Last night I received the below press release and thought it was written odd because it's missing information that is usually included like description of the suspect, the date of birth, hometown, etc. I figured it had been sent out because of the unusual crime: an angry man throwing a computer monitor across the room in a store. This is something you'd normally see on TV dramas only. We don't receive releases on criminal mischief such as this often.
Lone Tree Police Department
News Release
Type of Incident: Disorderly Conduct / Criminal Mischief
Case Number: 09-0608
Date: March 16, 2009
Time of Release: 7:30 p.m.
On March 16, 2009 at about 2:00 pm, Officers of the Lone Tree Police Department responded to a disturbance at the AT&T Mobility store located inside the Park Meadows Mall. The investigation indicated that Sean Williams had been involved in a verbal altercation with the clerk at the store. He then picked up a computer monitor and threw it inside the store. The monitor was broken and also caused damage to a printer and signature pad. Total damages are estimated to be 1200.00 to 1300.00 dollars. Sean Williams was taken into custody without any further incident and transported to the Douglas County Jail where he posted bond.
END
I figure this is funny and deserves a Tweet. Within seconds of Tweeting, I see the Associate Press is reporting New Jersey Nets Forward Sean Williams has been arrested in Denver. What? Our computer thrower is an NBA player?
Well, now it's no longer just a funny incident to Tweet, it's news we have to confirm ourselves and report.
My first call is to the PIO for Lone Tree, a small city in Douglas County SW of Denver. Of course it's 7:40pm and she's gone for the night. I then call dispatch to request the on call PIO to be paged. The dispatcher asked me what the page was for and after I explained, the dispatcher transferred me to the jail telling me the people there would help me.
I was transferred to a never ending automated phone system that hung up on me. I quickly dialed Douglas County Dispatch to see if anyone there could help me. The dispatcher didn't even let me finish my request before she put me directly through to the jail. I took this to mean she'd already received a media call requesting the mug.
Ring Ring
"Detention Center, this Rachel"
"Hi Rachel, this is Misty with CBS4 News. I'm calling to confirm Sean Williams of the New Jersey Nets bonded out of jail today and to request his mug shot."
"Oh... I need to put you on hold."
On hold I sat listening to this country/blues type jingle, which was toe tapping at first and then quickly became brain tapping-ly annoying as it continued for 7 minutes and 46 seconds. I twitter about being on eternal hold to get Williams' mug.
"This is Jerome. Have you been helped?"
"No."
"How long have you been on hold?"
"A few minutes... and then a little more!" I said jokingly because I don't want to sound harsh and hurt my chances of getting what I want. "I've been on hold waiting for someone to help me get a mug shot. I'm Misty with Channel 4."
"Oh, I am so sorry and I'm sorry but I have to put you on hold again because the Sergeant is who you need to speak to, but I promise you won't be on hold for long."
More music drilling in my brain for another minute that seemed like an eternity. The Sergeant answered and kindly explained that he couldn't release the mug without clearance from the PIO.
"Really? I've spoken to dispatchers at both Lone Tree PD and Douglas County, both departments told me I had to go directly through you tonight. Are you sure you can't help me?" I said with slight, but cute, plea.
With a chuckle, "No, ma'am. I'm sorry. But as soon as you get that clearance, I'll get that mug to you."
"Thank you."
Click.
"You have got to be kidding me!" I shout in the newsroom for everyone to hear. "It's all a ploy to prevent me from getting that mug! Well, they've messed with the wrong assignment editor!"
I Tweet my frustration with the situation and pound out the dispatch number for Douglas County. As soon as my call is answered, "Yes, this is Misty with channel 4 again, please page the PIO so I can request a mug shot."
"Oh, let me transfer you to the jail th.."
"NO! Don't transfer me, I've already been transferred to the jail twice and I finally spoke to the Sergeant who says he CAN'T release the mug without clearance from a PIO first!."
The dispatcher tells me, "Well, then you should call Lone Tree police cause he was arrested by them, not sheriff deputies."
"NO! I called Lone Tree first and their dispatcher told me I had to go through Douglas County!" This part is a white lie. I hadn't been told that, but I knew that's what I would be told when I called Lone Tree next. I've played this game many times.
Sigh. "OK. What is your name again and your number?"
I Tweet more frustration and receive several responses of encouragement. One response made me laugh and pumped me up to continue in my endeavor.
From @RR5280 I received, "It may be time to open a can of Fourth Estate Whoop Ass. Don't they know who you are?" Haha! Thanks RR5280!
Without even putting the receiver down I hang up and start dialing Lone Tree. The dispatcher at first kindly took my information and then when he heard I was calling for the mug, he tried to tell me I had to talk to Douglas County. I told you I know the game.
I admit I cut him off in mid sentence so I could explain that Douglas County just told me to contact Lone Tree. "At this point I don't care which PIO I speak to, but I expect one of them to give approval for this mug shot to be released!"
"Yes, ma'am. I'll page the PIO."
"Thank you."
The Douglas County PIO called back first to tell me that she would release the mug, but that I had to send her an email request first.
An email request is protocol when I am dealing with a suspect arrested by Douglas County. However, Lone Tree arrested Williams so I had been following the instructions they gave me, which was to call the jail, which lead to the rest of this frustration! I shoot off the email and within minutes, I receive the mug.
Tweet: VICTORIOUS!
Tweet responses congratulated me.
Then an officer with Lone Tree called. I thanked him for calling and explained I had him paged at the same time I paged a PIO for Douglas County so I could get the mug of Williams. He said he knew and that he understood there's been some trouble, but that it's been decided that Douglas County would handle the request.
"Thank you sir, I've actually just received the mug. Good night."
Any police department of any size should know that when a professional sports player is arrested in metro Denver, an area that thrives on sports, the media is going to call. We're going to call to confirm details, gather more information, request a mug shot, and yes even ask for surveillance video of the computer monitor flying through the air.
The PIOs should have been prepared. To save themselves all this trouble and from being paged after 8pm, they should have released all details in a more thorough release and included the mug shot from the beginning. It would have saved us all the headache.
Sometimes it feels like the PIOs want to cause my headache though!
Oh, does anyone know what a "Fourth Estate Whoop Ass" exactly is? Sounds tough and cool. (Just like me! LOL!)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
You don't know me. How dare you make assumptions!
I understand hot button issues. I expect to receive calls on issues that people really care about. But, PLLEEEAASSSE, please, I implore you, keep your temper in check and just talk to me. I am a reasonable human being. I will discuss your concerns with the story with you. I will pass on your complaints to the reporter, producer, and even the news director.
I just hung up the phone on a woman extremely upset with how a reporter did a story on a bill in legislature regarding in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. The reporter never used the word illegal, only immigrant. Governor Ritter says illegal immigrant in the soundbite used in the package. I understand this woman's complaints.
Me: CBS4 News this is Misty
Caller: Yes, I have something to say about the story on channel 4 that YOU just put on. Your lead.. the LEAD story. Do you even know what that was?
Me: You want to know our lead story?
Caller: Yes, you tell me what YOUR lead was.
Me: the tuition bill (in my head - oh she's going to yell at me now.) What is your complaint?
And she did. She yelled about how inappropriate and biased our report was. She yelled about the story making it seem like the immigrants we were talking about had just arrived from Ireland.
Yes, she seriously said that. This is when I interrupted.
Me: "Ma'am, I understand your complaint and I will talk to the reporter. I will share your concerns with her.
Caller: Yeah, right. No you won't!
At that, my temper choked in my throat.
Me: How dare you say that to me! You have no idea who I am or what I will or will not do! I am taking extreme offense with you and your assumptions about me. I have listened to your complaint and now you have insulted me!
Caller: No, you're right I don't know you, but I just thought it was company policy to...
(I interrupt)
Me: That is NOT company policy. The assumption you have just made is absolutely false. If you do not believe me, I encourage you to call the station manager or the news director. I have told you I will pass on your concerns and I will. So, ma'am, I'm going to hang up the phone now. Have a good night!
CLICK
I hang up as she's saying something that I don't care to understand.
I take a lot on the phones. I hold my tongue when I want to share my opinion, but understand it's not my place because this is a news station and I try to be an unbiased journalist at all times. I take a lot of warm kind calls, along with the abusive, insolent and ignorant calls.
From the caller that brings out all of my compassion to a caller that triggers my temper. Phew... I'm done with the phones today. Drink please: Extra dirty martini, good vodka please.
I just hung up the phone on a woman extremely upset with how a reporter did a story on a bill in legislature regarding in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. The reporter never used the word illegal, only immigrant. Governor Ritter says illegal immigrant in the soundbite used in the package. I understand this woman's complaints.
Me: CBS4 News this is Misty
Caller: Yes, I have something to say about the story on channel 4 that YOU just put on. Your lead.. the LEAD story. Do you even know what that was?
Me: You want to know our lead story?
Caller: Yes, you tell me what YOUR lead was.
Me: the tuition bill (in my head - oh she's going to yell at me now.) What is your complaint?
And she did. She yelled about how inappropriate and biased our report was. She yelled about the story making it seem like the immigrants we were talking about had just arrived from Ireland.
Yes, she seriously said that. This is when I interrupted.
Me: "Ma'am, I understand your complaint and I will talk to the reporter. I will share your concerns with her.
Caller: Yeah, right. No you won't!
At that, my temper choked in my throat.
Me: How dare you say that to me! You have no idea who I am or what I will or will not do! I am taking extreme offense with you and your assumptions about me. I have listened to your complaint and now you have insulted me!
Caller: No, you're right I don't know you, but I just thought it was company policy to...
(I interrupt)
Me: That is NOT company policy. The assumption you have just made is absolutely false. If you do not believe me, I encourage you to call the station manager or the news director. I have told you I will pass on your concerns and I will. So, ma'am, I'm going to hang up the phone now. Have a good night!
CLICK
I hang up as she's saying something that I don't care to understand.
I take a lot on the phones. I hold my tongue when I want to share my opinion, but understand it's not my place because this is a news station and I try to be an unbiased journalist at all times. I take a lot of warm kind calls, along with the abusive, insolent and ignorant calls.
From the caller that brings out all of my compassion to a caller that triggers my temper. Phew... I'm done with the phones today. Drink please: Extra dirty martini, good vodka please.
News can't always help
I received two calls today from the same gentleman who desperately wanted to know if I could tell him if a company was legit or not. At first he couldn't remember the correct name of the company. I used what he had to do an archive search to see if I could find any story that may have been on the company. While I'm doing the search he tells me how he left a message on the CBS4 News investigation tip line earlier and wanted to know if we'd found out anything on the company yet.
The search ended without a single hit. I told him without the proper name, I can't do a search. "But, can't you just tell me if the company is good or not? We only watch channel 4 and I trust the investigators." At this, my mind and my heart both sigh, then; I actually sigh. I can tell this man has a story, has a problem, wants helps, wants news help.
Thankfully he called while the scanners and the phones were relatively calm. I had time to do a google search. With the phone steadied to my ear by my shoulder, I typed away. "Sir, I personally can't tell you if a company is legit or not. I can only tell you what our reporters have found, and if we didn't do a story I can't give you information. I'm not in a position where I can give a recommendation like that."
"Well, you can. You can tell me what you've heard or what the investigators have heard. I just need to know if this company is for real or not. My wife and I saw a commercial on it and we need help. We're looking for a company to help us out of our upside down mortgage before we lose the house."
"Sir, I really can't. Since the archive search didn't find anything, I did an Internet search to see if I can at least find you a link to this company. I didn't find anything this way either."
He couldn't think of the correct name. He just pleaded with me to give him any information I could on this company. "Sir, without the correct name, I can't do a true archive search on our stories to tell you what you want to know." I typed Colorado fore in the search bar before google auto filled the rest closure hotline. (I've frequently searched for this number.)
"Sir, all I can suggest is that you call the Colorado foreclosure hotline. This organization should be able to tell you what you need about this company, and if the company doesn't work for you, they should be able to direct you on how to get help."
"Oh, OK. Thank you for your time. Good night."
"Good night."
Two minutes later he called back. "Hi, I just spoke to you. I remember more about the company. I think it's a law company. That's what the commercial said. And, well, I've been forced into part time hours and my wife she's holding steady, but we... I mean me, not my wife, got scammed in a refinance where we were put in an ARM without our knowledge and now with fewer hours... We need help. I need to know if this company can help me."
In the background I hear his wife telling him he better find out if this company is legit and if it can help them.
"OK sir, you think this is a law company I'll do another search." I started an archive search and then I did a google search. Still no results.
"Sir, I still can't find anything. I still can't tell you anything about this company. I do recommend you call the hotline I gave you."
"Well, but, we're not in foreclosure yet."
"The hotline also helps people prevent foreclosure before it gets that far."
"Oh, OK. Thanks for listening. I hope I haven't taken up much of your time. I'll call the number you gave me. Can I call the investigators next week to see if they've been able to look up information on the company?"
"Of course sir, you can call back next week." I said this knowing full well that no one on the investigative team could do anything more than I did for him because he didn't even know the company name. It sounded like he needed to be told yes on something, even if it wasn't yes this company can save you. So I told him yes he could call back.
Calls like these are draining. I answer calls for help all the time. People need help getting their kids back after a court has taken them away. People need help dealing with a car company that sold them a lemon. People need help understanding why their loved ones have died. People need help dealing with the insurance company. People need help to provide them food, clothing and a home. People need help to save their home.
They call the news. They believe we, the news, have all the answers, can give them the help they need. More often than not, I can only listen and try to offer a little assistance by referring them to an organization that can help. More often than not, my day is so full, I don't have the time to truly listen. I have to cut the conversations short as soon as I find something to give them.
The search ended without a single hit. I told him without the proper name, I can't do a search. "But, can't you just tell me if the company is good or not? We only watch channel 4 and I trust the investigators." At this, my mind and my heart both sigh, then; I actually sigh. I can tell this man has a story, has a problem, wants helps, wants news help.
Thankfully he called while the scanners and the phones were relatively calm. I had time to do a google search. With the phone steadied to my ear by my shoulder, I typed away. "Sir, I personally can't tell you if a company is legit or not. I can only tell you what our reporters have found, and if we didn't do a story I can't give you information. I'm not in a position where I can give a recommendation like that."
"Well, you can. You can tell me what you've heard or what the investigators have heard. I just need to know if this company is for real or not. My wife and I saw a commercial on it and we need help. We're looking for a company to help us out of our upside down mortgage before we lose the house."
"Sir, I really can't. Since the archive search didn't find anything, I did an Internet search to see if I can at least find you a link to this company. I didn't find anything this way either."
He couldn't think of the correct name. He just pleaded with me to give him any information I could on this company. "Sir, without the correct name, I can't do a true archive search on our stories to tell you what you want to know." I typed Colorado fore in the search bar before google auto filled the rest closure hotline. (I've frequently searched for this number.)
"Sir, all I can suggest is that you call the Colorado foreclosure hotline. This organization should be able to tell you what you need about this company, and if the company doesn't work for you, they should be able to direct you on how to get help."
"Oh, OK. Thank you for your time. Good night."
"Good night."
Two minutes later he called back. "Hi, I just spoke to you. I remember more about the company. I think it's a law company. That's what the commercial said. And, well, I've been forced into part time hours and my wife she's holding steady, but we... I mean me, not my wife, got scammed in a refinance where we were put in an ARM without our knowledge and now with fewer hours... We need help. I need to know if this company can help me."
In the background I hear his wife telling him he better find out if this company is legit and if it can help them.
"OK sir, you think this is a law company I'll do another search." I started an archive search and then I did a google search. Still no results.
"Sir, I still can't find anything. I still can't tell you anything about this company. I do recommend you call the hotline I gave you."
"Well, but, we're not in foreclosure yet."
"The hotline also helps people prevent foreclosure before it gets that far."
"Oh, OK. Thanks for listening. I hope I haven't taken up much of your time. I'll call the number you gave me. Can I call the investigators next week to see if they've been able to look up information on the company?"
"Of course sir, you can call back next week." I said this knowing full well that no one on the investigative team could do anything more than I did for him because he didn't even know the company name. It sounded like he needed to be told yes on something, even if it wasn't yes this company can save you. So I told him yes he could call back.
Calls like these are draining. I answer calls for help all the time. People need help getting their kids back after a court has taken them away. People need help dealing with a car company that sold them a lemon. People need help understanding why their loved ones have died. People need help dealing with the insurance company. People need help to provide them food, clothing and a home. People need help to save their home.
They call the news. They believe we, the news, have all the answers, can give them the help they need. More often than not, I can only listen and try to offer a little assistance by referring them to an organization that can help. More often than not, my day is so full, I don't have the time to truly listen. I have to cut the conversations short as soon as I find something to give them.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A bitter chuckle at Sesame St. layoffs
Sesame Street is eliminating 67 positions! http://moourl.com/3945c
While we all know the seriousness of having more good people out of work, once the news about the Sesame Street layoffs broke some chose to make fun of it as a way to lighten the mood, or to be satirical.
http://moourl.com/rd68z
http://moourl.com/xc8ge
http://moourl.com/nyl1y
I believe I saw on Twitter a campaign to save Kermit. While I chuckled at what I read and watched, I felt reality weigh on my shoulders. In the last week I've had three college students job shadow me. Next week I'm having another job shadow join me. I show off the station and explain each position. I set the students up to observe newscasts from the studio and the booth. They've talked to the staff, from floor directors to producers to anchors, to get information and ideas about what they can expect while working in a news position.
I've seen and felt their excitement. Their true awe at what we do in the news, reminds me why I dreamt of being a journalist since 8th grade. That's when the sadness sits in and I cover it with a reassuring smile.
I can no longer tell these students, nor the interns that work with us every semester, that they will be able to find a foot in the door at some newsroom if they're willing to work hard, for little money, in small towns that they've never heard of before. I'm not the only one who feels this way. With every job shadow I've had in, a coworker has pulled me aside and asked me if I'm being honest with them about the current economy and the future for every person that makes the news happen.
I don't need to blatantly honest with these students. They already know the truth. They are all students of CSB School of Broadcasting, which locked it's door last week leaving students across the nation stranded. http://moourl.com/bmzip The campus in Denver only opened last fall. This is the first group of students the campus has taught. The morning session at least finished it's final project, but now their reels and radio projects are locked in a building they can't access. The night session was just a few classes shy of the final projects.
These students don't know what to do now. They don't even know if they're getting their tuition of $12,000 plus returned. I can't say no to their requests for a job shadow now, even though they no longer have a school. I used to teach them, as did my husband and several other highly qualified journalists from the metro area. I've seen their hopes and dreams develop as they've learned the business. I encouraged them to call for a job shadow and to apply for internships; which now, they can't even get internships because they no longer have a school.
So I show them all that I can. I teach them how television news is really achieved. I feed their excitement and give them hope.
Am I wrong in doing so? Am I right? I am torn.
As to the Sesame Street layoffs, real people or muppets, if there's a campaign to save certain positions, I campaign for all. My family has lived through a layoff. I've seen my good, qualified coworkers let go. I hear the whispers in the hall of the anticipation of what's to come. I wish it on no one.
The chuckle I experienced earlier wasn't one of relief or joy. It was bitter and sad.
While we all know the seriousness of having more good people out of work, once the news about the Sesame Street layoffs broke some chose to make fun of it as a way to lighten the mood, or to be satirical.
http://moourl.com/rd68z
http://moourl.com/xc8ge
http://moourl.com/nyl1y
I believe I saw on Twitter a campaign to save Kermit. While I chuckled at what I read and watched, I felt reality weigh on my shoulders. In the last week I've had three college students job shadow me. Next week I'm having another job shadow join me. I show off the station and explain each position. I set the students up to observe newscasts from the studio and the booth. They've talked to the staff, from floor directors to producers to anchors, to get information and ideas about what they can expect while working in a news position.
I've seen and felt their excitement. Their true awe at what we do in the news, reminds me why I dreamt of being a journalist since 8th grade. That's when the sadness sits in and I cover it with a reassuring smile.
I can no longer tell these students, nor the interns that work with us every semester, that they will be able to find a foot in the door at some newsroom if they're willing to work hard, for little money, in small towns that they've never heard of before. I'm not the only one who feels this way. With every job shadow I've had in, a coworker has pulled me aside and asked me if I'm being honest with them about the current economy and the future for every person that makes the news happen.
I don't need to blatantly honest with these students. They already know the truth. They are all students of CSB School of Broadcasting, which locked it's door last week leaving students across the nation stranded. http://moourl.com/bmzip The campus in Denver only opened last fall. This is the first group of students the campus has taught. The morning session at least finished it's final project, but now their reels and radio projects are locked in a building they can't access. The night session was just a few classes shy of the final projects.
These students don't know what to do now. They don't even know if they're getting their tuition of $12,000 plus returned. I can't say no to their requests for a job shadow now, even though they no longer have a school. I used to teach them, as did my husband and several other highly qualified journalists from the metro area. I've seen their hopes and dreams develop as they've learned the business. I encouraged them to call for a job shadow and to apply for internships; which now, they can't even get internships because they no longer have a school.
So I show them all that I can. I teach them how television news is really achieved. I feed their excitement and give them hope.
Am I wrong in doing so? Am I right? I am torn.
As to the Sesame Street layoffs, real people or muppets, if there's a campaign to save certain positions, I campaign for all. My family has lived through a layoff. I've seen my good, qualified coworkers let go. I hear the whispers in the hall of the anticipation of what's to come. I wish it on no one.
The chuckle I experienced earlier wasn't one of relief or joy. It was bitter and sad.
Monday, March 9, 2009
President Obama on 1st reference. Mr. Obama on 2nd
I say it all the time, we've done our job right when in the same day, on the same stories, when we're accused of being too conservative/right AND liberal/left by viewers. When this happens this means we've aired the story with all sides/angles represented. Yeah for unbiased, fair journalism!
Unfortunately, in the issue of referencing the president in our stories we will always be conservative/right for the next 4 - 8 years, as we were always liberal/left during the last 8 years. The difference though between the callers during former President Bush's term and the callers now for President Obama is I've now been personally accused of being racist, instead of just disrespectful. The callers don't even stop to breathe as they yell and rant horrible things as they blame me for spreading racism for stories where Mr. Obama, instead of President Obama, is used.
These viewers have either blocked out, or have never paid enough attention to, how former President Bush was addressed by media, this station, any other network, or newspapers. I can't stress enough that the policy has not changed! The policy always has been: President (name) on first reference and Mr. (name) on second reference.
Using Mr. on the second reference is a sign of respect because in any other story for any other person from a head of state to the man on the street, the full name is used on the first reference, but on the second the last name is used only. If my name was used it would be "Misty Montano says..." on first reference, then "Montano also recommends" on the second reference.
It is true that as of Nov. 14, 2008 the Associated Press did change up the style for referencing people in stories, but those changes could be said to add respect and at the same time be disrespectful. I found the below article The Tines and Democrat newspaper published Feb. 18, 2008 as a response to what sounds like similar complaint calls that I've received. The article explains not only it's policy, but discusses the CBS policy and the Associate Press changes.
http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2009/02/18/opinion/13525800.txt
I'm tired of explaining this and disgusted at how mean some people are. Were these people not raised properly? Would their mothers approve of using such language and having such rage towards me just because I pick up the phone? I've now added being called racist to the list of reasons to automatically hang up the phone immediately!
Unfortunately, in the issue of referencing the president in our stories we will always be conservative/right for the next 4 - 8 years, as we were always liberal/left during the last 8 years. The difference though between the callers during former President Bush's term and the callers now for President Obama is I've now been personally accused of being racist, instead of just disrespectful. The callers don't even stop to breathe as they yell and rant horrible things as they blame me for spreading racism for stories where Mr. Obama, instead of President Obama, is used.
These viewers have either blocked out, or have never paid enough attention to, how former President Bush was addressed by media, this station, any other network, or newspapers. I can't stress enough that the policy has not changed! The policy always has been: President (name) on first reference and Mr. (name) on second reference.
Using Mr. on the second reference is a sign of respect because in any other story for any other person from a head of state to the man on the street, the full name is used on the first reference, but on the second the last name is used only. If my name was used it would be "Misty Montano says..." on first reference, then "Montano also recommends" on the second reference.
It is true that as of Nov. 14, 2008 the Associated Press did change up the style for referencing people in stories, but those changes could be said to add respect and at the same time be disrespectful. I found the below article The Tines and Democrat newspaper published Feb. 18, 2008 as a response to what sounds like similar complaint calls that I've received. The article explains not only it's policy, but discusses the CBS policy and the Associate Press changes.
http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2009/02/18/opinion/13525800.txt
I'm tired of explaining this and disgusted at how mean some people are. Were these people not raised properly? Would their mothers approve of using such language and having such rage towards me just because I pick up the phone? I've now added being called racist to the list of reasons to automatically hang up the phone immediately!
Friday, March 6, 2009
When good days go bad
It's day two of book (Nielsen ratings period)and we're chugging along just fine. To be honest, the stress of scheduling all the special shoots and edits for stories that are going to be aired in the next few weeks seems to have eased up. I'm not sure why. There's still a lot of blue ink on our assignment board.
Oh, I should explain blue ink. We keep tracks of assignments on a big dry erase board and several smaller boards depending on the day/stories, and of course in the computer. Assignments are color coded:
Black: story being shot and turned for today
Blue: a shoot for a special project that isn't going to air today
Green: edit a package or two or three or...
Red: live shots
The blue ink is all over the board, and around the blue is all the black, green and red because news today has got to be covered as well. So life can get pretty crazy/stressful for everyone involved to get it all done. It just seems like our plans and past efforts may have eased up on the current stresses. Then again, maybe it's just me and any one of my coworkers would disagree with me!
Today was a manageable day to get everything done. I think I had all of the color-coded assignments planned and handed out by 2:42pm. Yes, I looked at the clock as I talked to the 3rd photographer of the night. As always, I conclude every assignment by saying, "if there's breaking news or something comes up, goes wrong, it all changes."
The assignments did include Photographer 3 to be used for editing all day for stories that air next week, plus a story that was shot by two other photographers that ran tonight. I needed Photographer 2, who shot part of tonight's story, to shoot the Kepler launch party in Boulder. Photographer 2 wouldn't be able to do it all: the pkg shoot, the edit, the vo/sot shoot, the live shot, so I had to reassign something.
Why did I reassign the edit instead of the shoot? I needed to make sure Photographer 3, who needed to edit for next week, actually got those edits done. He probably wouldn't have been able to do the edits and go to Boulder to shoot the launch party. (I must admit here, that one of these two edits for next week was not a must edit, but if I didn't give him time to do it today, he would have had to do the edit on Monday & Monday's scheduled is PACKED. Trust me, it was way easier and smarter to make sure he could do it today instead of pushing it to Monday!)
So everything was going along just fine until 7:55pm when I received a call from Photographer 2 in Boulder. Photographer 2 is one of the most hard working and dedicated guys I have ever worked with and he gave me permission to blog about this.
Me: CBS4 News, this is Misty
Photographer: uh, now don't laugh at me until you hear me out (said w/a hesitant voice)
Me: silence.. OK
Photographer: You told me to take EJ 7 (live truck) and I took the EJ 7 keys, but, I don't know what I was thinking I got into EJ 8 and I stopped at the gas station on the way and now I'm locked out because the EJ 7 keys work in EJ 8's ignition, but not the doors and I got out and locked the doors and now I'm locked out...
Me: silence as my head spinned... What? Uh, so you're locked out of EJ8, but you have keys for EJ7? What? How did you...
Photographer 2 explained it all again to me and asked me to give him a number to AAA or to the police department. As he's saying this, I'm looking at the clock 7:58pm and the launch is less than an hour away. I calculate in my head how long it will take a photographer from the station to get to Boulder to rescue him.
The photographer really truly thought that AAA or police would help him, but I'm not so trusting. I told him to hang on for a sec while I figure things out.
I walked around the desk and asked the Executive Producer and Producer what the situation was with editing tonight. They looked at me with wary eyes, protective of their show, but ready to pounce on breaking news. They were not expecting a story of a photographer in need of a rescue because one set of keys can work in two different ignitions.
An editor joined us in the newsroom and I explained again what I wanted:
Photographer 3 to go rescue Photographer 2, but to do this Editing would have to pick up Photographer 3's 10pm pkg. BUT Photographer 3 needed to do the rescue in time to make it back to the station to set up a live shot for a reporter in the newsroom. (Big breath in cause I used all my breath to explain this to multiple people. Do you understand? Most everyone looked at me like I was crazy. I can draw a graph if you want.)
Photographer 3 leaves the station at 8:03pm. Finally, I get back to Photographer 2 with AAA and police numbers for him to try as well. Of course, I was right and he got no help.
Photographer 3 made it to Photographer 2 at 8:38pm and Photographer 2 made it in the doors in time to get the countdown and all the other pieces for a nice little vo/sot.
YEAH!!! CHEERS!!! WOO HOO!!!! YEAH ME for being fast and smart and insisting this was the only way to get the vo/sot. It was try or let it fail. If editing hadn't been able to pick up the pkg edit, we would have had to let it fail.
Photographer 3 made it back to the station by 9:30 and was set up for the newsroom live shot by 9:50 with mic check and everything ready to go.
Photographer 2, after some more problems with the establishing live truck signal, got his vo/sot fed in by 9:45.
Oh yes, I did have Photographer 1 as well, but thankfully he and the reporter had no problems that I had to fix.
During the many phone calls from Photographer 2 he apologized over and over and over.
Photographer: I can't believe I did this. This isn't me.
Me: I know it's not you. It's OK.
Photographer: It's not OK.
Me: You're right, it's not OK.
Photographer: silence... What?
Me: You won't listen to me, so I decided to actually agree with you and tell you it's not OK. I've told you it's OK and sometimes these things just happen and we have bad days.
Photographer: But, this wasn't a bad day.
Me: You're right, it wasn't a bad day, but sometimes good days go bad.
Oh, I should explain blue ink. We keep tracks of assignments on a big dry erase board and several smaller boards depending on the day/stories, and of course in the computer. Assignments are color coded:
Black: story being shot and turned for today
Blue: a shoot for a special project that isn't going to air today
Green: edit a package or two or three or...
Red: live shots
The blue ink is all over the board, and around the blue is all the black, green and red because news today has got to be covered as well. So life can get pretty crazy/stressful for everyone involved to get it all done. It just seems like our plans and past efforts may have eased up on the current stresses. Then again, maybe it's just me and any one of my coworkers would disagree with me!
Today was a manageable day to get everything done. I think I had all of the color-coded assignments planned and handed out by 2:42pm. Yes, I looked at the clock as I talked to the 3rd photographer of the night. As always, I conclude every assignment by saying, "if there's breaking news or something comes up, goes wrong, it all changes."
The assignments did include Photographer 3 to be used for editing all day for stories that air next week, plus a story that was shot by two other photographers that ran tonight. I needed Photographer 2, who shot part of tonight's story, to shoot the Kepler launch party in Boulder. Photographer 2 wouldn't be able to do it all: the pkg shoot, the edit, the vo/sot shoot, the live shot, so I had to reassign something.
Why did I reassign the edit instead of the shoot? I needed to make sure Photographer 3, who needed to edit for next week, actually got those edits done. He probably wouldn't have been able to do the edits and go to Boulder to shoot the launch party. (I must admit here, that one of these two edits for next week was not a must edit, but if I didn't give him time to do it today, he would have had to do the edit on Monday & Monday's scheduled is PACKED. Trust me, it was way easier and smarter to make sure he could do it today instead of pushing it to Monday!)
So everything was going along just fine until 7:55pm when I received a call from Photographer 2 in Boulder. Photographer 2 is one of the most hard working and dedicated guys I have ever worked with and he gave me permission to blog about this.
Me: CBS4 News, this is Misty
Photographer: uh, now don't laugh at me until you hear me out (said w/a hesitant voice)
Me: silence.. OK
Photographer: You told me to take EJ 7 (live truck) and I took the EJ 7 keys, but, I don't know what I was thinking I got into EJ 8 and I stopped at the gas station on the way and now I'm locked out because the EJ 7 keys work in EJ 8's ignition, but not the doors and I got out and locked the doors and now I'm locked out...
Me: silence as my head spinned... What? Uh, so you're locked out of EJ8, but you have keys for EJ7? What? How did you...
Photographer 2 explained it all again to me and asked me to give him a number to AAA or to the police department. As he's saying this, I'm looking at the clock 7:58pm and the launch is less than an hour away. I calculate in my head how long it will take a photographer from the station to get to Boulder to rescue him.
The photographer really truly thought that AAA or police would help him, but I'm not so trusting. I told him to hang on for a sec while I figure things out.
I walked around the desk and asked the Executive Producer and Producer what the situation was with editing tonight. They looked at me with wary eyes, protective of their show, but ready to pounce on breaking news. They were not expecting a story of a photographer in need of a rescue because one set of keys can work in two different ignitions.
An editor joined us in the newsroom and I explained again what I wanted:
Photographer 3 to go rescue Photographer 2, but to do this Editing would have to pick up Photographer 3's 10pm pkg. BUT Photographer 3 needed to do the rescue in time to make it back to the station to set up a live shot for a reporter in the newsroom. (Big breath in cause I used all my breath to explain this to multiple people. Do you understand? Most everyone looked at me like I was crazy. I can draw a graph if you want.)
Photographer 3 leaves the station at 8:03pm. Finally, I get back to Photographer 2 with AAA and police numbers for him to try as well. Of course, I was right and he got no help.
Photographer 3 made it to Photographer 2 at 8:38pm and Photographer 2 made it in the doors in time to get the countdown and all the other pieces for a nice little vo/sot.
YEAH!!! CHEERS!!! WOO HOO!!!! YEAH ME for being fast and smart and insisting this was the only way to get the vo/sot. It was try or let it fail. If editing hadn't been able to pick up the pkg edit, we would have had to let it fail.
Photographer 3 made it back to the station by 9:30 and was set up for the newsroom live shot by 9:50 with mic check and everything ready to go.
Photographer 2, after some more problems with the establishing live truck signal, got his vo/sot fed in by 9:45.
Oh yes, I did have Photographer 1 as well, but thankfully he and the reporter had no problems that I had to fix.
During the many phone calls from Photographer 2 he apologized over and over and over.
Photographer: I can't believe I did this. This isn't me.
Me: I know it's not you. It's OK.
Photographer: It's not OK.
Me: You're right, it's not OK.
Photographer: silence... What?
Me: You won't listen to me, so I decided to actually agree with you and tell you it's not OK. I've told you it's OK and sometimes these things just happen and we have bad days.
Photographer: But, this wasn't a bad day.
Me: You're right, it wasn't a bad day, but sometimes good days go bad.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Shawn Montano has a shift in attitude
WAIT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ MY POST Future of news/media & how Twitter is moving me there - YOU SHOULD. It explains why I chose to post this article. Cheers! :-)
Below is my article that I wrote for the November 2008 NPPA News Photographer Magazine on my husband, Shawn Montano. He was honored as the Editor of the Year with a party in the newsroom & exactly one week later he was laid off. He asked me to write the article over the complaints of the magazine editor, who thought I would write a fluff, lovey-dovey, piece.
It honestly was one of the hardest articles I've written because I had to keep me, my emotions out of it. I couldn't talk about what it was like for me to come to work day after day after he was let go. I couldn't talk in-depth about what it did to us emotionally. That was not the purpose of the article. The purpose is to honor Shawn and his achievements.
You can follow Shawn on his blog http://blogs.nppa.org/editfoundry/
or on twitter follow @Edit_Foundry
or read several articles on him like:
http://www.b-roll.net/today/2009/03/shawn-montanos-edit-foundry/
Below is what I submitted to the magazine editor. This version does not include the minor edits, like punctuation and titles, that were made by the magazine. Unfortunately, the magazine does not post the stories online or I would have posted what was printed & published. I promise, the edits that were made did not change the below story in any way.
Shawn Montano has a shift in attitude
By Misty Montano, Assignment Editor, CBS4 News, KCNC-TV.
Cocky. Arrogant. Difficult.
These are the words Shawn Montano, current NPPA Editor of the Year, uses to describe himself after receiving this honor - the first time in 2001.
"After I won, my only goal was to win again, to be back-to-back EOY," Shawn said.
Versatile. Teacher. Passionate.
These are the words Shawn uses to describe himself now.
If you know he was laid off from CBS4 News in Denver, CO just weeks after the announcement that he'd won EOY, you may think he's been humbled by this slap of reality. You may think this is the reason he now describes himself so differently.
This shift in attitude did not happen in an instant. It did not happen as he packed his belongings and took down his sons' drawings from his edit bay. It did not happen anywhere near the meeting where he was told he was being laid off, after being honored with cake and speeches of acclamation exactly one week earlier, for financial reasons.
This did not happen when he made a choice about his career to stay in Denver for the benefit of his sons, instead of moving to a bigger market with more opportunities and with better pay.
In fact, he now understands he's a cog in the machine; someone who can fill the holes and cut the vo/sots for the newscasts. He says that's where he should be. "If someone realizes I can cut the newscast and a good package on top of that, then I'm more valued than someone who can only do one at a time, or can do both but not as well."
Before being laid off, Shawn believed versatility is the key to be valued in any newsroom in the country. When he started at CBS4 News in 2004 he tried to go unnoticed, but soon his talent for editing was seen and he was given special projects to edit. Then there came a time when other editors were being assigned the special projects and he wasn't able to edit as many packages. "I ended up back to being the general assignment editor, editing daily news, the vo/sots. And I was bored. I decided I needed to develop another craft."
He dabbled in shooting at first, but says he had no drive for it. "I have a history of writing short stories and poems, and I was seeing bad news writing, so I tried, and what do you know? I can write."
He worked with others in the newsroom to get a story shot for him to write and edit. This led to another shoot and another story to write and edit, which led to a writing for a magazine show. "That led to me writing an entire news magazine show, which I was nominated for an Emmy. I've been nominated twice for my writing," he said. "There are reporters who can't say that."
Even after the lay off, he stills believes versatility is what is needed of any journalist specializing in any craft because as print and television newsrooms are changing for economic reasons and to be competitive in new media, like internet, phone alerts, etc., individuals are being asked to do more. Reporters in the middle of their careers are being asked to shoot video or photographs, to edit for broadcast and web, and to write web stories. Print and video photographers have gone from behind the camera, to also writing and voicing their own stories.
Shawn advises finding opportunities in your own newsrooms where you can develop your individualized craft, so you are given the projects that excite and energize you; as well as, find opportunities to develop another talent. If you are assigned to cover or to edit an event as a vo/sot only, but see potential in the story, he suggests for the photographer to shoot it heavy and ask to edit a package that can be aired on a morning or weekend show, or aired as a web exclusive. This goes for the editor as well. "If you get something you can edit and create a good story, talk with your producers and managers to get it put in another newscast or on the web," he said. "Every photographer and editor wants the juice, the good story, sometimes to be the go to guy, you have to make yourself, your dedication, known by finding these opportunities."
In developing a second craft, Shawn says trust is the key. "If you can't get the story shot and done well, then they won't give you the resources you need to do the story."
When Shawn decided to write, he found a good story and then sold his story to the news director, then worked with the assistant news director to figure out the photographer's schedules and resources to be able to shoot the story. "It was a two-shoot story. I was able to work with a photographer on a night where there was an extra photographer on the schedule to shoot the first part. The second part of the story was an all day Saturday shoot. I was able to work with the same photographer who shot the first part of the story, but I had to make a deal with the assignment desk where we would also shoot a vo/sot for the newscast as well as our story. So we shot our story and shot news of the day."
This story was well liked and soon the weekend producers were willing to work with Shawn to get more stories for their newscasts. If Shawn couldn't go out on a special shoot, he spoke with the photographer shooting the package he knew he'd be assigned to edit regarding the video and shots needed for the story. Even reporters who wrote these stories were willing to listen to Shawn's advice on how to write the story. "My best stories on my Editor of the Year tape came from Saturday shoots where I worked like this with the photographer and reporter," he said.
After he was awarded his first Editor of the Year, Shawn was asked to present a seminar in the yearly NPPA Cutting Edge. This also attributed to his attitude shift. He started to teach. He met people in all stages of their media careers yearning to learn everything from editing basics to reason behind the physical edit.
He found that he alone was not the big picture, but that putting on good news for television, web, and print is the big picture. "A good story is a story with people in it. I want to see a good story about people. If it's a fire. How did it affect the people there or near it? If it's a snow storm. How did a mother and her kids get to school that day?"
The editing of any story or vo/sot is an essential part of telling a good news story. "Good editing should help a story flow well. It shouldn't be a distraction. Things like inappropriate tight shots and overuse of natural sound can often get in the way of a good story," Shawn said. "It should flow with the story, not get in the way."
Shawn took over as director of The Cutting Edge in 2005. "I've tried to make it a little different from other NPPA seminars. I took a little from Airborne and a little from Norman and added my own ideas. I decided to maintain the same faculty year to year and to build the seminar as a team."
He also made it a round table event where the three faculty members, himself, Matt Rafferty, an award winning editor, and Lou Davis, an award winning photographer, show their pieces and all three then discuss each piece to explain it and to critique it. "We've had disagreements on pieces that we've shown. This shows the audience there's ore than one way to do something."
Each year the faculty discusses topics for the seminars and then pick their own material to bring to be shown and discussed.
"Cutting Edge is merely and educational seminar with an emphasis on the craft of editing. I decided it needs to focus on that craft, not the editors, those specific to the job. This seminar is for the newspaper photographers to the television photographer and editor. Shooting for the edit, or the way you shoot, can make the edit much easier and the story better," he said. "I was smart enough to put a very talented photographer on the faculty."
The Cutting Edge X, "The Edit Foundry," was hosted in September by The Department of Photographic Imaging, Community College of Philadelphia. For the first time the seminar was a two-day event that also included hands-on training. "I've always had the ambition of making it more than just showing our material and talking about the pieces. Editing is a very hands on skill. I've always thought while showing the technique we've used, we could also physically edit at the same time," Shawn said.
Shawn worked with Avid to have 24 Avid boxes available to audience members this year. He also loaded a hard drive with raw material for two packages, which was then installed on the boxes by Avid before arriving at the seminar. After the first night of traditional round table seminars, the faculty took attendees to the next level by giving them the opportunity to edit along with Matt. Shawn provided the same script to everyone and then explained how shots should be picked to compliment the script and then explained why an edit is done at a certain point. While Shawn did the explaining, Matt's box was hooked up to a projector so everyone could see what he was doing in his edit.
"I wanted to teach in a hands on class because you know you have shot A and shot B, but exactly how do you edit the two together? When do you start the edit? Is there logic to it? Yes there is."
Shawn admits this first hands on training was a learning lesson for him and the faculty. "There were bumps, but we've learned how to make it better."
One of the challenges the faculty faced was the vast difference in non-linear knowledge from those who attended. There were journalists who were proficient and those who were just learning. A couple of the photographers had their first experience with non-linear editing at the seminar. "Ultimately I'd love for the seminar to be three days. The first day would be round table seminar, second would be an introduction and basic editing course in non-linear, the third would be advanced where we edit together." Shawn said. "But, I don't know if that will happen soon, so I may have to keep it at a two day seminar where those who are hands on training already have non-linear experience. Again, the seminar is not about the editor, but about the craft of editing, so we may not be able to be the ones to teach you non-linear. If you've had little or no non-linear experience, I'd want you to still attend that part of the seminar so you can watch and learn and ask questions."
Shawn's goal for the hands on training portion of the seminar is set up like this. "For example, I'd like the first two hours be where I and Matt show you the raw video and how it is edited to make a story. While we're doing this, you'd be working along with us, mimicking our edits. Then after lunch, you'd be given new raw video and another script and we'd all edit the package in say, two hours. Matt and I would show you our pieces and explain why we edited the way we did and then we'd have you show us your pieces for the same discussion."
As The Cutting Edge is evolving, Shawn has decided so must it's name. The Cutting Edge is now officially The Edit Foundry. "After typing Cutting Edge in a Google search, I found dozens of links for anything but the seminar. So, first, I decided the seminar needed a name where when typed in a Google search, it would be the first link on the page. Second, I felt Cutting Edge didn't say anything about the seminar. So I chose The Edit Foundry because it says foundation or base. The seminar is about just that, a place to start your foundation for editing, your edit style for your career."
The details of next year's The Edit Foundry haven't been decided yet, but Shawn hopes that photographers, editors and even reporters, in television and print, would come to the seminar. "As newsrooms across the country want staff to do more and more, editing is a craft that more and more are going to need," he said.
For the print photographer and reporter and for the television reporter who is now being asked to shoot video or to put slide shows together for the web, Shawn says this course is exactly what you need.
"There are so many photographers who know how to shoot great pictures, but they don't know how to put these pictures together in a slide show to tell a visual story. I see slide shows all over the internet with wonderful pictures that are so well shot, and the reporter or photographer has interviewed someone for the story, but the printed words or narration and the wonderful pictures then put together are not telling a great story. With a little help editing these pictures or video together you can have a great web story," he said. "
Shawn thinks his seminar faculty may need to expand to include someone from just the print side. "I'd love to have someone who has expanded his or her print skills to good story telling with pictures and video for the web on board with the seminar to reach out to more print journalists."
In between seminars he believes there is still much he can do to help others learn and develop their craft. Shawn has started an editing blog at http://blogs.nppa.org/editfoundry/ "I hope to update it each week. It's an educational blog with the focus in editing. I load my packages and discuss how and why I did the edits."
As Shawn continues to be versatile in his career and in the seminar, his change in attitude has lead to future goal. He wants to teach full time when his time in the newsroom is done. Next month he will begin teaching part time at The CSB School of Broadcasting, which is now opening its first campus in Colorado.
That is his future goal, one he hopes is still many years off. In the mean time he is doing all he can to stay in the career he loves.
Ask Shawn now about the reel he's putting together and you may be surprised to find out it's not for the next competition.
"I used to look for the best stories for my Editor of the Year tape. Now, I look for the best stories for my resume reel."
He doesn't have just one reel. Shawn preaches about being versatile and does what he can now to do just that. "I have an editing reel, a writing reel and a production reel."
Shawn, who is a hard-core fan of roller coasters, is currently on his own roller coaster of a ride in his career. In just eight months, he will have worked for CBS Television, Tribune and Local TV. He was laid off in March. At the end of April he accepted a position at KWGN-TV, Ch. 2, a station that wasn't hiring an editor, but realized Shawn's assets that would be brought to the staff. As of Nov. 1, he will be an employee of Local TV due to a joint operations agreement between Tribune, owner of Ch. 2, and Local TV, the recent owner of Fox 31.
The Ch. 2 staff and newscasts will be moving to the Fox 31 facility in February 2009. The two stations will share many of the same resources. At this time, there's not much more that can be said about the situation since many of the details and logistics are still being planned and organized.
One thing is certain. Shawn, as far as he knows, will be making history in Denver. When he officially moves to the Fox 31 building he may be the only person, of any position, to work in all five newsrooms in Denver.
"This is nothing I expected or strived for, but it's worked out this way. I will have a unique perspective on how five newsrooms in the same market operate."
Below is my article that I wrote for the November 2008 NPPA News Photographer Magazine on my husband, Shawn Montano. He was honored as the Editor of the Year with a party in the newsroom & exactly one week later he was laid off. He asked me to write the article over the complaints of the magazine editor, who thought I would write a fluff, lovey-dovey, piece.
It honestly was one of the hardest articles I've written because I had to keep me, my emotions out of it. I couldn't talk about what it was like for me to come to work day after day after he was let go. I couldn't talk in-depth about what it did to us emotionally. That was not the purpose of the article. The purpose is to honor Shawn and his achievements.
You can follow Shawn on his blog http://blogs.nppa.org/editfoundry/
or on twitter follow @Edit_Foundry
or read several articles on him like:
http://www.b-roll.net/today/2009/03/shawn-montanos-edit-foundry/
Below is what I submitted to the magazine editor. This version does not include the minor edits, like punctuation and titles, that were made by the magazine. Unfortunately, the magazine does not post the stories online or I would have posted what was printed & published. I promise, the edits that were made did not change the below story in any way.
Shawn Montano has a shift in attitude
By Misty Montano, Assignment Editor, CBS4 News, KCNC-TV.
Cocky. Arrogant. Difficult.
These are the words Shawn Montano, current NPPA Editor of the Year, uses to describe himself after receiving this honor - the first time in 2001.
"After I won, my only goal was to win again, to be back-to-back EOY," Shawn said.
Versatile. Teacher. Passionate.
These are the words Shawn uses to describe himself now.
If you know he was laid off from CBS4 News in Denver, CO just weeks after the announcement that he'd won EOY, you may think he's been humbled by this slap of reality. You may think this is the reason he now describes himself so differently.
This shift in attitude did not happen in an instant. It did not happen as he packed his belongings and took down his sons' drawings from his edit bay. It did not happen anywhere near the meeting where he was told he was being laid off, after being honored with cake and speeches of acclamation exactly one week earlier, for financial reasons.
This did not happen when he made a choice about his career to stay in Denver for the benefit of his sons, instead of moving to a bigger market with more opportunities and with better pay.
In fact, he now understands he's a cog in the machine; someone who can fill the holes and cut the vo/sots for the newscasts. He says that's where he should be. "If someone realizes I can cut the newscast and a good package on top of that, then I'm more valued than someone who can only do one at a time, or can do both but not as well."
Before being laid off, Shawn believed versatility is the key to be valued in any newsroom in the country. When he started at CBS4 News in 2004 he tried to go unnoticed, but soon his talent for editing was seen and he was given special projects to edit. Then there came a time when other editors were being assigned the special projects and he wasn't able to edit as many packages. "I ended up back to being the general assignment editor, editing daily news, the vo/sots. And I was bored. I decided I needed to develop another craft."
He dabbled in shooting at first, but says he had no drive for it. "I have a history of writing short stories and poems, and I was seeing bad news writing, so I tried, and what do you know? I can write."
He worked with others in the newsroom to get a story shot for him to write and edit. This led to another shoot and another story to write and edit, which led to a writing for a magazine show. "That led to me writing an entire news magazine show, which I was nominated for an Emmy. I've been nominated twice for my writing," he said. "There are reporters who can't say that."
Even after the lay off, he stills believes versatility is what is needed of any journalist specializing in any craft because as print and television newsrooms are changing for economic reasons and to be competitive in new media, like internet, phone alerts, etc., individuals are being asked to do more. Reporters in the middle of their careers are being asked to shoot video or photographs, to edit for broadcast and web, and to write web stories. Print and video photographers have gone from behind the camera, to also writing and voicing their own stories.
Shawn advises finding opportunities in your own newsrooms where you can develop your individualized craft, so you are given the projects that excite and energize you; as well as, find opportunities to develop another talent. If you are assigned to cover or to edit an event as a vo/sot only, but see potential in the story, he suggests for the photographer to shoot it heavy and ask to edit a package that can be aired on a morning or weekend show, or aired as a web exclusive. This goes for the editor as well. "If you get something you can edit and create a good story, talk with your producers and managers to get it put in another newscast or on the web," he said. "Every photographer and editor wants the juice, the good story, sometimes to be the go to guy, you have to make yourself, your dedication, known by finding these opportunities."
In developing a second craft, Shawn says trust is the key. "If you can't get the story shot and done well, then they won't give you the resources you need to do the story."
When Shawn decided to write, he found a good story and then sold his story to the news director, then worked with the assistant news director to figure out the photographer's schedules and resources to be able to shoot the story. "It was a two-shoot story. I was able to work with a photographer on a night where there was an extra photographer on the schedule to shoot the first part. The second part of the story was an all day Saturday shoot. I was able to work with the same photographer who shot the first part of the story, but I had to make a deal with the assignment desk where we would also shoot a vo/sot for the newscast as well as our story. So we shot our story and shot news of the day."
This story was well liked and soon the weekend producers were willing to work with Shawn to get more stories for their newscasts. If Shawn couldn't go out on a special shoot, he spoke with the photographer shooting the package he knew he'd be assigned to edit regarding the video and shots needed for the story. Even reporters who wrote these stories were willing to listen to Shawn's advice on how to write the story. "My best stories on my Editor of the Year tape came from Saturday shoots where I worked like this with the photographer and reporter," he said.
After he was awarded his first Editor of the Year, Shawn was asked to present a seminar in the yearly NPPA Cutting Edge. This also attributed to his attitude shift. He started to teach. He met people in all stages of their media careers yearning to learn everything from editing basics to reason behind the physical edit.
He found that he alone was not the big picture, but that putting on good news for television, web, and print is the big picture. "A good story is a story with people in it. I want to see a good story about people. If it's a fire. How did it affect the people there or near it? If it's a snow storm. How did a mother and her kids get to school that day?"
The editing of any story or vo/sot is an essential part of telling a good news story. "Good editing should help a story flow well. It shouldn't be a distraction. Things like inappropriate tight shots and overuse of natural sound can often get in the way of a good story," Shawn said. "It should flow with the story, not get in the way."
Shawn took over as director of The Cutting Edge in 2005. "I've tried to make it a little different from other NPPA seminars. I took a little from Airborne and a little from Norman and added my own ideas. I decided to maintain the same faculty year to year and to build the seminar as a team."
He also made it a round table event where the three faculty members, himself, Matt Rafferty, an award winning editor, and Lou Davis, an award winning photographer, show their pieces and all three then discuss each piece to explain it and to critique it. "We've had disagreements on pieces that we've shown. This shows the audience there's ore than one way to do something."
Each year the faculty discusses topics for the seminars and then pick their own material to bring to be shown and discussed.
"Cutting Edge is merely and educational seminar with an emphasis on the craft of editing. I decided it needs to focus on that craft, not the editors, those specific to the job. This seminar is for the newspaper photographers to the television photographer and editor. Shooting for the edit, or the way you shoot, can make the edit much easier and the story better," he said. "I was smart enough to put a very talented photographer on the faculty."
The Cutting Edge X, "The Edit Foundry," was hosted in September by The Department of Photographic Imaging, Community College of Philadelphia. For the first time the seminar was a two-day event that also included hands-on training. "I've always had the ambition of making it more than just showing our material and talking about the pieces. Editing is a very hands on skill. I've always thought while showing the technique we've used, we could also physically edit at the same time," Shawn said.
Shawn worked with Avid to have 24 Avid boxes available to audience members this year. He also loaded a hard drive with raw material for two packages, which was then installed on the boxes by Avid before arriving at the seminar. After the first night of traditional round table seminars, the faculty took attendees to the next level by giving them the opportunity to edit along with Matt. Shawn provided the same script to everyone and then explained how shots should be picked to compliment the script and then explained why an edit is done at a certain point. While Shawn did the explaining, Matt's box was hooked up to a projector so everyone could see what he was doing in his edit.
"I wanted to teach in a hands on class because you know you have shot A and shot B, but exactly how do you edit the two together? When do you start the edit? Is there logic to it? Yes there is."
Shawn admits this first hands on training was a learning lesson for him and the faculty. "There were bumps, but we've learned how to make it better."
One of the challenges the faculty faced was the vast difference in non-linear knowledge from those who attended. There were journalists who were proficient and those who were just learning. A couple of the photographers had their first experience with non-linear editing at the seminar. "Ultimately I'd love for the seminar to be three days. The first day would be round table seminar, second would be an introduction and basic editing course in non-linear, the third would be advanced where we edit together." Shawn said. "But, I don't know if that will happen soon, so I may have to keep it at a two day seminar where those who are hands on training already have non-linear experience. Again, the seminar is not about the editor, but about the craft of editing, so we may not be able to be the ones to teach you non-linear. If you've had little or no non-linear experience, I'd want you to still attend that part of the seminar so you can watch and learn and ask questions."
Shawn's goal for the hands on training portion of the seminar is set up like this. "For example, I'd like the first two hours be where I and Matt show you the raw video and how it is edited to make a story. While we're doing this, you'd be working along with us, mimicking our edits. Then after lunch, you'd be given new raw video and another script and we'd all edit the package in say, two hours. Matt and I would show you our pieces and explain why we edited the way we did and then we'd have you show us your pieces for the same discussion."
As The Cutting Edge is evolving, Shawn has decided so must it's name. The Cutting Edge is now officially The Edit Foundry. "After typing Cutting Edge in a Google search, I found dozens of links for anything but the seminar. So, first, I decided the seminar needed a name where when typed in a Google search, it would be the first link on the page. Second, I felt Cutting Edge didn't say anything about the seminar. So I chose The Edit Foundry because it says foundation or base. The seminar is about just that, a place to start your foundation for editing, your edit style for your career."
The details of next year's The Edit Foundry haven't been decided yet, but Shawn hopes that photographers, editors and even reporters, in television and print, would come to the seminar. "As newsrooms across the country want staff to do more and more, editing is a craft that more and more are going to need," he said.
For the print photographer and reporter and for the television reporter who is now being asked to shoot video or to put slide shows together for the web, Shawn says this course is exactly what you need.
"There are so many photographers who know how to shoot great pictures, but they don't know how to put these pictures together in a slide show to tell a visual story. I see slide shows all over the internet with wonderful pictures that are so well shot, and the reporter or photographer has interviewed someone for the story, but the printed words or narration and the wonderful pictures then put together are not telling a great story. With a little help editing these pictures or video together you can have a great web story," he said. "
Shawn thinks his seminar faculty may need to expand to include someone from just the print side. "I'd love to have someone who has expanded his or her print skills to good story telling with pictures and video for the web on board with the seminar to reach out to more print journalists."
In between seminars he believes there is still much he can do to help others learn and develop their craft. Shawn has started an editing blog at http://blogs.nppa.org/editfoundry/ "I hope to update it each week. It's an educational blog with the focus in editing. I load my packages and discuss how and why I did the edits."
As Shawn continues to be versatile in his career and in the seminar, his change in attitude has lead to future goal. He wants to teach full time when his time in the newsroom is done. Next month he will begin teaching part time at The CSB School of Broadcasting, which is now opening its first campus in Colorado.
That is his future goal, one he hopes is still many years off. In the mean time he is doing all he can to stay in the career he loves.
Ask Shawn now about the reel he's putting together and you may be surprised to find out it's not for the next competition.
"I used to look for the best stories for my Editor of the Year tape. Now, I look for the best stories for my resume reel."
He doesn't have just one reel. Shawn preaches about being versatile and does what he can now to do just that. "I have an editing reel, a writing reel and a production reel."
Shawn, who is a hard-core fan of roller coasters, is currently on his own roller coaster of a ride in his career. In just eight months, he will have worked for CBS Television, Tribune and Local TV. He was laid off in March. At the end of April he accepted a position at KWGN-TV, Ch. 2, a station that wasn't hiring an editor, but realized Shawn's assets that would be brought to the staff. As of Nov. 1, he will be an employee of Local TV due to a joint operations agreement between Tribune, owner of Ch. 2, and Local TV, the recent owner of Fox 31.
The Ch. 2 staff and newscasts will be moving to the Fox 31 facility in February 2009. The two stations will share many of the same resources. At this time, there's not much more that can be said about the situation since many of the details and logistics are still being planned and organized.
One thing is certain. Shawn, as far as he knows, will be making history in Denver. When he officially moves to the Fox 31 building he may be the only person, of any position, to work in all five newsrooms in Denver.
"This is nothing I expected or strived for, but it's worked out this way. I will have a unique perspective on how five newsrooms in the same market operate."
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