Encouraging original ideas

Your daily news meeting should set the tone for everything your news organisation does. It should be dynamic, brimming with original ideas and angles, inclusive and agenda-setting.

The news meeting should be something members of your news team prepare for and look forward to, not sleep through or dread.

They should arrive eager to get their story ideas accepted and there should be an atmosphere of risk-taking and adventure.

To achieve this editors must motivate staff, develop an ideas culture, ensure people are alert, keep the news meetings moving and allow enough time for discussing story development and treatment.

The following suggestions have been offered by media professionals.

How to get more out of your journalists

1: Encourage ideas

Former BBC journalist and media trainer Bob Doran says it’s important for the editor to go round the team asking journalists one by one what ideas they have.

“It’s best to limit them to two ideas each the first time round, otherwise the ideas can get swept up by the first couple of people, which is demoralising for the rest. Those with lots of ideas can always have another go once everyone else has had their say.”

2: Instil confidence

Rod McKenzie, editor of BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra’s Newsbeat says coming up with ideas can be as much about a state of mind for journalists as about having sources.

“Young journalists can be locked in fear of getting it wrong or sounding foolish. They need confidence. That leads to more ideas, which means more confidence, which produces more ideas, and so on. This confidence stems from knowledge. They need to know their stuff. Creativity is about risk taking. Encourage the team to stick their necks out. Don’t humiliate them if they miss the mark. Acknowledge what they did right and explain what could be improved.”

3: Keep their feet on the ground

Former BBC editor and media trainer Ian Parkinson says it’s important to ensure your journalists stay in touch with the audience.

“Make sure your reporters and producers are aware of the issues that most concern your audience and are able to pick up on interesting angles. Encourage them to get out of the office, talk to the man and woman in the street. Ask them what issues they want to hear covered on the radio, watch on TV or read in their newspaper. Try to find out what’s worrying them, what they are talking about with their friends, even what they are going to be doing after they finish work.”

4: Make sure they read between the lines

Rod McKenzie also says it’s important for journalists to look for stories in the news they consume.

“Your journalists may need to be encouraged to read more intelligently. They need to read in order to find stories. They need to keep up to date by reading newspapers, magazines, websites and blogs, and they need to question all they read and always be on the lookout for new stories and new angles to explore.”

5: Insist on evidence

Bob Doran also insists on journalists supporting story ideas with facts.

“Make it clear that only stories based on clear evidence will be considered. You can’t afford to waste time discussing stories that are based on unfounded rumour. Sometimes journalists don’t have the facts to sustain their idea. That’s fine, as long as the premise for the story is firm. They need to find those facts, check them, test them, attribute them where possible, and remain alert in case the facts they uncover lead to other stories.”

6: Praise them when things go well

I always thought a pat on the back worked wonders.

“Start the meeting by pointing out what worked well the previous day, edition, bulletin, programme. If one of your journalists had an exclusive, or found an angle that the competition missed, make a point of highlighting it. Even consider discussing how it was developed in order to encourage others.”

7: Pitch in and show the team you can do the job too

Sam Obbo, a media consultant from Uganda says that it is important that editors pitch in.

“Once in a while an editor should get off his or her arse and be a foot-soldier like his or her reporters/ camera crews. Many editors — especially those who hardly went into the trenches when they were debutants — are contented with bellowing out orders from their seats. They lack empathy for reporters and photographers/ camera crews.”

8: Show your journalists you appreciate them and mean it

Abel Dzobo, Operations Director Kreativehive Corps says editors often do not appreciate journalists enough and should consider letting them cover the stories and issues that mean most to them.

“Some editors believe if you tell journalists that they are doing well, they get big-headed. But not getting noticed is a very big de-motivating factor. Sometimes a journalist develops an interest in a certain beat, for example a friend or loved one might have passed on due to cancer. Giving them space to tackle the disease is a great motivational factor, rather than ordering them to keep to their original beats.”

9: Connect with your team

Magda Abu-Fadil, Director at Media Unlimited, says it’s important that the editor is seen as  one of the team and is not an aloof boss.

“Lead by example: pitch in with heavy lifting when needed. Inspire, don’t badger. Encourage. Be respectful. Have a sense of humor (self-deprecating is encouraged). Admit mistakes. Accept criticism. Be gracious. Be humble.”

10: Let them enjoy their own success

Harishchandra Bhat says it is important to give journalists enough room to express themselves.

“Journalists get motivated by their own success. Human interest stories, vows of commoners, lacunae in the policy matters of Governance, Appreciable pieces of art, Good themes of society and any other public interest article written by the journalist would bring pleasure to him/her. Motivation starts from there.”

And if all these tips fail, threaten them

Dan Ehrlich, a newspapers professional, takes a no-nonsense old school approach. He says that when met with a mini rebellion at the local US TV newsroom he was running he called a general news meeting and “laid it all out in no uncertain terms”.  He says he recalls it went something like this:

“I’m at the end of my career ladder. For me this is overtime. There’s nothing you can really do that will hurt me. But, you people, however, are just starting your climb. And you will need all the help you can get. As I see it, you have two choices you can be my buddy and I will guarantee to help you get out of here and to a good station or you can be my adversary and get screwed.”

Related training module

How to run an effective news meeting

The post How to motivate journalists first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Managing productive news meetings

Have you ever attended a dull news meeting where people are slouched on chairs, lacking ideas and unresponsive when called on?

Here are some ideas for running a stimulating news meeting that should help guarantee a steady stream of original stories.

You will need to have a clear idea of the outcome you want, but you will also need to encourage participation from every member of staff.

There should be no hiding places, no scapegoats and no favourites.

There needs to be a sense that every news meeting will unearth several news story ideas in the category of “had it not been for you the world would never have known.”

Your staff need to know that it’s not worth turning up if they don’t have original ideas to contribute.

So, here are some suggestions for running an effective news meeting.

1. Attention: Meet standing up or sitting on hard seats, not slouching on sofas.
2. Punctuality: Be punctual and start on time, even if all have not arrived.
3. Urgency: Create a sense of urgency and set a time limit for the meeting.
4. Pace: Keep things moving and avoid silences by injecting your own ideas.
5. Vision: Have a clear outline of what you think the news day should look like before you start the meeting.
6. Preparation: Encourage staff to read their own site/publication and the competition before the meeting. They should not be catching up with what has already happened during the news meeting.
7. Alert: All attending should be totally across what you and your competition are covering and should have already thought through the next steps in the story AND come up with some original angles to explore.
8. Expectations: Ensure staff realise that they are expected to find news, not be given it on a plate. If you run a new meeting like a soup kitchen, where staff will be spoon-fed and given hand-outs (news releases to rewrite) at the end, you will reduce the incentive to come up with their own ideas.
9. Distractions: Ban texting or phone calls (unless they are to do with a developing news story) during the meeting. Those attending should give it their full attention.
10. Discipline: Discourage private conversations during the meeting; if someone has something to say ensure they address the whole group.
11. Competition: Instil a sense of competitiveness in the meeting. People should be fighting to get their ideas accepted.
12. Clarity: Speak loudly and clearly, don’t drone. You need to make sure you are understood and that those contributing are, too.
13. Humour: Use humour where possible without trivialising the seriousness of the task in hand. Journalism should be fun as well as serious.
14. Enjoyable: Make sure the meetings are enjoyable; they set the tone for the day. The meeting should motivate staff.
15. Participation: Generate an atmosphere of participation rather than one where people want to hide. This is best achieved by asking people how the news should develop rather than reading out a long, boring list of events that everyone is already covering.
16. Recap: At the end of the meeting, recap on the top stories and how they are to be developed. It’s easy for a busy meeting to become confusing. When it ends, staff need to know exactly what they need to do.
17. Planning: Be across the day’s prospects and planning diary and have copies printed out for all staff.
18. Review: Spend five minutes asking what could have gone better on the last shift. Don’t dwell on issues, but make sure that mistakes are corrected and your output continues to improve.
19. Congratulations: Mention where your news team beat the opposition the previous day, try to pinpoint why and celebrate success.
20. Praise: Make sure you praise what was done well, not just the correspondent but the camera crew, the photographers, the producers and the editors. Blowing your team’s trumpet for them is a great motivator.
21. Recognition: Show that you understand the difficulties of newsgathering and what your team went through to produce the previous output. Most editors will have worked in the field; it’s important your staff know you appreciate the issues they face in doing their jobs.
22. Teamwork: Stress continually that it is a team effort and everyone needs each other. Where there has been noticeable collaboration, say so and help others realise that, by working together, the quality of output will improve.
23. Responsibility: Encourage shared responsibility for all output. You are as strong as the weakest member of the team and everyone needs to support one another.
24. Respect: Never criticise a member of staff in front of his or her peers. If you have an issue with someone, have a word with them later. Respect that there may be factors that you are unaware of and be sure to take time to understand why problems happened.
25. Correction: You have a responsibility to follow up on mistakes for the sake of those who made them and those who were affected by them, but always tackle failures in a separate meeting; they are not always best dealt with in the daily news meeting.
26. Offline: Don’t waste time with conversations that can be dealt with after the meeting. Make it clear what can be discussed in the news meeting and what should be dealt with offline.
27. Follow up: Allow time for brief one-to-one chats after the meeting ends if staff are unclear. Some may feel uncomfortable asking for clarification in public. Set aside 15 minutes after the meeting for anyone who needs extra briefing.
28. Improve: Instil a culture of daily improvement and advancement. Ensure everyone learns from every mistake and set action points for improvements.
29. Sensitivity: Recognise that few staff operate to 100% capacity for every minute of every shift and continue to encourage. What is important is that deadlines are met. This is the benchmark of performance, not the ebb and flow of effort leading up to it.
30. Understanding: Don’t belittle people; personal criticism will undermine the individual and damage the team. It is unprofessional.
31. Encouragement: Everyone has their strengths; it is your job to identify and draw those out so that they may be deployed to best effect within the team effort.
32. Inclusiveness: Encourage participation, welcome all ideas and don’t mock any. Some great ideas are often poorly presented at first.
33. Awareness: The news meeting isn’t a sermon. It’s about you drawing on the skills and the knowledge of the team you have hired. Make sure you bring the quiet ones into the conversation, they may have the most to offer.
34. Ideas: Ensure that everyone realises that the news meeting is about ideas, not about prospects and diary dates. Always start by asking what ideas people have for new angles to existing stories.
35. Exclusives: Ask them what exclusive stories they are working on. As stated earlier, they should all be working on stories that “had it not been for them, the world would never have known”. Your job is to help them develop those ideas.
36. Investigations: Ask them what stories they would like to be able to work on. Check our module on 24 tips for journalistic productivity.
37. New angles: You need to come to the meeting with your own idea of what the day’s news output might look like. You will have thought through at least one new angle for all the main stories. If it goes quiet, and it shouldn’t if you follow the 36 tips above, you may need to stimulate the debate by offering your ideas.
38. Setting priorities: Ensure that all understand the agreed priorities for the day and that all work towards realising them.
39. Clarifying roles: Ensure all understand their roles and responsibilities. When you’ve briefed your team, ask each one to tell you what they will be doing. This will confirm whether or not they have understood their tasks for the day. Clarification immediately after the meeting can save problems later.
40. Multiple perspectives: Don’t allow anyone to hog the conversation. You will have recruited a diverse news team, and you need to reflect that diversity in all output.
41. Inclusiveness: Don’t allow any hiding places. Pick a room for your news meeting where you can see everyone and everyone can each other.
42. Time management: Avoid dwelling on an item too long, people get bored and if your journalists get bored your audience is unlikely to find the story interesting either.
43. Decisiveness: Ensure that decisions are made and move on. A presentation board gives a meeting focus and highlights the main points covered.
44. Deliverables: Ensure that everyone knows what they need to do and when they need to do it. Everyone needs to know their part in the production process, particularly the dependencies where their failure could cause difficulties for others.
45. Agreement: End with a sense that all main issues were tackled, even if some have to be taken offline for further clarification.
46. Complete: Don’t end a meeting with loads of loose ends. If you do, staff will be confused. They need to leave the meeting with a sense of purpose.
47. Summary: Sum up at the end with a clear outline of how you expect the day ahead to develop.
48. Leadership: You are in charge, but your team must leave the meeting knowing that you are flexible, understanding and open to a change of direction if news developments warrant it.
49. Follow up: A follow-up meeting later in the day will allow you to see whether you are on track to meet your deadlines and, if not, this is the time to take corrective action.
50. Thank you: End the meeting by thanking everyone for taking part – and mean it.

The post How to run an effective news meeting first appeared on Media Helping Media.

Most newsrooms hold a morning news meeting. Some hold several meetings throughout the day.

These meetings are when the editor, or duty editor on shift, organises resources, sets out what is required, gives a clear outline of what news stories are going to be covered, and encourages ideas from the journalists attending.

Copies of the news diary should be available, including the news prospects, the planning agenda, running orders of any TV or radio bulletins, and a hand-over note from the outgoing duty editor.

The news diary will list events that are in the public domain, such as news conferences.

The forward planning prospects will be about original, in-depth journalism produced to meet the needs of your news organisation’s target audience. Please refer to our training module about identifying the target audience and its needs.

In a large media organisation representatives of the various sections need to attend. In a small organisation it might be possible for most staff to attend.

If the news operation has a website, a representative of the interactive team should be present along with the person responsible for social media.

Representatives of the specialist units such as business, technology, health, environment, sport etc, should attend.

Specialist staff will be expected to have prepared for the meeting by digging around stories where they might be able to add value and insight.

The duty editor should ask them what is important in their particular areas of coverage.

It’s important to have someone from the design team attending the meeting. Their job will be to create graphics to illustrate stories.

Ideally graphics should be consistent in style whether used on air, in print or online. They could be graphics designed to explain a point, or they might be promotional graphics to draw attention to a story.

Allocating resources

The hand-over notes, prospects, and planning notes, left behind by the previous shift, will help the duty editor plan what resources will be needed, and what to expect from the journalists. See the training module on story weighting.

There is no point committing valuable journalistic effort to make repeat calls and carry out research that has already been undertaken by another member of your news organisation’s staff.

Engaging the audience

The team which runs the interactive element of the website, such as forums, polls and UGC (user-generated content), has an important part to play in the morning meeting.

They might choose to speak last after they have heard all the ideas being floated around.

The interactive team sets up opportunities for audience engagement, and also feeds back audience responses into the editorial process.

It’s in everybody’s interest to run interactive features that can feed off news items and which can cross-promote those items across all platforms.

Multimedia offering

Similarly, the multimedia team will have a representative at the news meeting. They need to hear what stories are being produced and ensure that any audio and video to be used to illustrate those stories is made available online and on mobile.

Those visiting your news website might not use the other platforms on which your news organisation’s information is presented. They might not watch TV, read newspapers, or listen to the radio. Your presentation of their daily intake of news on one particular device might be the only contact they have with your news brand.

That is why it is important that you don’t assume they have already seen the news elsewhere. You might also have to act as a clearing house for all the other news being covered by others.

Your audience will expect you to sift through the hundreds of news stories, pick the most important 10 to 20, and present them in a way that makes sense to their lives. Please refer to our training module about creating a journalism content value matrix.

You might want to read our 50 tips for running an effective news meeting.

The post Getting the best out of a news meeting first appeared on Media Helping Media.