News Story from Multiple Sources Third course, First grading period, Week 2 Students have had experience producing a news wrap and 3-minute news story. This lesson empha- sizes the importance of having a diversity of reliable sources for news stories. As students select three or more sources to include in a news story, they should consider the points of view of each source and the depth that each will add to coverage. Enduring Understanding Information provided by reliable sources to verify facts, balance coverage and add depth to report- ing. Essential Questions Why are three or more sources advisable for a news story? How does one develop reliable sources and incorporate more than two of them into a radio news story? Objectives and Outcome • Students will be able to produce a news story that involves multiple sources with varying points of view. • Students will understand the importance of having reliable sources to acquire information, to verify facts, to balance coverage and to add depth to reporting. Suggested Time One week Resources and Materials Current newspaper Fact sheets for three to fi ve stories that require multiple sources to cover the story Recorder kit to conduct interviews and editing equipment “RTNDF’s Evaluating Sources Guidelines” (www.rtndf.org/ethics/sources.shtml) “The newsroom operation,” Radio Production, pages 71-72 “Radio News Operations,” Announcing, pages 174-178 “Sources of News,” Writing for Television, Radio and New Media, page 120-122 “Accuracy,” Writing for Television, Radio and New Media, page 132 D.C. Public Schools CTE • Prime Movers • RTNDF Radio Curriculum — Third Course 3.2.0 “News Story from Multiple Sources” Procedure 1. Review news judgment, including timeliness, proximity, emotion, consequences, unusualness, confl ict, and prominence. Give students practice in decision-making to appraise the newsworthiness of a story and to determine the most appropriate and signifi cant angle of the story. Teachers might select a story that is presently being reported in the newspaper. How would students report this on radio? Expand and follow up the story? OR For practice, give fact sheets of various stories to collaborative groups. Ask each group to identify the most signifi cant facts and develop an angle for the story. What additional information is needed? Who might provide this information or verify the facts provided? 2. Identify the various sources for information and the stakeholders of the story. Robert McLeish in Radio Production provides four main groups of sources for news coverage: professional (reporters, news agencies), offi cial (local and national government, emergency services), commercial (business and commercial public relations), and public (listeners, taxi and bus drivers). Discuss the perspec- tives of the various groups. How might information be one-sided? In what ways are these reliable sources? How does one determine and select a reliable source? Cover the importance of not just covering a beat, but developing a beat with sources. Introduce and discuss “RTNDF Evaluating Sources Guide- lines.” 3. Clarify why multiple sources are needed for a news story. What does the reporter bring to listen- ers/readers by having more than two sources? In his 1997 acceptance speech as recipient of the RTNDA Paul White Award, Dan Rather stated, “Our fi rst and most important duty, our primary goal — TRUTH. As Oscar Wilde said, ‘The truth is rarely pure and never simple.’ Neither is it easy to fi nd. But our GOAL as journalists is to report the truth. If not the whole truth, then certainly nothing but the truth, and as much of it as we can fi nd.” How does having more than one source for a news story help to realize this goal? How does having multiple sources assist in establishing the facts? “We depend on multiple sources to check and cross-check the facts of a story,” stated Jonathan Knopf, general manager and news director of News 12 in New Jersey (www.rtnda.org/about/pres_ sept05.shtml). A word of caution: Professionals may have MULTIPLE sources but still may not have BALANCED cover- age. Students must learn to recognize when a report is presenting different points of view and do the same in their coverage. 4. Conduct an exercise to illustrate positions taken by different sources, use of press releases and the need for independent research by the reporter. For example, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids project and its Web site might be a starting point. If students go to the offi cial Web site (www.tobac- cofreekids.org/), they will fi nd special reports such as “Federal Initiatives”and “Research and Facts.” There is even a “Press Offi ce” for reporters, editors and producers. This site updates its press state- ments daily, offers to arrange interviews, and its staff will “verify facts” for you. D.C. Public Schools CTE • Prime Movers • RTNDF Radio Curriculum — Third Course 3.2.0 “News Story from Multiple Sources” Assign different portions of this Web site in order for students to become knowledgeable in each area or download and give students a fact sheet from the site. To achieve balance and to verify facts, what other sources are needed? Perhaps students will sug- gest information from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (At www.brownandwilliamson.com/home.asp, students will fi nd sections “Smoking & Health,” “Legal & Regulatory,” “Smokers’ Rights,” and “News- room”) and/or Philip Morris (At www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/home.asp, students will fi nd “Product Facts,” “Smoking &Health Issues,” “Marketing Responsibly” and “Policies, Practices & Positions”). Even with these sources, which offer much information, what other sources NOT originating from the tobacco industry might students interview once the focus of their piece is determined? What about NIH studies of the ramifi cations of tobacco use and legislation banning smoking in restaurants to protect other people from second-hand smoke? Refer to “RTNDF Evaluating Sources Guidelines” and the four groups of sources provided by McLeish. 5. At this point, review any legal and/or ethical concerns that would impact the various angles or depth of coverage. You may wish to review or include high school student media law. The Student Press Law Center (www. splc.org) provides PowerPoint presentations including “Press Law Primer” for classroom use. It is ac- companied by a set of Teachers’ Presentation Notes. 6. Now that the elements of the news story, the benefi t and development of multiple sources, and the application of ethical and legal decision-making have been established, move on to the craft of incorporating multiple sources into the script. Provide students with a transcript or listen to a recorded example of a news story that contains three or more sources. Have students annotate the different points of view presented on an issue or event. • Does the listener receive a balanced perspective? • Were the reporter’s comments free of bias? • Were listeners told what to think, presented points of view and/or encouraged to explore the issue more? 7. Point out how much control the reporter and editor have over the fi nal form of the story within the conventions of news format and expectations of readers, listeners and viewers. Usually the edi- tor has the fi nal authority and responsibility to determine the piece’s wording, balance, scope and length. Discuss how different media and stations provide different coverage of the same story. You may wish to review the lesson “24” (Second course, Second grading period). For example, use a current event, issue or topic of concern to review how it is covered in the print media, different radio stations (public and private), television stations and the Internet. In the process, be sure to note how many different categories of sources are used — government offi cials, citizens and tourists, business own- ers and consumers, individuals who represent ethnic, racial, gender and economic diversity. D.C. Public Schools CTE • Prime Movers • RTNDF Radio Curriculum — Third Course 3.2.0 “News Story from Multiple Sources” 8. Illustrate how multiple sources are incorporated into a radio news script. Students should be asked to share one of the stories they listened to for homework (See “Homework” section below). Students should ask themselves such questions as: • Has time been given to different points of view? Does the time have to be equal to provide balance? • What tone of voice is used in the actualities and by the announcer? • Does the interviewee’s response to the question have clarity of expression? • Has the writing around the actuality been non-biased, clear and complete? • What determines the order in which the actualities are placed in the whole piece? Is there an advantage to the voice that is heard fi rst? Heard last? 9. Conduct an editorial (or pre-production) meeting to decide news story assignments for production teams. Set deadlines. 10. Student teams of three to four members proceed to conduct interviews being careful to include all stakeholders, gather background and process information. Every member of the team should conduct at least one interview to present a point of view that should be included in the piece. 11. Write the script with actualities from more than two sources. 12. Record reporter’s copy and combine with actualities to produce the story. Edit a fi rst draft with peers; a second draft with the teacher. 13. Do an evaluation of the fi nished project with the teacher and classmates for overall content analysis. Homework Students will read the appropriate chapter in their textbook(s). Students will review coverage of the same topic in different media to 1) Contrast the opening sec- onds/ledes, 2) Compare type and number of sources, 3) Compare and contrast the angle or focus on the topic.