The Documentary Film Academy has produced a free step-by-step guide for journalists who want to learn how to make documentaries.

In an introduction to the process, award-winning documentary filmmaker Sebastian Solberg has set out his 12 “essential steps” from researching the topic you want to cover to promoting the finished product.

The article below is taken from the Documentary Film Academy site and published here with Sebastian’s permission.

Documentary making – a step-by-step guide

Starting your journey in documentary filmmaking can often feel overwhelming. It can be challenging knowing where to start. So here are my 12 essential steps for making a documentary, filled with practical advice and insider tips to help you turn your idea into a compelling film.

You don’t have to be a professional to make a documentary film. In fact, I started out with no experience and a lot of questions. Since then I’ve gone on to create documentaries that have won awards, sparked social change, and attracted high-paying clients (you can check out my work here). And that’s why I founded the Documentary Film Academy in order to help beginners make their first documentary film.

1. Documentary Research

The best documentaries are the ones that come from a personal place. So, before anything else, you need to find a story idea that gets you excited and has interesting characters.

Do some initial research online and in your local libraries and bookstores to get an idea of what’s out there. But don’t just read about stories, watch them too. Not only will this give you a better understanding of the kinds of films that excite you, but you’ll also get some great ideas for your own project.

2. Choose a documentary narration style

There are many ways to categorise documentaries.

For example, film critic and theorist Bill Nichols categorised documentaries into six modes – poetic, expository, observational, participatory, reflexive and performative.

Nichols’ modes are written from an academic perspective and overlap narration style with subject matter and visual techniques. I think it is simpler to explain each of these elements separately.

So, instead, I have simplified Nichols’ modes down into four categories focussing purely on narration style as the distinguishing factor.

So, let’s get into it, here are the four main narration styles I use, when making a documentary:

Interview-led documentaries are based on interviews with the key people involved in the topic of the film. This type of documentary is typically used to explore a particular issue or event in depth.

Presenter-led documentaries are narrated by a presenter, who guides the viewer through the story. They can be used to tell any kind of story, from historical dramas to travel vlogs.

Observational-led documentaries are filmed entirely as if the viewer is an unseen observer, with no voiceover narration or interviews. This type of documentary is often used to capture reality in unscripted situations.

Narrator-led documentaries use a narrator to guide the viewer through the film, often providing additional information and insights that wouldn’t be possible in an observational or interview-led documentary.

It’s important to remember that often documentary films take elements from at least two, if not more of these styles. So when you’re looking for the best way to tell your story, don’t feel you’re limited to just one way of doing it.

Discover the pros and cons of each narration style here: Documentary Storytelling: Narration Style

3. Use a three-act documentary structure

Now that you have a good understanding of the documentary filmmaking process, it’s time to start thinking about your story. The best way to start is by using the Three-act Structure.

The Three-act Structure is a classic storytelling model that divides your documentary into three parts: Act 1 (Setup), Act 2 (Development), and Act 3 (Climax & Resolution). Each part has its own set of goals, which will help you map out the structure of your documentary.

For the beginning, your goal is to introduce your main characters and setting, and set up the conflict that will drive the rest of the film. In the middle, you’ll explore the conflict in more depth, and introduce new characters and subplots. And for the end, you’ll resolve the conflict and tie up all of the loose ends.

Dive deeper into documentary structure here: Master the Art of Documentary Storytelling in Three Acts

4. Find your documentary crew

Once you have your idea and equipment, the next step of documentary filmmaking for beginners is to find your team. You need to start assembling a group of like-minded individuals who are passionate about the topic you have chosen and can help make your project a success.

When looking for crew members, it’s important to consider what skills and insight they can bring to the project. Are you looking for an editor? A sound recordist? A cinematographer? All of these people play a key role in creating a successful documentary film.

Learn more about how to find your film crew here: How to Find a Film Crew to Help You Make Your Documentary

5. Create a documentary treatment

After you have thoroughly researched the topic of your documentary and gained a well-rounded understanding of it, you can then begin putting together a treatment.

Creating a treatment involves outlining the central focus and narrative of your documentary. It should include the main characters, key themes, what type of footage you want to capture, and any other information necessary to illustrate your vision.

A well-thought-out treatment is essential in helping you to organise your filming process, as it serves as an effective roadmap for when it comes time to begin shooting. It also gives potential crew members or collaborators an idea of what your documentary is going to look and feel like once it’s completed.

You can learn more about how to create a documentary treatment here: How to Create a Compelling Documentary Treatment

6. Create a documentary schedule & budget

With the research and planning phase complete, it’s time to create and stick to a schedule and budget. This is one of the most important steps in documentary filmmaking and sets the foundation for the rest of your project.

To put together your documentary schedule, break down each stage of production into manageable tasks that you can easily tackle in a set amount of time. Use any deadlines that are already in place as benchmarks, then plan out all necessary tasks from pre-production to post-production.

For creating your budget, consider things such as equipment rental, personnel costs, legal fees, travel expenses, etc. Make sure you add 10% of the total budget for any unexpected costs that may come up along the way. Having an estimated budget plan will help ensure you stay on track and on budget throughout production.

7. Choose camera equipment for your documentary

I’ve seen so many filmmakers starting out getting completely stressed out about what camera to buy to help them make their documentary and they hope it’s going to be a shortcut to improving their skills and validating themselves as a filmmaker.

But the truth is, and I’m sure you’ve heard this before, it’s far more important to master your skills as a filmmaker than invest in an expensive camera. So use whatever camera you have available to you, whether that a mobile phone or your friends Mirrorless camera.

8. Start shooting your documentary

Once you’ve finished your preparation, it’s time to start filming. As you film, be sure to get a variety of shots from different angles and distances. I like to use something called the five-shot rule to help with this:

1. So first up you’ll want to film a close-up of your subject’s hands to show what is being done.
2. Then film a close-up shot of your subject’s face.
3. Then a wide shot shows where the scene is taking place.
4. Then an over-the-shoulder shot of your subject.
5. And lastly, an unusual shot to show the scene unfolding – it’s up to you what camera angle you use. Just be creative with it, whether that means climbing up a tree to get a high angle, crawling on your belly to get a low angle or tilting your camera to get a dutch angle.

Using the five-shot rule will help you decide what angles to use when filming a scene, it’s especially useful if you have limited time to film. Once you’ve mastered the five-shot rule, you can add, subtract and mix up the angles you use when filming a scene and start to develop your own visual style.

Keep in mind that even if your footage isn’t perfect, don’t worry – that’s what editing is for. The goal here is just to capture enough material to make sure you can tell your story in the most compelling way possible.

9. Write a paper edit for your documentary

The next step in the documentary filmmaking process is to write a paper edit. This is the process of watching all of the footage you’ve shot and creating a paper edit. A paper edit is simply a written document that outlines the structure of your documentary film and includes notes about each scene. It’s also where you can make notes about transitions, music, and sound.

Writing a paper edit can be time-consuming but it’s an essential part of the filmmaking process. It will help you to stay organized and ensure that you have all of the footage you need for your documentary film before moving on to the editing stage.

10. Begin editing your documentary

Once you have all of your footage, it’s time to begin editing your documentary. This is where all the pieces and parts of your film come together to tell the story you want to tell. The process can be broken down into four steps: importing elements into the editing software, adding beats to the timeline, building the framework of your film, and refining and re-editing.

When you begin editing, start by importing all of your footage into your preferred editing software (I use Adobe Premiere Pro). Once your elements are inside, you’ll want to get familiar with each clip and start building an overall structure for the documentary. As you work through this step, consider where each beat should go using the three-act structure and what order they should be presented in to create a compelling story.

Once you have a basic framework built out onto the timeline, it’s time to refine and re-edit the film until it’s ready for its big debut!

Dive deeper into documentary editing: 6 Steps to Editing a Powerful Documentary

11. Colour grade, choose music & design soundscape for your documentary

The next step in the documentary filmmaking process is colour grading, music, and sound design. Once you’ve finished editing your film and have picture lock, it’s time to give your documentary its final touch.

Colour grading can make a huge difference in the look of your film by enhancing certain elements or creating a unique tone. With colour grading, you can manually adjust the colours of your video to give it a desired look and feel.

After colour grading comes music and sound design. You can find existing music or work with a composer to create a bespoke score for your documentary—and don’t forget about sound effects. Sound design is essential for setting the mood and creating an immersive experience. This could mean adding ambiance or creating sound effects from scratch.

12. Market & share your documentary film

When you have your documentary all finished and ready to go, the next step is to get it out there. You’ll want to start marketing your documentary using social media, email blasts and other forms of outreach. Generating buzz around your film is key to getting people interested in watching it.

Next, you should consider submitting your film to festivals or putting it online for people to watch. There are a few different options available when it comes to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime or Vimeo, offering different levels of exposure and royalties. It all depends on what your end goal is with the film. Do you want as many people as possible to see it? Or do you want to make money from it? Knowing this will help you decide which distribution route is best for you.

Documentary Filmmaking Checklist

Making your first documentary can be tough with so much to do and plan. It’s easy to get lost and hard to know what to do next. That’s why I’ve created an easy-to-follow documentary filmmaking checklist. You can access it here: Documentary Filmmaking Checklist – after clicking that link you will be asked to submit your name and email address and the checklist will be sent to you.

The post How to make a documentary first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Fact-checking journalist Deepak Adhikari, the editor of Nepal Check, has shared a piece he wrote about the spread of AI-generated image following an earthquake in Nepal in November 2023. The article, below, explains how his organisation and others set about identifying the fake photographs. Deepak hopes the methods he and his team used will be of use to other journalists trying to combat the spread of fake images on social media and in other news output.

Social media is flooded with AI-generated images. Here’s how to detect them

By Deepak Adhikari, editor of Nepal Check

Following the devastating earthquake that struck Jajarkot district in Karnali Province in early November, social media users shared AI-generated images claiming to show the devastation caused.

One photograph showed dozens of houses ruined by the earthquake with people and rescuers walking through the debris. The photo was initially shared by Meme Nepal. It was subsequently used by celebrities, politicians and humanitarian organisations keen to draw attention to the disaster in one of Nepal’s poorest regions.

The image was used by Anil Keshary Shah, a former CEO of Nabil Bank and Rabindra Mishra, a senior vice president of National Democratic Party. (See archived version here and here)

When Nepal Check contacted Meme Nepal in an attempt to find the original source of the photo, they replied that they had found the image on social media.

A month on, the AI-generated images supposedly showing the aftermath of the earthquake continued. On December 14, 2023, Arjun Parajuli, a Nepali poet and founder of Pathshala Nepal, posted a photo claiming to show students studying in the ruins of the earthquake at Jajarkot. Parajuli. The poet attached the photo to a poem, had reshared the image from Manish Khadka, who identifies himself as a journalist based in Musikot of Rukum district.

Both these viral and poignant images were fake. They were generated using text-to-image generator platforms such as Midjourney, DALLE.

In the digital age it’s easy to manipulate images. With the rise of AI-enabled platforms it’s possible to generate images online quickly and convincingly. AI-generated images have evolved from amusingly odd to realistic. This has created further challenges for fact-checkers who are already inundated with misleading or false information circulating on social media platforms.

Fact-checkers often rely on Google’s Reverse Image Search, a tried and tested tool used to detect an image’s veracity. But Google and other search engines only show photos that have been previously published online.

So, how can one ascertain if an image is AI-generated? Currently, there is no tool that can determine this with 100% accuracy.

For example, Nepal Check used Illuminarty.ai and isitai.com to check the earthquake images to try to find out if they were generated using AI tools. After uploading an image to the platforms a percentage of how likely the image is to be generated by AI is shown.

Nepal Check contacted Kalim Ahmed, a former fact-checker at AltNews. He made the following observations about the image claiming to show devastation of the earthquake in Jajarkot.

• If you zoom in and take a closer look at the people they appear deformed and like toys.
  The rocks/debris just at the centre look like they’re straight out of a video game made in the late 90s or early 2000s.
• In the absence of a foolproof way to determine whether a photo is AI-generated, using observational skills and finding visual clues is the best way to tackle them.

A healthy dose of skepticism about what you see online (seeing is no longer believing), a search for the source of the content, whether there’s any evidence attached to the claim, and looking for context are powerful ways to separate fact from fiction online.

In a webinar in August this year organised by News Literacy Project, Dan Evon urged users to keep asking questions (is it authentic?). With the AI-images, their surfaces seem unusually smooth, which can be a giveaway, according to him. “Everything looks a little off,” he said.

Dan suggests looking for visual clues, adding that it was crucial to find out the provenance of the image. Experts caution that the virality of content on social media often stems from its ability to generate outrage or controversy, highlighting the need for careful consideration when encountering emotionally charged material.

In her comprehensive guide on detecting AI-generated images, Tamoa Calzadilla, a fellow at the Reynolds Journalism Institute in the US, encourages users to pay attention to hashtags that may indicate the use of AI in generating the content.

While AI has made significant progress in generating realistic images, it still faces challenges in accurately replicating human organs, such as eyes and hands. “That’s why it’s important to examine them closely: Do they have five fingers? Are all the contours clear? If they’re holding an object, are they doing so in a normal way?”, Tamoa writes in the guide.

Experts recommend that news media disclose information to readers and viewers regarding AI-generated images. Social media users are also advised to share the process publicly to mitigate the spread of misinformation.

Although the images purporting to depict the earthquake in Jajarkot lack a close-up view of the subjects, upon closer examination it becomes evident that they resemble drawings rather than real humans. Nepal Check also conducted a comparison between the viral AI-generated images and those disseminated by news media. We couldn’t find any such images that had been published on mainstream media in the aftermath of the earthquake.

The post How to detect AI-generated images first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Journalists can sometimes present an inaccurate or false version of events by making a simple common mistake. We either try too hard to ‘balance’ a story then end up distorting the facts, or we assess contributors or actors in our story as being roughly equal when in fact they are not.

This module looks at ways of avoiding two errors, applying ‘false equivalence’ and ‘false balance’.

These two errors, which are about making inaccurate comparisons, crop up frequently in journalism.

False equivalence is when you say that two or more things are the same, when in fact they are significantly different.

An example of false equivalence is to state that “politicians are all the same”. They are not. They might have similarities and some common attributes but that does not mean they are the same.

False balance is when a report suggests that two sides in a dispute have equally valid arguments, when in fact the evidence weighs heavily in favour of one side.

An example of false balance is the treatment of the climate change debate. Scientists come down heavily in favour of the proposition that human beings are causing, or at least helping to cause, global warming. A tiny minority, perhaps as low as three per cent, disagree, and it is false to represent the dispute as evenly-matched.

Ironically, many cases of false balance happen because the journalist is trying to avoid being biased.

When reporting a controversy, quite properly the journalist does not want to take sides.  But sometimes it is necessary to show that one side’s arguments and evidence are much more persuasive than the other side’s.

An example here is Donald Trump’s often-repeated claim that he won the 2020 US Presidential election. He has failed to produce any evidence to support that claim and has lost numerous court battles challenging the result. So it is false to present his claim as a viable argument.

False equivalence and false balance can both be used deliberately to mislead people. They are often used in misinformation and disinformation campaigns.

Or they can be examples of lazy thinking by the journalist.

Either way, they are inaccurate and care must be taken to avoid using them.

Things to remember in order to avoid using false equivalence and false balance:

• When you are tempted to say that two or more things are equal, ask yourself if you can justify the statement.
• If the comparison is likely to be controversial, explain why you think it is valid.
• Do not accept or repeat other people’s statements of equivalency, without testing their validity.
• When covering a dispute, make sure you reflect accurately all sides of the argument.  If some of the arguments are questionable, explain why.

It’s important to keep in mind that it is not biased to expose deficiencies in an argument, as long as you subject all sides to the same level of scrutiny.

Take a look at these other modules on Media Helping Media to help you keep your journalism up to the highest standards.

Unconscious bias and its impact on journalism

Impartiality in journalism

Accuracy in journalism

The post False equivalence and false balance first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Below are three excellent free training resources designed to help newsrooms “learn about the opportunities” and “support and grow all aspects of a news operation” by embracing AI.

They also include “writing guidelines for the role of AI in the newsroom.” The material has been produced by the AP, the LSE, and NiemanLab.

According to the AP, its course is “based on findings from AP’s research with local U.S. newsrooms and is designed for local news journalists and managers at all levels.”

The AP guide is designed to “Get your newsroom ready to incorporate technologies that include artificial intelligence to support and grow all aspects of your news operation.”

View the AP course.

In the first video in the AP’s course (link above), Jim Kennedy talks about how AP uses AI for “streamlining workflows and freeing journalists to focus on higher-order work” by “removing the grunt work that bogged down the news process every day”. Jim mentions how with some data-heavy journalism, such as sports stats and company financial results, content production increased tenfold.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) course is “a guide designed to help news organisations learn about the opportunities offered by AI to support their journalism”.

The LSE says its guide will help news organisation decide how to embrace AI journalism “to make your work more efficient and serve your audiences better”.

View the LSE’s guide.

The NiemanLab has produced “Writing guidelines for the role of AI in the newsroom.” It says the material sets out “the importance of meaningful human involvement and supervision in the use of AI, including through additional editing and factchecking of outputs before publication”.

View the NiemanLab suggested guidelines.

For more background on the development of AI and how it impacts news, you might want to view David Caswell’s presentation on “Generative AI and Automation of Media”.

David Caswell is the founder of StoryFlow Ltd., an innovation consultancy focused on AI workflows in news production. He was formerly an Executive Product Manager at BBC News Labs, focused on AI-based new product initiatives. He previously led product management for machine learning at Tribune Publishing and the Los Angeles Times, and was Director of Product Management for Automated Content Understanding at Yahoo!. David has also researched and published extensively on computational, structured and automated forms of journalism, including as a Fellow at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism.

The post The role of AI in the newsroom first appeared on Media Helping Media.

As one of the editors of a government radio news service in a developing democracy you receive information of an imminent threat of famine in a rural area of the country.

You are told that, unless immediate action is taken by the government and the international community, thousands of people are likely to die in the next few months.

You know that the government is aware of the situation but would rather not publicise the threatened famine in the hope that it passes unnoticed, as it has often done in the past.

In a recent visit to the famine-threatened region you saw thousands of tonnes of grain being readied for export to foreign markets by remote merchants.

Your research uncovered that these same merchants are known to have financed the mechanised farming of grain in the famine-threatened region.

The grain they harvest, you discovered, is largely intended for export to countries which are known to provide financial aid to your national government.

As you consider what to do, a written press release arrives on your desk from a commissioner of the famine-threatened region, pleading for immediate assistance.

The press release was sent to you specifically in the hope that you would broadcast the information.

You suspect that if you seek clearance from “above” to publish the information your request will either be refused, delayed, or will possibly disappear altogether.

As a result, the available grain will likely be exported and the famine will possibly take its toll.

If you allow the information to be broadcast, and point out the availability of the grain destined for export out of the region, it may shame the government into doing something, such as putting an embargo on the exportation of the grain from the region.

However, broadcasting the information could put your job at risk.

What do you do?

1. Refer the matter up to senior editors and government officials and try to persuade them that broadcasting the information is in the public interest and that, as a news outlet serving a community at risk, you have a duty of care to share what you know.
2. Broadcast the information without ‘referring up’ because you fear you will be blocked, and you consider it is more important to save lives than save your career.
3. Don’t broadcast, but instead pass the information on to a foreign correspondent or foreign media outlet which you trust in the hope that they will circulate the information.
4. Ignore the story, aware that this is probably happening in many other countries and whatever you do will make no difference.

Conclusion

How a journalist responds to such a situation will differ from country to country and culture to culture. There is no easy answer here. However, in the scenario set out above the journalist decided on option 2.

They went ahead and broadcast the information they had without ‘referring up’ because they feared they would be blocked, and they considered it to be more important to save lives than save their career.

After the information had been broadcast they received a stern telling off, but kept their job.

And as a result of the information being broadcast on the government radio channel the authorities announced an embargo on the exportation of grain until enough was available for the hungry in the region.

All the scenarios on Media Helping Media are based on actual events.

The post Testing boundaries – scenario first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Журналістика, PR чи пропаганда?

Якщо контент, який ви виробляєте, просуває певний порядок денний, розкручує якусь лінію, підіграє якійсь частині суспільства, беззастережно підтримує певну ініціативу, містить маніпуляцію задля того, щоб досягти потрібного результату, або має бажану мету – ви, можливо, створюєте піар-матеріал або навіть пропаганду.

Справжня журналістика базується на застосуванні суворої редакційної етики до всього, що ми робимо, щоб ми могли досліджувати питання, які найбільше впливають на життя нашої аудиторії.

Тож чи пройде ваш журналістський матеріал цей тест? Візьміть до уваги наступні питання, щоб побачити, чи відповідає етиці ваша журналістська робота.

Вісім питань для роздумів

1: Якою є ваша журналістська мета  і чого ви намагаєтеся досягнути, роблячи цей матеріал?

2: Яка ваша особиста мотивація? Чи маєте ви корисливі інтереси як наслідок цього матеріалу?

3: Чи включили ви різні точки зору та різноманітні ідеї, щоб ваш журналістський твір був ретельно підготованим та інформативним?

4: Чи зігнорували ви будь-які елементи, які могли б послабити історію, яку ви пишете?

5: Чи взяли ви до уваги, якими є мотиви тих людей, у яких ви берете інтерв’ю?

6 Чи всі ваші питання чесні, чи вони можуть бути маніпулятивними чи наводити на певні відповіді?

7: Якими є коротко- та довгострокові наслідки історії, яку ви пишете?

8: Чи використовуєте ви інтерв’ю з тими, кого ви обрали, для того, щоб посилити вашу статтю, не беручи до уваги можливу шкоду, якої вони можуть зазнати після того, як історія буде опублікована?

9: Чи здатні ви виправдати ваші редакційні рішення перед вашими колегами, перед тими, кого ви вирішили проінтерв’ювати, та перед аудиторією?

10: Чи є ваш журналістський твір оригінальним, точним і чесним, та чи базується він на якісних джерелах?

Сім правил для того, щоб зробити все правильно 

1: Тримайте очі широко розплющеними – шукайте правду і пишіть про неї настільки повно, наскільки це можливо.

2: Дійте самостійно – не будьте зобов’язані нікому, не просіть про послуги і не шукайте прихильності.

3: Зведіть до мінімуму потенційну шкоду: захищайте ваші джерела, поважайте приватність, розумійте можливі наслідки.

4: Оцінюйте всі факти: не ігноруйте неприємні або такі, шо суперечать вашій гіпотезі. 

5: Шукайте незалежні джерела: не слідуйте за зграєю, знаходьте свіжі голоси і погляди. 

6: Ретельно перевіряйте надійність інформації:  Thoroughly check the validity of information – не приймайте нічого за чисту монету та переконайтеся, що ви дослідили та можете обгрунтувати використання кожного факту.

7: Будьте обережні з суб’єктивними маніпуляціями – не піддавайтеся тим, хто хоче, щоб ви надавали новинам позитивного забарвлення.

Сім підходів до роботи

1:Будьте чесними, справедливими та сміливими під час збору та викладення інформації

2: Дайте право голосу тим, хто його не має, ​​уважно перевіряйте та аналізуйте дії виконавчої влади та переконайтеся, що ваша журналістика притягує до відповідальності можновладців.

3: Ретельно зберігайте ту роль, яку відіграють незалежні ЗМІ у відкритому суспільстві.

4: Шукайте та поширюйте протилежні думки – особливо ті, які можна почути рідко.

5: Уникайте асоціацій чи активностей, які б могли скомпрометувати вашу здатність публікувати правду. 

6: Завжди беріть до уваги, як ваша журналістська діяльність може вплинути на життя тих, хто фігурує у вашому матеріалі. 

7: Ставтеся до всіх з повагою, а не як до засобу досягнення своєї журналістської мети.

Дванадцять правил точності 

1: Весь матеріал має базуватися на якісних джерелах

2: Він має базуватися на на обґрунтованих доказах.

3: Всі факти, про які ви пишете, мають бути перевіреними. 

4: Ваш матеріал має бути написаний чіткою, зрозумілою мовою.

5: Уникайте поширення необґрунтованих припущень, чуток та пліток. 

6: Точність важливіша за швидкість. Ніколи не поспішайте з новиною, щоб бути першими. Краще бути другими, але правими, аніж першими, але неправими.

7: Переконайтеся, що ви завжди зважуєте всі відповідні факти та інформацію, щоб дійти до правди

8: Якщо питання суперечливе, ви мусите завжди включати всі точки зору, які його стосуються, щоб ваш матеріал не був однобоким. 

9: Збирайте матеріал з перших рук, де це можливо.

10: Переконайтеся, що ви перечитуєте все, що пишете.

11: Перевірте достовірність документальних свідчень та цифрових матеріалів.

12: Підтверджуйте всі заяви та звинувачення.

Шість міркувань щодо неупередженості та різноманітності думок

1: Завжди старайтеся відображати широкий спектр думок. 

2: Завжди будьте готові досліджувати протилежні погляди.

3: Ніколи не ігноруйте жодних важливих напрямків думки чи недостатньо представлених груп

4: Використовуйте вашу творчу свободу для того, щоб виготовляти контент на будь-яку тему, в будь-якій точці дискусії, якщо для цього є серйозні редакційні причини. 

5: Переконайтеся, що ви уникли упередженості або порушили баланс думок стосовно всіх проблем, а понадто – суперечливих.

6: Іноді вам потрібно буде висвітлювати  теми, які можуть бути образливими для багатьох людей. Ви маєте бути певні, що явний суспільний інтерес переважає над можливою образою.

Іноді вам потрібно буде висвітлювати  теми, які можуть бути образливими для багатьох людей. Ви маєте бути певні, що явний суспільний інтерес переважає над можливою образою.

Сім критеріїв того, чи становлять новини  суспільний інтерес

1: Викриття або розкриття злочину.

2: Висвітлення кричущої антисоціальної поведінки, корупції чи беззаконня.

3: Викриття значущої некомпетентності або недбальства.

4: Розкриття інформації, яка дозволяє людям ухвалювати більш обґрунтовані рішення щодо суспільно важливих питань.

5: Захист здоров’я та безпеки населення.

6: Запобігання введенню громадськості в оману.

7: Захист питань свободи слова.

Справедливість

Будьте відкритими, чесними та відвертими у спілкуванні з фігурантами вашого матеріалу, якщо тільки однозначний суспільний інтерес не вимагає вчинити інакше. У випадку висунення обвинувачень,відповідним особам або організаціям зазвичай має бути надано право на відповідь.

Приватність 

Для реалізації ваших прав на свободу вираження поглядів та інформації важливо, щоб в основі вашої діяльності була повага до приватності особи та справедливе ставлення до неї під час розслідування та встановлення фактів, розкриття яких відповідає суспільним інтересам.

Чесність 

Завжди залишайтеся незалежними від інтересів держави та різних сторін. Ніколи не підтримуйте та не створюйте враження, що підтримуєте будь-які організації, продукти, заходи чи послуги.

Джерела

Приймайте інформацію з будь-якого джерела, але знайте, що вам доведеться вирішувати особисто, яку інформацію варто враховувати, а яку ні. Джерела слід завжди перевіряти, особливо коли мова йде про джерела, що до яких ви звертаєтеся вперше і які не використовувалися ніколи раніше. Важливо захищати джерела, які не хочуть бути названими.

Оригінал цього навчального модуля опубліковано на англомовній версії Media Helping Media. Переклад українською Ніни Кур’яти.

The post Чи етична ваша журналістика? first appeared on Media Helping Media.

The editor explains that the piece promoting the business’s product is not an advertorial, but is a case of “working together with a local success story in a way that is mutually beneficial”.

You set to work on the piece and create an article which is then published in print and online.

A reader contacts you after the piece is published to tell you that a similar service is being offered by a non-commercial community project run by volunteers and which is totally free-of-charge.

You thank them for alerting you to the free service, and tell them that you have since been working on a second piece about the paid-for service, with an article due to be published in a couple of days.

The reader suggests you add a line about the free service saying that “In these times when people are struggling with the cost of living it might be nice to let your readers know that there is a similar service completely free-of-charge”.

What should you do?

A: Ignore the new information that you have received and publish without mentioning the free service because you feel you can’t mention every service that exists in the area or take attention away from the paid-for service whose coverage is “mutually beneficial”.

B: Rework the article to include the information you have just been given because thorough and comprehensive journalism means that you should include all relevant information that could help enhance the knowledge of your audience about the topic you are covering.

C: Plan a third piece about the free service to be published at a later date.

Suggested action

We would recommend option B if print and online deadlines allow (and of course online articles can always be updated).

You have been alerted to relevant information by a member of the public. It is information that is absent from your report and which could be of valuable to your audience.

As a journalist you have a responsibility to inform the public debate so that the audience can make educated choices.

Your job is to gather facts, test them, then present them to the audience so they can assess their value.

Because of that, you should be sharing all relevant information that could help those who read your journalism.

Withholding information, for whatever reason, should be done for solid editorial reasons only, such as the likelihood to offend, cause harm, or mislead. For more on offence please see our ethics section and the article about offence and journalism.

In this case the reporter should refer up to their editor, explain that new information has come to light which is relevant to the piece being produced, and discuss how to incorporate what you have learnt in a clear and concise way that is of benefit to those who consume the news your media house produces.

You should never knowingly publish an incomplete news report unless it is part of a series of investigations which, in their totality, present all the facts to the audience.

The post Withholding information – scenario first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Documentaries are in-depth stories told in a more interesting way. They can range in length from 10 minutes to an hour for one episode although sometimes they can stretch to a series or podcast. A great documentary engages listeners and puts them at the heart of the storytelling.

So, what elements make for a superior documentary?

First of all, the story you tell must be compelling enough to sustain telling at length. That means there must be a number of connected strands in it which must be examined and then tied up at the end.

There must be a significant increase in understanding on the part of listeners. The documentary will have shed light on an issue and offered a signpost to the way ahead.

A great documentary is based on sound research in order to construct the central thesis or argument. Good research involves exploring not just who might speak but also what they might say. It will explore all the aspects of a story even though some might lead to dead ends or blind alleys.

Every line of script in the documentary will need to be based on evidence. Every assertion made in the script must be based in reality and accuracy. Even when interviewees are making a point of view, their opinion must be backed by facts you can independently verify.

If your documentary is based on a theory which requires an answer from a relevant organisation or authority make sure that interview is the last in the sequence. That way you can make sure every relevant question can be put.

When you are recording natural sound or a reporter piece into the microphone make sure you record from the heart of the action, so listeners feel they are embedded in the item. So if you are recording a market scene, stand right next to the customer and the trader, not 15 metres away.

Unlike a radio feature, the documentary medium allows listeners to breathe and take in the atmosphere. You should aim for a roughly one third split between script, interviews, and sound effects (including music and natural sound).

Separate out your recordings into one folder for interviews, one for natural sound effects, and one for music. Listen through to all the interviews and select strong clips of your interviewees. Factual information can go into your script. The interview clip is where you can let your subjects speak powerfully and with emotion.

Arrange the clips in the order you would like them to appear in the programme. When you’ve identified the clips, start writing the script.

Use natural sound and music to create the mood and atmosphere.

The programme should flow along at a reasonable pace, but remember to give time for the listener to breathe in the atmosphere.

When you’ve assembled the script, clips, music and natural sound in the order you would like, try reading out the script in relation to everything else.

When you’re happy it works well together, record your voice pieces.

Enjoy making documentaries!

The post Making documentaries for radio first appeared on Media Helping Media.

We edit audio because we do not always have the time on air to broadcast a whole interview. Before you start editing audio, always ask the editor or producer of the item how long the edited item should be.

Make sure you are familiar with editing software you are using.

Ask whether you need to edit a cut down of the whole interview including your questions or if you are to provide one or more clips of just the interviewee talking.

Listen to the whole interview all the way through once, taking note of key points and noting down a time code for each important point made by the interviewee.

Listen out for poor quality. If you can’t hear what’s being said, it’s unlikely your listeners will be able to.

There are two main ways to edit – amputation and filleting.

Amputation implies cutting short the whole interview or cutting out whole questions and answers.

Filleting means taking only the essential parts of each answer and cutting out a little of each answer.

Amputation risks leaving out relevant information while filleting can result in an interview which sounds disjointed and unnatural.

Allow interviewees to sound as if they are having a conversation. It is not your job to make the interviewee sound more fluent or more polished.

However if they interject with hesitations such as ‘um’ and ‘er’ or leave long pauses in their answers, you should consider editing some of these out if it helps the listener understand what is being said.

Be careful not to cut all the hesitations and pauses out because that can sound artificial and unnatural.

Never take one answer and edit it as a response to another question. This is unethical and unprofessional.

Radio is a medium that is based on your ears. That mean when you edit audio, try not to edit using just the screen. Pay more attention to how it sounds rather than how it looks on the screen.

When you have finished editing, always listen back to the finished edit to make sure you have fulfilled the brief you were given, that you have captured all the relevant points the interviewee made, and that you have represented the interviewees points fairly and accurately.

The post Editing audio for radio news first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Bulletins are designed to collect all the news that’s relevant into one specific broadcast, usually a few minutes long.

Each bulletin will have a variety of stories reflecting the latest information your listeners are interested in. They are not comprehensive. They should give a flavour of the main points of the stories.

If you are working for a small radio station you will probably be gathering and editing the material for the bulletins and reading them yourself. If you work for a large broadcaster you might be editing the bulletin for a presenter to read.

Stories will consist of the following types: a straight read by the presenter; sections of text followed by a clip or clips of audio; an introduction followed by a piece by a reporter.

Work backwards from the on-air time and give yourself enough time for preparation. For example, you need time to print off scripts, brief your presenter if necessary and to get to the studios.

If you are the bulletin editor you need to give journalists clear instructions about what they are expected to deliver, the length of the item they are producing, the format it is expected to take and when it is meant to be ready.

Give yourself time to look at the story and check it for grammatical and factual errors. Read it out loud to make sure it makes sense and can be easily understood by listeners.

When you have collected all the stories you will use for the bulletin, always add a couple of extra items if possible. This is to allow for technical errors with audio and so on.

Try to rank the stories in your bulletin in order of importance and give each story a weight.

For example, a story which impacts on everyone in the community will usually be stronger than one which only affects a handful of people. An outbreak of Covid-19 in town is more important than one about plans to upgrade a road in two years’ time. A story about a football result will carry less weight than one about deaths arising from a traffic accident.

Try to place connected stories together in the bulletin. For example, it would make sense to place a story about malaria next to one about health facilities.

Once you have ordered the stories, write your headlines. You don’t have to write one for each story, just the most interesting ones. Most bulletins will end with closing headlines as well.

Brief your presenter about the running order, when to expect soundbites and so on. Give them time to read the text through before they go live on air.

If you have a number of bulletins during the day, try to refresh the stories from bulletin to bulletin so they sound different each time. Stories have a shelf-life, but this can be extended by finding new angles, rewriting the introductions and so on.

Keep your listeners in mind at all times. They expect to hear the latest news in one place. It has to be accurate, timely, balanced, and interesting. Following these guidelines will help you to achieve this.

The post Editing radio news bulletins first appeared on Media Helping Media.