Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with journalist

Did I invent the memory of a murderous conspiracy?

damehex — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:06:32 -0800

Did a journalist investigating the 2000 election in Florida die under suspicious circumstances? If you remember this story even slightly, help me find it. Here's what I recall: he spends the years after 2000 digging up dirt on the fraud. He claims to have within his grasp the last pieces, proof of substantial rigging in a couple of counties, verge of blowing the lid off, etc etc. Then he dies. Is found in a scene of wild violence: motel bathroom with blood splattered everywhere. This is just over state lines, where evidence rules are different enough to allow the local law enforcement to do something nutty (like cremating the body prior to autopsy? I must be pulling details from some other shady journalist death at this point). His death is deemed a suicide. He had been, after all, struggling against depression.

And I thought I read about him initially in a national print magazine (The Atlantic? Harper's?). Then, I recall looking to the internet, which seemed obsessed with him (everything about his story screamed conspiracy). And somehow the internet had pictures of the crime scene, which I remember vividly.

But I put everything I could remember about the story into various google searches for about 10 minutes and couldn't find hide/hair. Help?

Help a young journo put herself through news writing bootcamp.

[ixia] — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:33:15 -0800

I need resources to improve my news writing. I'm already working in a newsroom, so this isn't a"halp mee, I wants to be a writter" post. Rather, I want to increase my fluency in the basics so that tight, accurate prose always flows naturally, even under deadline. I'd also like to increase my vocabulary and craft skills as a writer so that when I'm less pressed for time, I can really make the language dance. I'm a program assistant on a high-profile TV news program. I research stories, update the program's website and look after some of the logistics of getting the program to air. I'm working towards a career as a TV or radio news producer, and I've already worked casually on a factual radio show, producing presenter-driven interviews from scratch. I've had good feedback about my work so far.

Here's the rub: I didn't study journalism. I'd like to do a postgrad degree eventually, but at the moment that's not an option. (And frankly, although I'm glad journalism exists as an academic discipline, I don't think every journo needs a degree in it).

Anyway, no-one has complained about my writing, but I want to set aside some time each week to really perfect it as a craft. Journalism students do this through writing drills and constant assessment. Journalists at other organisations receive on-the-job training, but my employer doesn't put a lot of resources into that. So I'd like to do it by putting myself through a sort of ad-hoc writing bootcamp.

I know the mechanics of grammar and style. I'm the newsroom nerd who knows the style guide by heart and I'll quote Strunk and White ferociously if provoked. I can pick the flaws in bad writing and I take joy in beating it into shape. But I still don't feel as though I have fluency in news writing, to the point where it comes naturally under deadline. I want good, tight news writing to become so second-nature that I can do it on two hours sleep, in a crisis, on a subject I know nothing about or in a war zone with bombs raining down all around me.

As well as drilling myself in the basics, I'd like to improve my vocabulary and the 'elegance', for want of a better word, of my prose. Although broadcast writing favours '5 cent' words over obscure ones, I still want to be able to convey the most subtle of nuances when necessary, without reaching for a thesaurus. And yeah, one day I'd like my writing to be as concise, thoughtful and elegant as the New York Times and BBC journalists I admire. Help a young journo get started along that path.

I'm interested in:

- Writing drills for both broadcast and print journalism, from reputable sources. Actual course notes from good J-schools would be awesome.

- 'Five points' style exercises, where the student is given a disorganised list of information points and asked to turn the list into a well-structured story.

- GRE-style vocabulary tests - particularly those which focus on the subtle nuances of descriptive words, rather than archaic words for objects and concepts I'll never need to write about. I'm more interested in the precise difference between succour and sustenance, for example, than I am in learning the correct name for a three-barbed fish hook. The GRE isn't used in Australia, and there are so many of these tests online that I have no idea which ones are reputable.

- Journalism textbooks with a focus on practical writing exercises rather than theory - particularly UK or Australian ones.

- General advice from working journalists. How did you get the fundamentals of good writing under your belt? What was it like for you when good writing became second-nature? Once you're so experienced that you don't need to think abut the basics, how is the writing process different?

All resources are welcome, but those with an Australian/UK English bent would be particularly helpful. Thanks!

English-speaking journalist with the travel bug

lindsey.nicole — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:14:10 -0800

English-speaking journalist with travel bug: where should I go? I'm getting antsy, and would like to see more of the world before I (theoretically) settle down. What's a good place for a young, Canadian, English-speaking journalist to live and work for a year or two?

I have a few years experience reporting at a daily newspaper, and I'm comfortable with online media. That said, I'm functionally unilingual, which I'm guessing will pose problems. I speak some French - enough to get by as a tourist, but not enough to converse fluently.

My only criterion is that my new home not be in Canada or the USA - otherwise, I'll consider all options, however obscure, strange or low-paying. And I know that 'good place' is pretty subjective, so I should add that (very generally speaking) I'm more interested in arts/culture/history, less concerned with nightlife/glitz/shopping.

Any ideas, hive mind? I'd appreciate hearing any first or second-hand experiences, good or bad, and tips for how to make this happen. And if, in your opinion, my chance of getting hired elsewhere is slim to none - well, that's useful information too, even if I don't really want to hear it.

Tell me about "Tell me about" ... if you'd be so very kind.

zaebiz — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:16:26 -0800

Every time I hear a journalist say "Tell me about ..." when interviewing someone on television, I get really annoyed. It seems so incredibly presumptuous, pompous and impolite to demand an answer of a guest like that. Yet it happens all over the world. Is this standard journalistic practice? What's the reasoning behind it? Anyone else feel the same way or am I being a relic? The presumption seems to be that it is the interviewee's role to answer the demands of the interviewer. I've talked to many different people from around the world and I don't recall anyone in polite conversation saying "Tell me about your trip to Spain". They would say "Hey so what was Spain like?", "Did you have a fun time in Spain?" etc. In a more formal setting like at a formal dinner they might say "Would you mind telling us a little bit about your amazing trip to Spain?" A close relative or friend might say "Tell me about" but that's because friends are allowed to be a bit presumptuous.

(I also notice it happens on AskMetafilter and I always avoid answering those questions demanding we answer them. Maybe I am just not hip to the latest interpersonal presumptions.)

Can a Canadian journalist make it in the U.K.?

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:26:30 -0800

Canadian journalist wants to work in the U.K. - does this sound remotely feasible? I'm a Canadian journalist with a few years experience at a regional daily. I'm considering making the move to the U.K. over the next few years, likely London, and would appreciate any advice from fellow Canadians who've successfully (or semi-successfully) made the jump.

In particular, I'm looking for suggestions or experiences in getting visas, the type of work I can expect to find (or not find), level of experience required, and whether I stand a chance in hell of making this work. I'm reasonably confident in my abilities, but not sure how they'll hold up in a major market. Totally willing to explore different employment options, although my past experience is mostly in news reporting, online/print/radio.

I've set up a temporary email account - throwaway227@gmail.com. Any additional questions or comments can be sent there. Thanks in advance!

How do journalists find 'regular people' when they profile them for public interest articles?

teem — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 21:25:47 -0800

How do journalists find 'regular people' when they profile them for public interest articles? All the time I see papers covering news on topics such as rising petrol prices, interest rates, decreasing/increasing standards for university admission, etc, which are accompanied by a smaller fluffier article profiling some regular joe who's in some way affected by the topic of the article. Usually they use a photo of the regular joe in front of a petrol pump/for sale sign/university campus to accompany both articles.

For example the article might be about a rumoured rise in interest rates and how it will affect home buyers, then the fluff piece will be a piece about Jack and Jill Smith, a young couple from Woodville Gardens who are just about to buy their first home. Or the article that prompted this question, about a university changing their medical degree admission requirements. The fluff piece profiled a local year 12 student who was hoping to get into medicine next year.

I can see how journalists would track down experts and analysts for insightful commentary, but how do they find these regular people?

Question number 9041

Happydaz — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 17:02:58 -0800

Military Intelligence: I've thought about joining the military for about six years. Now it seems that it might become reality. I'd like to become an intelligence officer because it seems like I'd use a similar skill set to what I do now (I'm a journalist.) But what branch of the service should I check out? Army/Navy/Marines/Air Force/Coast Guard? What about the CIA or NSA? Anybody know people in any of these branches? [more inside]

Question number 7201

blogRot — Wed, 12 May 2004 11:35:40 -0800

On the recent video beheading of Berg, does anyone know the significance of that orange gown he is/was wearing?

Question number 4139

macadamiaranch — Tue, 23 Dec 2003 16:55:07 -0800

Any journalists in the audience? I have managed to land myself a position where a journalism degree would be helpful...and yet, I don't have one! (more inside)