have improved to a
point where I am confident in my own abilities.
Although I may
not be the most proficient of journalist, not the most talented, and not the
easiest to talk to, I do feel that through the first month of production
practices I have improved drastically as a journalist, and at University,
surely, improving and learning Is what you are meant to do.
Football club bans journalists
from vox pops at ground
In-text:
(Lambourne,
2013)
Bibliography:
Lambourne,
H. 2013. Football club bans journalists from vox pops at ground.
[online] Available at:
http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2013/news/football-club-bans-journalists-from-vox-pops-at-ground/
[Accessed: 17 Oct 2013].
Interviewing for Journalists
In-text: (Adams and Hicks, 2009, p. 18)
Bibliography: Adams, S. and Hicks, W. 2009. Interviewing
for Journalists. [e-book] Taylor & Francis Ltd - M.U.A. p. 18.
Available through: University Of Cumbria Ebooks
https://www.dawsonera.com/abstract/9780203888858 [Accessed: 17 Oct 2013].
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