Journalism as a Career Transition
I still don’t have all the answers in regard to my career transition, but I am getting close, and the experience of writing and reporting is a magnificent and productive strategy of learning by doing.
Posts Tagged: journalism
Intergovernmental Co-Conspirators — Really, We’re the Next Big Thing
Are you the next big thing in local government communications?
7 Ways to Put the ‘WOW’ in Your First Paragraph
Check out this featured blogger’s tips for writing more effective opening paragraphs.
Introducing the Revolutionary Concept of ‘Journalism.Gov’
Govies can use the best practices of journalism to improve the quality of government communications.
Numbers Can Reframe a Story. People Make it Memorable.
People are busy and our most important task is to tell a story in a way that people remember. A few, easy numbers make that task a lot easier. … In days of old, we used to have to rely on reporters to find those people, although it’s certainly within our power to help them…. Read more »
One Weird Trick got People to Read Your Story. What Happened Next isn’t Surprising
Keeping people’s attention is important for government communicators. When we tell a story, people need to remember more than one weird trick.
Help Yourself by Helping Reporters Dig into a News Story
In my newspaper reporting days, when I started really digging into stories, I would run into two basic types of sources. One type would decline comment or be defensive, even if the news story is directly about them. Sometimes it was carried to an extreme, such as an encounter I had way back in theRead… Read more »
Journalism Ethics are Good For Government Communications. Here’s Why.
Journalists and government communicators can find some common ground in ethics: fairness, accuracy and thoroughness are hallmarks of good journalism and government communications,
Local Newspapers Equals Local News to Most People. Work With Them
It’s tempting to fall in love with the internet and all the ways we can get our message out without relying on local news. Be wary of that temptation. Local news outlets, especially newspapers, still hold a powerful attraction to the people in our communities. And reporters, although fewer in number and more overworked thanRead… Read more »
A Good Quote is More Interesting Than This Headline
Let’s start by admitting that, sometimes, all a reporter needs is a quote to finish a story. Any quote, as long it’s relevant and they meet their deadline. What they’d really like, however, are birds flying backwards. That’s the gist of a legendary quote used in one of my journalism classes, from a guy tellingRead… Read more »