Friday, January 29, 2010

He said, she said... consider the source

It's funny how we think long and hard about accusing someone of doing something wrong in real life... but are very quick to broadcast accusations without any hard facts.

Several years ago a possible story turned the morning meeting into a heated discussion, as a prostitute had accused a local police officer of misconduct, while the cop denied everything. I wasn't the boss at the time, but argued that I'd rather trust a police officer than a streetwalker. The powers that be decided to do the story and... surprise! It turned out the girl was not the proverbial "hooker with a heart of gold" and the charges were dropped.

But by then the horse was out of the barn. How many people saw the first story about the cop and attached a bad reputation to his name... and how many of those missed the follow-up that cleared him?

We run into "he said, she said" situations all the time. (See: Edwards, John) But often we do the story before we have all the facts.

And these are the kinds of stories where you sometimes have to trust your gut. And always consider the source. If one of the people involved doesn't seem credible, if the story seems so out of character, it bears looking into. Sure, sometimes the person who seems squeaky clean is lying, but you owe it to both parties to dig a little deeper. Many times you have to go "off the record" in these situations, but that kind of information can be useful in helping you get a clearer picture of what happened.

When doing these kids of stories, remember that when it comes to someone's reputation, you can't un-ring the bell. Think long and hard about the implications if you turn out to be wrong. (You could get sued, for one thing.) But put yourself in the shoes of the accused and consider that point of view.

Until you have tangible proof, "he said, she said" stories are just that.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Pop Quiz

There are no right or wrong answers to these hypothetical situations. Just some things to think about.

1. You are either a one-man-band or a photog working alone. You arrive at a fire before the fire department, and are the first news person on the scene. As you begin to shoot a woman runs out of the building with her clothes on fire. Do you:

A: Keep shooting
B: Put down the camera and try to help the woman
C: Hit the record button, place the camera on the ground facing the woman, then run to her assistance


2. A viewer tips you off that a nationally known terrorist suspect is in the area. The viewer does not want to get involved and is afraid to call police. You have no camera or photog available. If you wait until one is available, the terrorist may be gone. Do you:

A: Wait until you are able to get video before calling police
B: Call the police and hope your cooperation gets you an exclusive later


3. You are a producer and no one from management is available. One of the reporters has a story that cannot be confirmed, but the other stations in town are leading with it. The story is not on the wire. If the story is wrong, it could ruin someone's reputation for life. Do you:

A: Run the story
B: Wait for confirmation


4. There's an anchor opening at your station that you desperately want. You apply along with other people on staff, but the ND hires someone from outside the station. The person is incredibly good looking, not terribly smart, but an extremely nice person. Do you:

A: Treat the new person like a leper
B: Welcome the new person and make the anchor feel comfortable


5. You're covering a very important event along with crews from other stations. Just before a news conference begins, the photog from another station has battery problems and doesn't have a spare. Do you:

A: Lend him your spare battery
B: Do nothing and let him miss the story


6. A politician tells you something in confidence. Later you find out that the information is crucial to a police investigation and could help them convict someone of a serious crime. Do you:

A: Pass on the information to police
B: Do nothing
C: Give police the information, then do a story about it


7. You're offered a great job by another station but have four months left on your contract. You have a buyout. The News Director offering you the job doesn't know about your contract situation. Do you:

A: Tell the ND you're under contract and try to work things out
B: Accept the job and hope he doesn't find out


8. You're a producer. A reporter is sent to cover what appears to be a murder and it turns out to be a suicide. The person is not a public figure, and is not related to one. Do you:

A: Broadcast the story
B: Kill the story


9. A politician you really admire gives you an exclusive interview and says something incredibly stupid during the interview. If you broadcast the sound bite his campaign would likely be over. Do you:

A: Use the sound bite
B: Ignore the sound bite and let voters make decisions on their own


10. Tomorrow is election day. A woman comes forward and claims she has had an affair with one of the candidates. The candidate denies it. You have absolutely no facts and no time to dig for them. Do you:

A: Run the story
B: Wait until you have more information