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Changes are coming later this year to how TV news journalists turn out content each day. Several groups are finalizing technical and software improvements to make workflow easier (think cloud-based resources to make sharing video and editing faster, and goodbye to old rundown applications).
That’s good news for sure. This also makes it a good time to address approaching editorial decisions to ease the transition. Let’s start discussing industry crutches that make coming up with content more challenging each day and how they are hurting content generation and community trust.
When I sit in editorial meetings and journalists pitch stories, the “gotcha” concept comes up the most. There is a nearly constant demand for controversy or a strong emotional response in order to package a story. This is partly because many newsroom brands suggest the newsroom is an advocate for viewers.
Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that advocacy brands, such as “Working for You” and “On Your Side,” are effective. If you come across an injustice or corruption impacting the community, by all means, highlight it. Too often, the thought process in editorial meetings is that general assignment reporter pieces must either fulfill this brand by uncovering controversy, evoke strong emotion or cover breaking news. Not every story that impacts the community is a “gotcha” exposing a controversy or breaking news. Viewers also want stories that simply inform them of what is happening. The subject is not controversial. It’s not a scam. No one