Lesson of the day - communicate

Today was a comedy of errors on the assignment desk. We didn't miss any breaking news or mess up any big news stories, but it did cause a headache! In less than an hour we found out that an event wasn't shot as planned and found out the photographer in the satellite truck for a reporter's live shot at 6pm was at point A, which was miles away from reporter, who was in the actual location point B!

The event we missed was for a short story, a vo/sot, for the 5pm newscast. The photographer received the page during the morning to do A, B and C, with C being shoot a 3pm event. The photographer apparantly got wrapped up in assignment A but we never heard from the photographer. We found out the event wasn't covered shortly after 4pm when we finally talked to the photographer. Two arguments can be made: it was the photographer's responsibility to check in with the assignment desk or the assignment desk should have followed up with the photographer to make sure the plan actually worked. Both arguments are right and because we didn't communicate with each other, we lost this story.

About 45-minutes later we get calls from the reporter who was scheduled to be live in the 6pm newscast and a call from the photographer operating the live satellite truck and shooting the live shot. The calls were frantic and confused! They were in two locations, and at that time of day, they were at least 50-minutes a part! Next there's confusion and a bit of shouting in the newsroom as we figure out what exactly happened. Finally it was determined the reporter had been on two stories that day and the desk had sent the photographer to the first story location, not the second story location, which was the live shot location.

The information clarifying the live shot location was in the computer the whole time. I come into work in the afternoon so I wasn't aware of the morning conversation. I was told the information was in the computer. Then I asked my coworker if he knew about the live shot location. His response was yes. I took that to mean he knew the information in the computer, but really it was the information from the morning he knew. Confusing, right? All of this lead to the miscommunication.

We sent a photographer from the station to help make the live shot happen. The live shot went on as planned. DEEP CLEANSING BREATH!

Lesson of the day - communicate. Check-in and clarify all!