The News ‘Community’
The people you see on television, hear on radio, and read in print are those we usually think of as the people in journalism. However, they are often a small part of the larger ‘news community.’
In this newsletter, I’d like to give a shout-out to everyone in the community.
This is one of my favorite photos from a reunion of people who worked at WTVM-TV more than 20 years ago. The people in the photo include reporters, anchors, producers, managers, technicians (e.g. directors, audio operators, camera operators, CG operators), engineers, programming, production and promotion team members, administrative assistants, receptionists, and salespeople. I’m standing on the right side of the photo with these good friends.
I don’t remember why we were laughing at the moment the photographer took the photo, but I do remember laughing a lot with those people. Working with them made the hard work and long hours of journalism enjoyable.
That’s the way it is in journalism. Whether we work in television, radio, newspapers, or online, we know that it takes a team of people with a variety of skills to get the job done. The news that the public consumes every day is possible because of the hard work of a lot of people.
The Reason I Bring It Up
The reason I bring this up is because the focus of this newsletter is primarily on news reporters, news managers, and news consumers. I want to let you know that I fully acknowledge and appreciate the fact that getting news on air, into print or online takes many people who are not technically ‘journalists.’ They have other skills and responsibilities that are absolutely necessary to the success of every newscast, every publication, every online report.
It really does take a ‘community’ to bring you the news.
Thanks to all of the wonderful people who make “it” happen every day!
Next Newsletter
We’ll take a closer look at “ethics in journalism” in a special guest article in the next newsletter.
Comments Welcome
I hope these thoughts are helpful to you as a journalist or news consumer. Please share your comments and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. If you like what we’re doing in this newsletter, please let your friends know about it so they can subscribe for free.
Newsletter Purpose
The purpose of this newsletter is to help journalists understand how to do real journalism and the public know how they can find news they can trust on a daily basis. It’s a simple purpose, but complicated to accomplish. I’ll do my best to make it as clear as I can in future newsletters.