After a full week of being in Mr. Tatge's class, we have already learned a tremendous amount concerning the basics of reporting. As a writer for The DePauw, I thought I knew a decent amount about proper news writing, but the past week plus has revealed that I need to start at the drawing board.
The most striking fact I have learned is what it takes for a subject to actually be a story. Just because something is interesting does not make it a story worth covering. New facts and perspectives must be revealed as well as ways to consistently engage the reader. If these basic aspects are not covered, there can be no story.
In addition to this, it is always critical to take the contrary view to what one might be thinking. Look at the underlying background of a story and it's meaningful implications. When their is one consensus view on how a story should be framed, it is likely that another position exists, and is worth to be explored.
The book "Telling True Stories" reveals these aforementioned truths to the reader in a real-life way. The author's give perspectives on how they dove into the unknown, the unexplored, and came out of those experiences with new stories to tell that engaged an attentive audience.
In covering the basketball team at DePauw, these new ideas have made me rethink my mentality when pursuing a story. There is more to the process than simply regurgitating a preview or recap based on sports statistics. What will happen next, is the question I'm looking to answer? Where does the team go from here, where can they improve, and what stands in their way to accomplishing a set of changing goals.
I look forward to building on the new reporting principles I have learned and using them in a pragmatic way.
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