Associated Press Reporting Handbook

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Associated PressReporting Handbook

• General Assignment
• or Specialization
• Chapter 8

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General Assignment?

• Larry McShane
• Helped cover the trial of Sean Puffy Combs
• Winter weather stories
• Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
• He went to Boston to write about fugitive mobster
  James Whitey Bulger.
• McShane is a general assignment reporter in the
  APs New York City bureau.

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Specialization?

• Marcia Dunn
• Wrote stories about the space shuttle
• The international space station
• A rich Americans efforts to buy a seat on the
  shuttle
• She went to Russia to cover a launch
• Marcia Dunn has been the APs aerospace writer
  since 1990.

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• Dunn I really had a desire to make contacts and
  follow something thoroughly.
• Theres such satisfaction in that. I really had
  the urge to become a so-called expert in one area
  and just write the heck out of it.
• Theres always something new.
• Always a new angle.
• Every day you cant anticipate what this day
  will bring.

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• McShane says what appeals to him about general
  assignment is, coming in to do something
  different every day.
• He prefers a nice mix.
• He has developed some area of expertise, like
  organized crime -- and humor.
• If you know the right people to talk to, or you
  can find out relatively quickly it really doesnt
  matter what youre writing about.

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• AP President Lou Boccardi says
• Beat reporting brings an expertise to your
  subject that helps people understand.
• Imagine sending a general assignment reporter to
  write a story on the national budget.
• Boccardi The phrase I like to use is to report
  with authority.
• And, write without veering off into opinion.

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• Boccardi on general assignment
• There will always be a need for general
  assignment reporters.
• The ideal, now and in the future, is a reporter
  with a literate liberal arts background along
  with some specialized expertise acquired in or
  out of school.
• I think one of the things that some people find
  interesting in journalists is that they can talk
  about anything for four minutes. And maybe thats
  not a bad asset.

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Covering the Beat Courts
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The Trial of Ennis Cosbys KillerBy LINDA
DEUTSCHAP Special Correspondent

• What is this story about?
• When you finish the story, what do you know about
  the case?
• Can you find any slant or bias in what Deutsch is
  telling?
• Do you feel like you have the facts -- did they
  sound like facts?

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• The story of the prosecution
• What can you feel as the story progresses?
• Can you get an idea where the case is going from
  the defense action?
• When the end of the trial comes, are you
  expecting the verdict?
• Do you detect any slant or bias as the story
  comes to an end?
• Was the coverage fair?
• Complete?

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• http//www.ncpress.com/LegalFiles/intro.html
• Linda Deutsch had written stories about Charles
  Manson, the Exxon Valdez trail and Rodney King.
• Then, came O.J. Simpson.
• Im just reporting the story.
• Lawyers love to talk. They are her best
  sources.
• Know the clerks and know the judges.
• Taking notes is the key to her success.
• And, dictation is really a nice plus.

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A Forum for Society

• Levels of Jurisdiction
• Watergate started as a burglary, then became a
  federal criminal conspiracy trial, then a civil
  action when Democrats sued the presidents
  re-election committee for 1 million.
• The Nature of Crime
• Crime A forbidden act

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A Forum for Society

• Kinds of Crime
• Crime against the person
• assault, threats, rape, murder, abduction
• Crime against property
• Larceny, theft, robbery, embezzlement, false
  pretenses, malicious mischief
• Crime against the habitation
• arson, burglary, vandalism

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A Forum for Society

• Kinds of Crime
• Crime against the public peace
• acts against morality and decency, adultery,
  bigamy, incest, prostitution, gambling,
  obscenity, indecency and contributing to the
  delinquency of a minor
• Crime against authority
• obstruction of justice, interference with a
  police officer, resisting arrest, breaking out of
  prison, withholding evidence, perjury and bribery

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A Forum for Society

• Rights of the Accused
• Notice of the nature and cause of the accusation
• Have the assistance of counsel
• Reasonable bail, as determined by law
• Fair, speedy trial by impartial jury
• Refuse to testify against himself
• Confront and examine accusers
• Be tried only once for the same crime

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Arrest, Accusation and Pleading

• Booking a Suspect
• May be jailed and arraigned
• Entering a plea
• Guilty, Innocent (not guilty), nolo contendere,
  insanity (not guilty)
• Plea Bargaining
• Not a strong case. Need a witness, insider.
  Strike a deal Avoids some costly trials and
  supports weak evidence.

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Arrest, Accusation and Pleading

• Preliminary Hearings
• Defendant is confronted with the evidence.
  Defendant presents no witnesses.
• Closed preliminary hearing
• Judge may order case to trial or dismiss for
  insufficient evidence.
• Other Routes to Trial
• Information An accusation by a prosecutor of a
  criminal offense.
• Grand Jury

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Arrest, Accusation and Pleading

• The Grand Jury System
• Secret (usually)
• Presentment An accusation presented by the grand
  jury after its own investigation.
• Pretrial Pleading
• Demurrer Challenge to the facts
• Challenge jurisdiction
• Change of venue
• Suppression of evidence

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Criminal Trial

• Officers of the Court
• Judge, court clerk, bailiff, attorneys
• Setting the Stage
• Description of the setting, the principals and
  the drama
• Basic Elements of the Trial
• Jury selected and sworn
• Accusation read, defendant pleads

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Criminal Trial

• Prosecution presents case
• Defense opening statement
• Defense evidence - reasonable doubt?
• Rebuttal evidence
• Summations
• Jury instructed
• Deliberations
• Release or Sentence

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Criminal Trial

• Course of the Trial
• 12 jurors chosen
• Judge may hear the case
• Confession testified admitted and
  acknowledged and described
• Cross-examination
• The Court Record

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Free Press vs. Fair Trial

• Congress shall make no law abridging the
  freedom of speech, or of the press (First
  Amendment)
• In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall
  enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by
  an impartial jury of the state and district
  wherein the crime shall have been committed.
  (Sixth Amendment)

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Secrecy as a Problem

• Domestic Relations
• Product Liability
• Malpractice

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Covering a Beat Science and Medicine
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Using Radiation to Fix a HeartBy DANIEL Q.
HANEYAP Medical Editor

• What makes this medical procedure special?
• Why was it necessary?
• When does the story turn from the human aspect to
  the technology aspect?
• Do you feel the story is balanced?
• Is it commercial?
• Is it complete?

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Why Cover Science, Medicine and Health?

• The past 20 years have brought an explosion in
  the publics appetite for news about science,
  medicine and health.
• Atomic Bombs, Germ Warfare, Chemical Warfare,
  Cancer, AIDS, Implants
• The race for space, open-heart surgery, organ
  transplants, reattachments, T-cells and robotic
  prostheses.

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Stories on the Beat

• Research Studies
• Health Effects
• New Treatments
• Health-Care Delivery

• Occupational health
• Alternative Medicine
• Legal and Ethical Issues
• Translating Science

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Research Studies

• The New England Journal of Medicine
• University of Michigan
• Duke University
• Johns Hopkins
• M.D. Anderson
• Oschner Clinic
• Masters and Johnson

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Research Studies
http//www.ific.org/foodinsight/2001/nd/nutrnewsfi
601.cfm
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Health Effects

• General Health
• What to eat?
• What to drink?
• Studies about decaffeinated coffee and
  caffeinated coffee
• Vitamin C for colds or heart disease
• Oatmeal for your cholesterol

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New Treatments

• Stories about new treatments should explain their
  success rates, related dangers and side effects.
• Cost can also be a factor. Very Expensive
• Not covered by insurance
• New procedures with new machines can run up
  tremendous costs.

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Health Care Delivery

• From the cradle to the grave.
• Medical Science and modern health care continue
  to extend the average life span of Americans.
• As people live longer, medical care costs rise
  rapidly.

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Occupational Health

• Occupational Health and Safety Administration
  (OSHA)
• Occupational Health and Safety News Digest
• OSHA's Job Safety Health Quarterly Magazine
• http//www.osha-slc.gov/html/jshq-index.html

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Alternative Medicine

• Biofeedback
• Acupuncture
• Chiropractor
• Herbs
• Magnets
• Copper, silver, gold
• Peach pits

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Legal and Ethical Issues

• State Medicare rules and regulations may disallow
  certain life-saving procedures like bone marrow
  transplants.
• Fund-raising efforts for the child who cannot
  afford treatment puts the news media in a
  position of choosing who gets the story and who
  doesnt.

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Translating Science

• deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
• DNA is used in all types of investigations from
  paternity suits to forensics.
• Many victims of the WTC disaster are being
  identified from DNA from their ashes.

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Covering the Beat

• Gathering Background
• NEXIS, Readers Guide to Periodicals
• Dealing with Sources
• The Public Information Officer, Press Releases,
  Always do your homework

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Selling Science

• Showing off research to get the publicity serves
  the science community well if they want to apply
  for grants.
• Breakthroughs in research may be just milestones
  in a certain project.
• Exploitation of the press can also get certain
  researchers advancement or job offers elsewhere.

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Covering Local Health Care

• Regulation of Medical Providers
• Universities and Medical Centers
• Local Corporations

• Changing Focus
• The Medical Marketplace
• Quality of Care

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Writing About Research

• Handling Complex Information
• Avoid Jargon, Provide Background, Make it
  Familiar and Simple, Use Numbers
• The Reluctant Scientist
• Scientists speak and write in a precise language
  often understood only by other scientists.
• Professional groups offer workshops for medical
  and science writers.

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Specialized Dictionaries

• The Facts on File Dictionary of Health Care
  Management
• The Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine,
  Nursing and Allied Health
• Dorlands Illustrated Medical Dictionary
• Dictionary of Behavioral Science
• The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Science
• The Facts on File Dictionary of Science

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The End