News Gathering

Brainstorming Process

Sometimes, one of the most challenging parts of creating an effective and entertaining package is coming up with a main focus. Reporters must decide what type of approach they want to take. It is important to consider the five main news values when developing a story. These include: Human Interest, Conflict & Controversy, Relevance, Proximity, and Timeliness. After deciding on a point of interest for my package, I select who I should interview. Then, it is time to transcribe the interviews and begin writing my script. For example, let's use my story highlighting a well-known community member who passed away in January 2023.

Time to Transcribe

For this story, I chose to interview Tupelo High School's Theatre teacher and long-time supporter of TCT, Allana Austin. Transcription is a vital part of the writing process and takes time and dedication to type every word of an interview. Transcription truly makes the rest of the process so much easier. Once the interview is fully transcribed, I read over it carefully to get a better feel for what my story is going to look like as it begins to take on a life of its own. I take note of instances in which the person states informational facts and also heartfelt feelings.

Writing the Script

After locating facts and feelings in the interviews, I begin to build my script around the indisputable information. I make sure to keep a conversational tone at all times to keep the viewers engaged. I insert sound bites as I go to help the viewers get a sense of the emotional aspect of the story. As shown in this example, it is important to trust the writing process and follow each step thoroughly.

Final Touches

I chose to do a voiceover for most of my lines for this particular story. Tupelo Community Theatre is my home away from home. To add a personal touch, I wanted to include an on camera "standup" in front of the Lyric Theatre to give the story more impact. It is the little extra touches that make a story go from ordinary to extraordinary. I am so pleased with how this piece turned out in honor of Tom Booth. We will continue to remember his legacy and his lastly impact on the community. As he would always say, "The show MUST go on!"

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