Thursday, April 10
Keynote – Laura Castaneda
“The Devil’s Breath” documentary about the story not told in mainstream media about the lives lost of undocumented citizens in wild fires
“When you become a journalist, you are going to speak out for the people who have no voice”
You get to go to places and meet people that the general public can only dream about.
(Internships) Don’t be on Twitter or Facebook. Put the phone in your bag and come in early and learn to ask questions .
Interns are a dime a dozen. Make a difference. Not everybody that leaves is invited to come back.
Get involved. Join various association chapters.
Rub elbows with people who have the jobs you want.
You are only as good as you last story. Always be digging and looking for the next one.
Teachers can teach you the skills. Teachers cannot make you passionate about journalism.
Don’t expect suits and ties to become your sources. Don’t expect them to give you the information you have to dig for.
Community activists open the door for you. Don’t forget about the taxi drivers and the janitors to give you the information you are looking for.
If you can’t get in the front door, you have to go through the side or the back. And you can’t be afraid to go through the side or the back.
(when speaking another language) Stop being afraid of making mistakes.
What can I put in my demo reel that is completely different from anybody else?
Always ask, “Am I causing harm to somebody and is it worth it?” That ethics thing will nag you the rest of your life.
Find a way to get the people on your staff to get off their butts and go talk to people.
People have a zillions stories.
Social media: Beware of the “red cup syndrome”
Advice: Brush up on your language skills. Get your passport ready and don’t be afraid to travel. Get in touch with bureaus in other countries.
Friday, April 11
9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Bobby Hawthorne “No Excuses” and “Let Me Tell You A Story”
Tell the real story
Don’t tell me what I already know. Don’t tell the story about the guy who is afraid of spiders. Tell the story of the guy who likes spiders.
Don’t give me a list of the best movies. Don’t publish lists!
Pie charts are not news. If you can’t tell what 25 percent is, you probably aren’t reading the news.
Hate “imagine” ledes or “John Lennon” ledes
Fewer words, more content. Every sentence, take out 20 percent of the words and add 20 percent of content.
No excuses: You have a choice
Remember, hard work trumps talent.
- Success isn’t about talent
- It’s about curiosity
- It’s about motivation
- It’s about persistence
- It’s about courage
Why? How? What it? Ask this for every story.
Ask the questions no one else is asking. Example: When interviewing somebody who is very successful, ask if they’ve ever failed at anything.
Ask for a story. Ask “What happened?” or “Really?”
You have to have a big eye and want people to read your copy.
You can’t do this job from the seat of your pants in the journalism room.
No good story came from a kid sitting behind a computer.
Get out and find the right person.
Find the defining moment. What was that moment when it all changed?
Never put “exciting” or “fun” in your publication. These words have no meaning.
If I can find it anywhere else, I’m not going to read your publication.
Schools are full of great stories.
1 p.m. Keynote – Larry Himmel – CBS San Diego
Assignment editor – assign the day’s news. Go and find good stories and you won’t get assigned ribbon cuttings at McDonald’s.
Being involved in journalism is an easy job to do because it’s always challenging. It’s always fun.
Lighter side of news is not what Justin Bieber did today but the stories people need to know.
Tell [your audience] what you see. Tell them what you feel. Tell them what others feel. You are their eyes and ears.
Greatest lesson: Don’t prejudge a story. Go into it open-minded.
You are going to get no for an answer but don’t take no for an answer.
Show empathy and ask, “Please let me help you tell your story.”
Saturday, April 12
9 a.m. Erik Anderson of KPBS San Diego “Learn or Burn”
Most important thing you can do now is being good at communicating. That skill carries with you.
10 second cell phone story (radio) – pretend your cell phone is dying and you have 10 seconds to tell the whole story. Twitter is kind of the same way.
10 a.m. Jim McGonnell “Designs That Rock”
Great for design but be careful not to overdo it. Subtle is best.
Use short stories. Only have long stories that are great and with great quotes. Use short, quick stuff.
STDs – Storytelling Devices. Give the information quick so the readers can move on.
Q&A’s are now very hot as long as you have good questions. Profiles, How To’s, advice, key players lists, by the numbers, quizzes, etc.
It’s how you present it to make it look good and not just text.
Google storytelling devices or check Newseum
Center of visual impact (or Dominant)
Headlines
Be consistent with great pages all the way through your paper.
Don’t break into “blocks” (columns) with content that is unrelated.
Always have a headline over the story (not just attention getter)
Order of design (top to bottom of page)
– Picture
– Caption
– Headline
– Story
Utilize drop caps and alternative copy.
Justified text does no good for your newspaper. Flushed left text is good.
Armpit headlines. Don’t start headlines over the picture. Headline always needs to be over the story.
Don’t use lines just to split the page.
Notice the placement of all visuals with different stories and how they come together.
A little extra space on the sides to draw attention to your dominant design elements is OK.
Two minutes: Quick info and where to go in the paper.
No big black line splits!
Use good judgment. Example: Spongebob on cover of 9/11 anniversary page.
Not a great fan of photo spreads unless it’s a really big event.
Headers for each section
Tucking text for headlines (Main headline over second headline).
11 a.m. Scott Miller, MLB writer for Bleacher Report “Going Beyond The Game”
When you are trying to tell a story, watch. That’s when you pick up a lot.
Usually, the writer can write it better than the athlete can say it. Not saying you don’t need quotes but generally speaking it’s true.
Quotes are too often sports clichés.
“We didn’t get any respect all year” is useless.
As a journalist, find the interesting items those watching the game didn’t see or didn’t know.
Unique angles are hugely important today there is so much out there.
Read often and read different topics, not just sports. Model writers you like to find your voice. Read as much as you can to become a better writer.
You can’t do this sitting at home. Build your credibility by being out doing things. You find out interesting things by being there and talking to people and seeing things.
These stories help you get to know the team and coaches and give insight to your readers.
Get to know your subjects but don’t’ get too close to them as it compromises your ethics and credibility. You can be friendly with them but be careful about being too close.
Add color to your game coverage – don’t just get the final score.
Even when you think you know everything, there’s more to learn.
Curiosity goes a long way and makes you a ‘must read’ to your audience.
Just like life, some people you will click with, some people you won’t. That’s just the way it is.
Somebody won’t cooperate with a story or talk? Write the story anyway. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got.
Getting people to open up? A lot of it is just being yourself and being persistent. That’s how you get things others can’t.
If you hear “no” once, try coming in at a different angle.
2:30 p.m. Web Journalism
Pacemaker finalist: school with a staff (Southwest Shadow) of 5, school that started site in October (Sequoia High School Raven Report)
Tell people to comment or send letter if they say they don’t like a story.
coppelljournalism 