The five things journalists fear
Sara Peach filming community activist Elisa Young near Racine, Ohio. Photo by Chris Carmichael.
One of the strangest things about being a journalist is watching people grow anxious when I point a camera at them.
During reporting in Meigs County, Ohio, last week, Chris Carmichael and I talked to quite a few nervous people. One woman who had never been interviewed on camera before told us she was both nervous and exhilarated. Nearly everyone brought a friend or family member to the interview, probably in some cases as a confidence-booster.
But what our interviewees most likely didn’t realize was that Chris and I were apprehensive, too. Since one of the goals of this Web site is to make journalism more transparent, I thought I’d share the five things I worry about most as a journalist.
5. Is this thing on?
Technical problems can sink an interview. I’m always thinking about whether the microphone is working correctly, if the lighting’s good and if I have a spare battery. Nothing’s worse than having to return to a source to say that I blew it.
4. Am I safe?
When I was growing up, I sold Girl Scout cookies door-to-door. My troop leaders taught me never to enter a customer’s house, for safety reasons. But now that I’m a journalist, my job is to talk to strangers, often alone in their homes. I haven’t had a safety problem yet, but it’s something I think about.
3. Am I missing something big?
The less I know about the issue I’m reporting on, the easier it is for me to be led astray. For that reason, I feel more confident working on stories about energy and the environment because I have a degree in environmental studies. Still, there is no way for me to know everything, and I’m always wondering if I’m overlooking an important angle.
2. Will anyone talk to me before my deadline?
I always fear that no one will agree to answer my nosy questions, or worse, that an important source will back out at the last minute. Without a source, I have no story.
1. Am I getting it right?
Journalists have a reputation for getting the facts wrong. I’ve been horribly misquoted before and read plenty of stories with inaccurate information. Like most journalists, I want to do better. Fortunately, my audience can help. If you spot something wrong, I want to hear from you. It’s the best way to make sure I get it right the next time.
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Eileen Mignoni
said:
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... Props to you, Sara, for talking about your journalistic concerns. I second them all but am afraid to write of them for fear that some employer will see them in the future and think, "oh no, she doesn't know how to work her camera," instead of, "good, worries keep her on her toes." Silly worry, right? |
Zorgon X
said:
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3. Am I missing something big? A journalistic question: In the July 1st Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby wrote an opinion piece, "No climate debate? Yes, there is", (http://www.boston.com/bostongl..._there_is/) in which he says, "What if climate change has little or nothing to do with human activity?" with a link to an article from the Heritage Foundation, and in the next sentence links to MasterResource, "A free-market energy blog" while making the claim that cap and trade will result in infinitesimal reductions in greenhouse gases. Clearly, Mr. Jacoby is missing something big by failing to interview any of the vast majority of the climate scientists who do believe that human activity is causing global warming. But, I think that the bigger issue is that the editors of The Globe failed to pull this piece. Granted it is claimed to be an opinion piece, but at what point do scientific facts finally trump censorship? Should we allow poor research such as this to reach such a large audience as the Boston Globe enjoys, or are there editorial limits? I'm sure that some articles were omitted for space considerations, so why not this one? |
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