Responding to feedback: individual study.

Where or How can we find news?

Court Case,
committee meeting,
launch of a report of product,
new tv show,
sports events,
exhibitions,
celeb appearance,

NEWTWORKING AND CONTACTS ARE IMPORTANT.
This way you can link your self with a story or can grab an interview easier.

Actors or Celebs

•Find out what films/plays/TV Depp has been in recently or are working on 

•Wikipedia, IMDB, personal websites; get some basic biographical detail etc.

•Check social media

•Call their agent or press officer for further details

•Try the producers of the film/play etc

•Call the DL press office, ask them if they know any more: perhaps special arrangements or requests were made. When did this happen?

•Get quotes from the DL or perhaps a curator.

•If specific information is not available, get some harmless speculation or background information – what relevant books, documents, manuscripts might have been consulted.

Building. 

•What is the nature of the building: who owns it?

•What is it used for? What is its historical background? Was it once important to the community?

•Check social media

•What can people in the street/living/working nearby tell you?

•What is their opinion on the development? Is it needed? 

•What is the nature of the development – call the local authority press office

•They should be able to tell you who has lodged the development plans: which company, which architect?

•Are they protected by Listed Buildings regulations: call English Heritage

•What is the timetable for planning consent?

•Who are the objectors: have they formed a committee? Have they objected in writing to the planning committee? Objections are normally publicly available on council websites

•Can you contact them to get their views?

•Do you need a quote from a body such as Save Britain’s Heritage, the Georgian Group or the Victorian Society?

•Any other suggestions?

INVERTED PYRAMID. 

Who, What, Where, When, Why, How 

  Any of the above not in the Intro -

  plus, perhaps – its significance

  Quotes moves it forward

  More details, quotes

  So what? Next?

  Any holes?

  Extras



WHAT formula.

- W: What happened – plus elements of who, where, when etc.

- H: How – often the next tier of information. Develops story beyond intro, key elements.

- A: Amplification – details such as events sequence, supporting quotes & other specifics

- T: Tie-up – background info, loose ends, what happens next.

(Holmes et al 2013)

Who are you writing for? Audience engagement & Workshop on: Introduction to Pitching, Ideas generation and setting up as a Freelancer.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/open-journalism

http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Networked.html?id=G72FUP5_238C&redir_esc=y

http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/185746/6-questions-journalists-should-be-able-to-answer-before-pitching-a-story/

http://muckrack.com/daily/2013/10/17/the-7-deadly-sins-of-pitching-journalists-and-bloggers/

http://gangrey.com/?p=3902

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXPfSrmzLo0

Becoming a Freelancer.

- Finding a nice working space

- Plan out writing for each day

-Comfortable chair, good posture

-Notebook, contact list, memory stick, backup

-Keyboard skills, short hand.

-Which genre

- Professional Road Map

-Research 

         "The way it works is that freelance journalists sell article ideas to magazines and newspapers, otherwise known as 'pitches'. It sounds easy in theory, but it's worth remembering that there are very few 'new' ideas - the trick is finding a original angles on topics or themes which may have been covered in the press time and time again."

"The best freelance journalists usually have a good knowledge of current affairs and read lots of newspapers and magazines, as they are always on the hunt for new ideas or fresh angles."

"Before you even think about pitching ideas, it is a good idea to spend some time reading the publications you would like to write for to get a good feel for the target audience."

        "It's also worth picking out individual articles and asking yourself why you think the editor ran that particular story and why it might appeal to their target audience. This should help you come up with original feature ideas which are well suited to the publication and should appeal to the editor."

  "Feature ideas come from a variety of sources: new research, events; such as. Cancer Awareness Week, news stories, personal experiences - the list is endless! Generally, those which are tied to some new research or a topical news story often have the most chance of being accepted – or ‘commissioned.’ 

"When pitching stories, it is really important to find out exactly who edits the section you are pitching to. This information can usually be found by telephoning the switchboard of the publication.

"Most editors prefer email pitches, but some get hundreds of pitches a week, so if you want to be in with a chance of getting published, you need to be willing to follow up over the phone. If your idea is particularly timely, sometimes it’s best to get straight on the phone with the idea and not bother with the email.

"Always remember that editors are busy and there are hundreds of people like you trying to interest editors in their ideas, so always ask if it is convenient to talk and offer to call back another time if not. 

  "Even if an editor doesn't like your idea and tells you so over the phone, this can be a great opportunity to tell them a bit more about yourself and maybe find out a bit more about what they're looking for - so that next time you pitch an idea they might remember you. Which is definitely a good start in this business! 

Jan Murray 

Developing Ideas. 

-Be specific with an idea

-Coming up with a title may help

-Having a subject and Idea

- Understanding what the reader wants

-Researching

“The audience is dead. Long live the audience.”

Jeff Jarvis 2004

Dan Gillmor: We the Media:  “the people formerly known as the audience”

Tom Curley, Associated Press CEO:  "The users are deciding what the point of their engagement will be -- what application, what device, what time, what place."

Mark Thompson, ex director general of the BBC, uses the term: The Active Audience ("who doesn't want to just sit there but to take part, debate, create, communicate, share.")

Rupert Murdoch, warned US newspaper editors: "They want control over their media, instead of being controlled by it." 

(Poster in McQuail:119) enabling many to many conversations, simultaneous reception, alteration and redistribution of cultural objects, dislocating communication from territorial constraints, providing instantaneous global contact, inserting the ‘subject’ or person into the network.

“If the concentration and centralisation of editorial power are two distinctive features of the [British] national press, a third is the weakness of its professional culture. The British national press is strongly influenced by entertainment values and political partisanship, making it different from American print journalism, with its stress on balance, dispassion and a public duty to inform." James Curran: Submission to Leveson.