Expect The Unexpected

Already this semester team Thursday has been up against some big breaking stories. Breaking news such as the Oregon shooting or  yesterday's flash flood. In my opinion, this is one of the most exciting aspects of being a journalist and working in a broadcast newsroom. In comparison to online or radio, television news is particularly more difficult when it comes to covering breaking news because it requires the most amount of elements. This is why producers are usually faced with a difficult decision when a big breaking story happens. Especially if the broadcast has already begun or is about to start. 

Also, when you are faced with a big breaking story the facts of the event are still in the process of being determined and confirmed by on-scene authorities. Aside from getting all the necessary elements, confirming the facts adds another layer of complication when deciding whether or not to include breaking news. All complications aside, it is very important to make every effort as a producer, to include big stories. I have found this to be true for a multitude of reasons such as maintaining a competitive reputation with other stations and keeping your viewers informed about important news.  

Without a doubt, there are differences when it comes to covering a big breaking news story versus a smaller or more local one. But whether a story is big or small, as a journalist I believe there is something to be said for handling any breaking news story with the same amount of importance and level of professionalism when covering it. I really learned this at my internship a few weeks ago when one of the field reporters couldn't make it to a breaking news interview in time. So instead, my boss sent me along with a videographer to go conduct the interview. The woman I interviewed was a mother of five, who had just lost her oldest 18-year-old daughter in a fatal hit-and-run accident. Unfortunately, when working in breaking news these stories are very common. Even though this wasn't a national headline news story, I walked away from this experience realizing how important it is to treat every breaking story with the same care and compassion as any other.  

As a producer, it's more about making the right decisions for your show, but when delegating assignments to MJ's it is important to remind them of this when going out to cover a serious story.