Breaking News, Bring On The Chaos
From one Monday to the next, it is crazy how much things can change.
Last Monday, April 15, 2013, two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon. Before this event, we had a relatively light news day at ATVN.
Nothing is more exciting, and stressful, than being in a newsroom when breaking news happens. But there are certain things a producer should keep in mind when dealing with break news to keep the news team efficient, thorough and on top of the news.
During last week's hectic news day, I noticed a few aspects of producing that are extremely important when breaking news occurs.
1. Social Media: Our show doesn't air until 6 p.m., but the explosion in Boston happened around noon PST. How does ATVN get the news out about this event without having the ability to break into the daily programming with a "Breaking News Update"? Social media has thankfully given us the tool to break news to our followers as soon as it happens.
Social media gives a news organization the ability to continuously update its audience on an event that is unfolding. During the Boston Marathon Bombings, our first response to the event was "tweet it out! now!" because of the growing importance of social media to news organizations. You are no longer the first to break a story when you get it on your website first, a quick post to Twitter of Facebook can give you the edge above competitors.
As a producer, social media should play a big role in how one handles breaking news. Not only is it important to get the information out on social media as quickly as possible, it should be a producer's focus to continue to update the social media pages with any new information. You don't leave your viewers hanging with incomplete stories during the newscast, don't leave your followers questioning either!
2. Accuracy: Nothing is more embarrassing and damaging to a news organization than misreporting the facts. It is as simple as that. A news organization like ATVN should be accurate and should always double check facts before reporting them as true.
When reporting on the Boston Marathon bombings, we made sure that every fact we tweeted, wrote or reported was checked and double checked. Each time a new detail was released about the suspects, victims or the event, ATVN made sure to confirm its accuracy. When it comes to deaths, reporting that 9 people have died instead of 8 can make a huge difference.
In an effort to maintain credibility, the main focus of a producer at a news organization should be accuracy and fact checking.
That was last week, and this week was drastically different. The closest Team Monday got to national "breaking news" was the charges they placed on the Boston Marathon bombings suspect while he is still in the hospital.
The one thing I learned while producing these past two weeks is the importance of sensitivity to the situation and circumstances of others. While many of the people we interviewed for our Boston Marathon bombings coverage last Monday were unharmed, they had just experienced a horrific event. The friend of one of the Boston students we interviewed, by chance, missed the bombings by 20 minutes. You can imagine the raw emotion that our interview subjects were feeling during the day of, and the days following, the event. Because of this it is important to be sensitive to their emotions and situation. It is the producer's responsibility to make sure the news team is upholding certain standards of sensitivity with situations like the Boston Marathon explosions.
In the end, producers live for breaking news! It's the most exciting, but gut-wrenching experience. I know I will never forget the past two weeks at ATVN and the experiences I have gained while producing the newscasts with breaking news.
