Poynter. » Breaking news reporting

Former Houston Chronicle editor on breaking news: ‘Often AP is behind the game’

Andrew Beaujon — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:55:56 +0000

In a clip that accompanies the DVD release of “Citizen Hearst,” Houston Chronicle Executive Editor and Executive Vice President Jeff Cohen introduces Sylvia Wood, who was at the time an editor on the Hearst-owned paper’s breaking-news “Go Team” (she left … Read more

New Guardian, Scoopshot efforts bring elements of automation to photo verification

Craig Silverman — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:50:04 +0000

User-generated content is rife with risk and opportunity.

The opportunity for it to deliver remarkable images is made clear on an almost-daily basis, be it in the midst of a crisis like the Boston Marathon bombings, Hurricane Sandy, or simply … Read more

Compassion goes a long way when reporting on tragedies like Boston & Newtown

Genevieve Belmaker — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:01:06 +0000

Journalists are often warned about the perils of getting emotionally involved with stories and subjects, but when reporting on a tragedy there’s always room to act as a human being first and a reporter second.

Reporting on the pain of … Read more

Boston explosions a reminder of how breaking news reporting is changing

Jason Fry — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:20:10 +0000

Terrible events such as yesterday’s bombings at the Boston Marathon have always meant “all hands on deck” for news organizations, with staffers pulled off their regular beats to contribute.

But the endpoint of the newsgathering and reporting is no longer … Read more

Confusing coverage in breaking news may be SOP, but pre-empting tweets is new

Andrew Beaujon — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:00:26 +0000

California manhunt subject Christopher Dorner may or may not be dead: Forensics investigators will look at the teeth and make chest X-rays of the charred corpse found in a rental cabin where police say the former Los Angeles police officer … Read more

When news breaks, most Americans seek a second, trusted source for more info

Jeff Sonderman — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:06:42 +0000

When Americans first learn about a breaking news story, 83 percent seek out a second source to get more information, new research says.

Half of them turned to a different type of platform (i.e., heard the news on TV then … Read more

NY photojournalist gets cameras back after arrest, but not press credentials

Steve Myers — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:51:11 +0000

NPPA | The New York Times
Robert Stolarik’s cameras were confiscated when he was arrested on Aug. 4 while photographing police on a public street. He has them back now, but he still hasn’t received his press credentials. Stolarik … Read more

Cubs player learned about pending trade just an hour before reporter tweeted about it

Paul Wilson — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:28:22 +0000

Cubs President Theo Epstein weighed in Wednesday on the controversy leading up to the trade of popular pitcher Ryan Dempster, saying one factor in the nine-day drama was how quickly news spread through social media.

Early last week, Epstein worked … Read more

Details about Colorado shooter too important to tweet incrementally

Steve Myers — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 22:19:02 +0000

My Poynter colleagues already have noted how ABC News and Breitbart rashly reported thinly-sourced information about James Holmes, the man accused of shooting up a Colorado movie theater Friday morning.

They should have held off reporting the supposed connections … Read more

ABC News, Breitbart fall short in owning up to mistakes on Colorado theater shooter

Craig Silverman — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:28:10 +0000

During a major breaking news story like Friday’s mass killing at a film premiere in Colorado, journalists go hunting for any information they can find. Initially, there’s a big focus on the “who.”

The name of the gunman. The names … Read more