Privacy is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
With cell phone cameras everywhere, anything and everything you do in public is now fair game for the Internet. Doesn't matter if what you see is true or taken out of context, if you do something in public, it can really go public.
A good example is the story regarding the video of what someone claimed to be Joe Biden's daughter that was being shopped over the weekend. It doesn't really matter if the person in the video was her or not; her name has already been dragged through the gutter. If the woman in the video turns out to be someone else, half the people who heard the original story will have missed the follow up. The end result is the same. How many of you noted that the lawyer trying to sell the tape has suddenly stopped trying? (That guy better get ready for a gang audit from the IRS.)
We all saw what happened to Michael Phelps a while back. One photo cost him millions and a ton of credibility.
The point today is not to lecture anyone on what you can and cannot do in your personal life. That's your decision. The point is that you need to be aware that if you're a public figure, anything questionable you might do could end up on the Internet and cost you your career. Anytime you're in public and recognized, people are watching you. And these days, someone may be taping you.
1984 is here, big time. Be very, very careful of your conduct in public. People love success yet worship a fall.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Start with a softball
Since baseball season is just around the corner, I thought it might be time to use a national pastime analogy as it relates to interviews.
We all saw plenty of "softball" questions during the last political campaign, directed at both candidates. It almost seems as if reporters are walking on eggshells, not wanting to offend the person being interviewed. Hardly anyone plays hardball anymore, as politicians are routinely allowed to squirm off the hook as the "follow up" question has become a lost art.
However, the softball does have its place. A baseball pitcher might feed a batter a dose of slow breaking pitches before firing a bullet down the middle of the plate. Reporters can also "set up" an interview subject with soft stuff before throwing one high and tight.
One example I've mentioned before was the time I was sent to ask a politician about cheating on his wife. He'd never met me, but the rumor had just broken and I knew he'd be on his guard. So I had to let him get comfortable with some easy lobs over the middle of the plate.
Me: "So, why is foreign trade so important to this community?"
Politician: (Gives standard political answer. I can see it in his eyes that he's thrilled I didn't ask THE question.)
Me: "Do you foresee any specific trade agreements that might be beneficial?"
Politician: (Gives another pat answer. Now he's really relaxed. At this point the catcher puts down number one and it's time for a fastball.)
Me: "So, what's the deal about this alleged affair?"
The guy had no chance. Never saw it coming. He dodged the question with his words but his facial reaction told the story as I got the death stare and the twitchy lip.
Remember, your job is to ask the tough questions. If that means setting someone up with bogus fluff, fine. Softball questions are fine, as long as you follow them with hardball questions.
We all saw plenty of "softball" questions during the last political campaign, directed at both candidates. It almost seems as if reporters are walking on eggshells, not wanting to offend the person being interviewed. Hardly anyone plays hardball anymore, as politicians are routinely allowed to squirm off the hook as the "follow up" question has become a lost art.
However, the softball does have its place. A baseball pitcher might feed a batter a dose of slow breaking pitches before firing a bullet down the middle of the plate. Reporters can also "set up" an interview subject with soft stuff before throwing one high and tight.
One example I've mentioned before was the time I was sent to ask a politician about cheating on his wife. He'd never met me, but the rumor had just broken and I knew he'd be on his guard. So I had to let him get comfortable with some easy lobs over the middle of the plate.
Me: "So, why is foreign trade so important to this community?"
Politician: (Gives standard political answer. I can see it in his eyes that he's thrilled I didn't ask THE question.)
Me: "Do you foresee any specific trade agreements that might be beneficial?"
Politician: (Gives another pat answer. Now he's really relaxed. At this point the catcher puts down number one and it's time for a fastball.)
Me: "So, what's the deal about this alleged affair?"
The guy had no chance. Never saw it coming. He dodged the question with his words but his facial reaction told the story as I got the death stare and the twitchy lip.
Remember, your job is to ask the tough questions. If that means setting someone up with bogus fluff, fine. Softball questions are fine, as long as you follow them with hardball questions.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Random thoughts
I've got too many little things kicking around in my head, so here goes:
-I wasn't aware that tripods were not issued to one man bands. I'm seeing a lot of work from "backpack journalists" with some pretty shaky video. I used to have a News Director, who, upon seeing video not shot from a tripod, would say, "Earthquake at the City Council," or "Earthquake at the courthouse" depending on where the video was shot. Sometimes tripods aren't practical, but most times you need them. They don't do you any good sitting in the news car.
-Sometimes it takes young reporters a while to "get" it. By that I mean you grow in steps. You hit one plateau, then stay there awhile, then move up to another. Sometimes it takes awhile for the light bulb to go on. Be patient.
-If you want to get "better faster" you need to spend all your free time watching people in bigger markets and on networks. By watching a variety of people you'll subconsciously pick up little things here and there that you can incorporate into your own style.
-Too many packages end on a sound bite. In other words, we go directly from a sound bite to the reporter sigout. You need at least one sentence to wrap things up before you sign off. It's jarring to end a package on a sound bite.
-Too many packages start with a sound bite. Nat sound is always the preferred way to start a package, as it also gives the director a little wiggle room in case he punches up your package a second or two late.
-Many of your live shot intros are too long, so you end up trying to memorize them and you end up looking like you're reciting something instead of talking to the camera. Two sentences, max. Get into your story as quickly as possible. With less to memorize you'll be more natural.
-I wasn't aware that tripods were not issued to one man bands. I'm seeing a lot of work from "backpack journalists" with some pretty shaky video. I used to have a News Director, who, upon seeing video not shot from a tripod, would say, "Earthquake at the City Council," or "Earthquake at the courthouse" depending on where the video was shot. Sometimes tripods aren't practical, but most times you need them. They don't do you any good sitting in the news car.
-Sometimes it takes young reporters a while to "get" it. By that I mean you grow in steps. You hit one plateau, then stay there awhile, then move up to another. Sometimes it takes awhile for the light bulb to go on. Be patient.
-If you want to get "better faster" you need to spend all your free time watching people in bigger markets and on networks. By watching a variety of people you'll subconsciously pick up little things here and there that you can incorporate into your own style.
-Too many packages end on a sound bite. In other words, we go directly from a sound bite to the reporter sigout. You need at least one sentence to wrap things up before you sign off. It's jarring to end a package on a sound bite.
-Too many packages start with a sound bite. Nat sound is always the preferred way to start a package, as it also gives the director a little wiggle room in case he punches up your package a second or two late.
-Many of your live shot intros are too long, so you end up trying to memorize them and you end up looking like you're reciting something instead of talking to the camera. Two sentences, max. Get into your story as quickly as possible. With less to memorize you'll be more natural.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Congrats, Roger!
Always nice when a talented client moves on, and these days it's nice to hear that anyone is actually hiring.
When I first got a call from a guy named Roger Susanin, I could tell he had a unique quality just from the conversation. His personality just jumped through the phone, and when his first tape arrived I saw that same trait on camera. He was working at a cable operation in Pennsylvania, occasionally rubbing elbows with people from Philadelphia.
Roger worked hard to hone his craft and within a short time had a really good tape. He also bought into my "send a tape anywhere" tactic. At one point he sent a tape to an opening that required five years experience, which he didn't have. He got a call from the ND, who liked his tape so much he was considering shuffling his staff around to make room for Roger. (Those of you afraid to send tapes for which you think you're under qualified, take note of this.)
That's not the job he ended up with, but he landed at a solid station in Little Rock, KATV.
I expect great things from Roger, and know he'll do well at his new home. Congrats on a well deserved success!
When I first got a call from a guy named Roger Susanin, I could tell he had a unique quality just from the conversation. His personality just jumped through the phone, and when his first tape arrived I saw that same trait on camera. He was working at a cable operation in Pennsylvania, occasionally rubbing elbows with people from Philadelphia.
Roger worked hard to hone his craft and within a short time had a really good tape. He also bought into my "send a tape anywhere" tactic. At one point he sent a tape to an opening that required five years experience, which he didn't have. He got a call from the ND, who liked his tape so much he was considering shuffling his staff around to make room for Roger. (Those of you afraid to send tapes for which you think you're under qualified, take note of this.)
That's not the job he ended up with, but he landed at a solid station in Little Rock, KATV.
I expect great things from Roger, and know he'll do well at his new home. Congrats on a well deserved success!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Is email as effective as snail mail?
I get a lot of questions from young people about sending a resume tape via email. Many are curious as to why they've sent out dozens and gotten almost no response.
The answer lies in your own email box.
Open your email inbox on any given day, and along with the messages from people you know are countless pieces of junk advertising discount Viagra or telling you that you've won a lottery in Europe. While some email companies are better at filtering out spam than others, some junk still manages to find its way.
Now put yourself in a News Director's shoes. On any given day a ND might find a few hundred emails waiting to be read, and no one has time to read two hundred emails. Many stations also have rules governing emails and viruses... unless you know the sender, you simply hit the delete button. So if someone is sending you a resume tape attached to an email, chances are you'll never see it.
Almost all job postings ask the applicant to mail a tape. While you may think this is a stone age mentality, there are several reasons for this. Tapes and DVDs are easy to go through quickly, and when you're narrowing the field you want to be able to put the good tapes in a box to review later. At some point the GM or corporate is going to want to review those as well, and they don't want a bunch of forwarded emails to do it. And in many cases, more than one person is looking at resume tapes, and you don't want a bunch of people crowded around you, looking over your shoulder.
The News Director always has the worst computer in the newsroom, and half the time stuff sent via email won't play. The same is often true of General Managers.
The day may come when all job postings ask for tapes to be emailed, but it isn't here yet.
That said, many of those companies who will post your resume tape online do get a lot of visits from News Directors, but that's different than sending an unsolicited email. A ND can go to the site and watch a bunch of tapes. They're all formatted the same way and there's not a problem playing them.
And there's nothing wrong with having your own personal site with a bunch of packages or anchoring, just in case a ND calls you and wants to see something quick, or has looked at your first tape and wants to see more.
But just sending emails cold doesn't do the trick. If you want to make sure a News Director actually receives your tape, you've got to do it the old fashioned way and stick it in the mail.
The answer lies in your own email box.
Open your email inbox on any given day, and along with the messages from people you know are countless pieces of junk advertising discount Viagra or telling you that you've won a lottery in Europe. While some email companies are better at filtering out spam than others, some junk still manages to find its way.
Now put yourself in a News Director's shoes. On any given day a ND might find a few hundred emails waiting to be read, and no one has time to read two hundred emails. Many stations also have rules governing emails and viruses... unless you know the sender, you simply hit the delete button. So if someone is sending you a resume tape attached to an email, chances are you'll never see it.
Almost all job postings ask the applicant to mail a tape. While you may think this is a stone age mentality, there are several reasons for this. Tapes and DVDs are easy to go through quickly, and when you're narrowing the field you want to be able to put the good tapes in a box to review later. At some point the GM or corporate is going to want to review those as well, and they don't want a bunch of forwarded emails to do it. And in many cases, more than one person is looking at resume tapes, and you don't want a bunch of people crowded around you, looking over your shoulder.
The News Director always has the worst computer in the newsroom, and half the time stuff sent via email won't play. The same is often true of General Managers.
The day may come when all job postings ask for tapes to be emailed, but it isn't here yet.
That said, many of those companies who will post your resume tape online do get a lot of visits from News Directors, but that's different than sending an unsolicited email. A ND can go to the site and watch a bunch of tapes. They're all formatted the same way and there's not a problem playing them.
And there's nothing wrong with having your own personal site with a bunch of packages or anchoring, just in case a ND calls you and wants to see something quick, or has looked at your first tape and wants to see more.
But just sending emails cold doesn't do the trick. If you want to make sure a News Director actually receives your tape, you've got to do it the old fashioned way and stick it in the mail.
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