October 22, 2005
Reporting Madness
I must say, I never heard Dr. Jerz talk so fast as when he was giving a crime reporting simulation. The hard part about this was the fact that there were two stories that you had to sift through. Fifteen minutes is not enough time to figure out which story is which, and even more, it's not enough time to get enough facts for a coherent story. I hope crime reporting is not that fast-paced, but I can only imagine that it is.
At least with a spot news story no one's life or property is in immanent danger. That, I think, could be one of the biggest reasons why crime reporting could be so crazy. If it was stressful in the lab situation, I can't even begin to imagine what the crime reporters must deal with when they are on the scene.
I may not like crime reporting myself, but I can now respect these reporters even more because of the pressure they must face. If I get anything out of the news writing class, it would be a greater awareness of news reporters. Most of us pick up a paper, read it, then throw it away. Reporters don't seem to get a whole lot of public recognition. Hopefully everyone can be able to see the value of reporting from trying it out.
Posted by EvanReynolds at October 22, 2005 6:12 PM
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Just imagine if you’re getting some of these facts from listening to the police scanner!
In the real world, you would be able to consult a police report for some of the details, though that means you’d probably have to go to the police station to get it.
I did read through all the details twice, but you’re right — I didn’t slow down to make sure that everyone had time to write it all down!
Just imagine if you also had to verify the accuracy of every statement I made! Is it any wonder reporters make mistakes?
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at October 22, 2005 9:17 PM