contributed by Deb Halpern Wenger Associate professor, Virginia Commonwealth University and former assistant news director, WFLA, Tampa, Florida
One thing all successful ad watch producers have in common is they create systems to make the production of these segments as easy as possible. Here are some tips from the experts.
Getting the Ads
Set up a meeting with your stations traffic manager (or the person who handles political advertising at your station) or as soon as possible. Determine how you will be notified when a new ad comes into the station. Figure out how the ad will be dubbed for your use.
Dont worry about airing the ad watch the day you get the ad. Waiting a few days gives the audience time to become familiar with the commercial. Consider choosing one day a week for airing the ad watch segment. That way your co-workers (producers, promotion writers, etc.) and your viewers will know what to expect and when. Sometimes the ads never air at all! If you wait until the ads been running a day or two, you wont waste a lot of time and effort on a story that never sees the light of day.
Preproduction and planning
Create the graphics youll need before the commercials ever come in the door. This includes a look for the franchise itself as well as the labels youll use such as True, False, or Misleading. (For lists of the graphic labels used by several stations, read this.)
Prepare a list of all the races and all the candidates youre likely to cover. Get the names and contact info in advance for as many candidates and campaign managers as you can. Having this information at your fingertips will come in handy when youre trying to verify information or get a response.
Determine whether any special editorial review process will be needed. In other words, who has to sign off on the script and the finished product?
Producing the ad watch
Consider using the same director, production coordinator and tape editor every time you do an ad watch. Having someone familiar with what youre trying to do will make the pieces easier to create over time.
Try to get a set time on the production schedule for producing your ad watches. The more routine you can make these segments, the less stress youll put on station resources.
The Last Word
Insist on original sources. You may find the information you need in a secondary source (i.e. a newspaper story based on voting records), but thats not good enough for our experts!
Campaigns generally want to respond they want to prove their ads are truthful and they tend to help get you the research you need when you need it.
Avoid taking the reporter team approach to ad watch. Some of our experts found it works better to have one reporter responsible for all the segments.
Give yourself time to do the ad watch right. This is not breaking news. If you take the time to prepare a highly produced, well-researched piece, you and your viewers will benefit.
Getting Help
Political Interns If youre lucky enough to work in a college town, you have a great opportunity to find help in the schools political science or government departments. We recommend these departments over the schools mass communications or journalism departments because youre likely to get a student with a stronger interest in and knowledge of politics.
Ask for the faculty advisor to the political science honor society or for the person who teaches state and local politics. The key is finding the right professor to help you find the right student(s). Sometimes the schools media relations office can help point you in the right direction or you may also try contacting the college or universitys government relations director.
Make sure you have a system in place for double-checking your interns work. Consider having them check only facts where written documentation is possible or at the very least, make sure they know proper note-taking techniques and how to keep records of phone calls and other contact with sources.
University Researchers
Most colleges and universities will have research experts. If your station has some money to kick around, this may be a good place to find objective, outside help with fact checking. One word of caution, make sure your researcher is aware of the deadline issues, which are unique to television news. You dont want to get the necessary information weeks after youve requested it!
Community Assets
Dont overlook the possibility of tapping your communitys retirees. There may be a retired professor, librarian or researcher who might be looking for a volunteer opportunity. Try checking with the League of Women Voters, your local chapter of the American Association of University Women or your local college or university media relations office. Again, youll want to have a system in place for double-checking their work.
Set up a meeting with your stations traffic manager (or the person who handles political advertising at your station) or as soon as possible. Determine how you will be notified when a new ad comes into the station. Figure out how the ad will be dubbed for your use.
Dont worry about airing the ad watch the day you get the ad. Waiting a few days gives the audience time to become familiar with the commercial. Consider choosing one day a week for airing the ad watch segment. That way your co-workers (producers, promotion writers, etc.) and your viewers will know what to expect and when. Sometimes the ads never air at all! If you wait until the ads been running a day or two, you wont waste a lot of time and effort on a story that never sees the light of day.
Determine whether any special editorial review process will be needed. In other words, who has to sign off on the script and the finished product?
Give yourself time to do the ad watch right. This is not breaking news. If you take the time to prepare a highly produced, well-researched piece, you and your viewers will benefit.