September 2007 Archives

"Parker to face trial for hindering probe"

"Erie woman charged with stabbing boyfriend"

I picked both of these stories, because they were from my local newspaper, Erie Times News and I thought they were different but interesting. The first article "Parker to face trial for hindering probe" was interesting because it was about a conviction of not the actual criminal, but Parker the girlfriend of the murderer was accused of interfering with the case. She may be going to trial, but she waived her right for a preliminary hearing. As I said in my earlier blog, these small details are important to the story and the case.

In "Erie woman charged with stabbing boyfriend" the story was breaking news, and did not have very many details. Just the facts are given, what happened, who did the stabbing, and the charges. At the very end the writer ends that the arraignment has not happened yet since mid-morning.

Both stories also give all the names. In these cases, it is not surprising, but never the less it is different than the victims we read about earlier.

Since we began this section of News Writing about Crime Stories, I have noticed more and more in my favorite T.V. crime show, Law and Order: SVU that reporters have a huge role in cases. In one of the episodes I have recently watched, a young reporter was trying to impress his boss by getting the inside scoop from the detectives. It just so happened that the detectives were in the process of arresting a suspect who had kidnapped three children and still had one locked up. The reporter saw the detective and went up to her and questioned the case, and the suspect got away!

As younger reporters it is important to pay attention to the little things that may affect the case. Hackney says, "Covering crime and its victims requires perspective, persistence and patience." Not only have most victims not had media coverage before, but as the victim they probably are dealing with many emotions. It is one of the most challenging new stories to write and I totally understand why. There are so many technical terms you must be aware of. What kind of trials, what the charges are, etc. I honestly can admitt that doing a story such as this would have me in a researching mess...making sure I didn't use an incorrect term that would screw up the whole case. Talk about stress. Verify or duck at its best.

"In the beginning of every news story is the lead--the bait, the lure, the tender trap for the reader..."

Although the lead is also described as "the source of much fear and loathing for the writer", it is in my eyes, the most important part of any news article. A good lead can make a huge difference in whether the audience keeps reading or putting the paper down. I think the thing that is hardest for me is using verbs to catch attention. Active, not passive is key and in a lead you want the verbs to catch the big fish!

In both the articles that I read, "Boy on bicycle hurt in East San Jose accident" and " Man Says Wild Sex Caused SUV Accident" had people that suffered from minor injuries. How does one define a minor injury when reporting? Does a paramedic announce on the scene that each injury that a person is suffering? Obviously, if someone was in critical condition it would be obvious, but still the minor injury is rather ambiguous. Really it could be multiple injuries. Is this a privacy issue? I feel sometimes that the "minor injury" is over used in the news. In these stories I just get a it could have been worse, not that important but they did have a minor injury. What do you all think?

This is a test of my blogging skills. I hope I have not forgotten how to use this thing!