There are conversations about the theory of journalism that constantly happen in the newsroom. How to approach this person about that topic. Where to rebuild bridges long thought to be burned. What’s a good way to shorten the article. And so on.
Recently, I stopped by someone’s desk and we chatted about when to use an anecdotal lede and when to use a fact lede.
Sometimes this is how I imagine the world sees writers.
Most of the things I write about are short compared to things in the big dog papers. We’re talking my 400 — think one page in a college essay — words about the latest city council meeting compared to a 2,000 word article — three pages.
But there are smaller stories that unfold on the police scanner that people almost never know. Miniature moments of life that are called into the 911 dispatch center and announced for a limited number of people to hear. The heart attacks, domestic disputes and people locked in the closet.
Sometimes I get some weird stuff from public relations people.
A story can be good for several reasons. The subject matter can be compelling enough for people to read, like someone embezzling tax dollars. There are, of course, the timely stories like a car driving through a war memorial. And sometimes it’s the details.
The way someone smiles, grimaces, dances, walks, sits, sighs, laughs could be the difference between dull and awesomeness.
I once hugged a source. His wife died the week before and we had talked on the phone twice before about her life and how she lived. He was dropping off pictures of her and I met him outside the office. I hugged him partly because I got to know him and partly because he was still grieving.
It’s not the norm to hug someone you interviewed, in case you’re wondering.
There are times when it isn’t obvious which photo should be for the front page. And there are times when it is. In one scenario, I thought a photo snapped by a our staff photographer (20+ years on the job, better camera, grizzled attitude, etc.) was much better than one by myself (2+ years of experience, amateur-ish camera, naivety, etc.).
Boy was I wrong.
A photo for a newspaper doesn’t always have to be fascinating if it illustrates the point just fine. And if it’s not for the front page, there’s a lot less pressure.
When in doubt for how to take a good picture for the paper, I know to default to a cute kid always works. I mean, you got big eyes, obliviousness to a camera, smiles that are comparable to puppies wrestling. You got it made if there’s a cute kid to take a picture of.
I’ve been told that my handwriting is notoriously illegible. But also nice. Pretty like a little girl’s nice.
So you can only imagine what it’s like when I write down notes during an interview. Here’s a sampling.
Calvin Men 