Best Practices in Journalism : Workshops

		Sat.29.Nov

Getting Ready for Campaign 2004

Friday	25 July	[updated 30.5.03]
6:30-7 p.m.	Opening Reception/Social Hour Refreshments and conversation with colleagues
7-8:30 p.m.	Dinner Welcome from Best Practices in Journalism Keynote speaker: Bill Schneider, senior political analyst, CNN
Saturday	26 July
8-8:30 a.m.	Breakfast
8:30-8:45 a.m.	Welcome and Introductions
8:45-10:15 a.m.	Covering the Early Campaign: When are photo-ops and fly-boy stories really news? From stump speeches and photo ops to the campaign bus and limited interview time, the campaign tries to set the coverage agenda. But what's really news and what's worth covering? Should we cover the campaign process itself? How can we take a photo op and turn in into journalism? Taking a photo-op and turning it into a story Dealing with stump speeches and press conferences Doing a story without the candidates Profiling the people behind the campaign
10:15-10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 a.m.- 12 p.m.	New Approaches Part I: Checking up on Political Promises So, whatever happened to that state lottery that was supposed to bail out public education? And does the proposed gas tax add up as they say it will? And do term limits really work? A discussion featuring new political stories that check-up on whether promises made are promises kept. Are term limits working? Truth checking the lottery issue Reality Check: Gas Tax
12-1:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30-3 p.m.	New Approaches Part II: Connecting the Dots between Politics and People's Lives Stories that feature the role politics actually plays in people's lives, from food labeling to garbage collecting to the new rules that govern our business. What do we get for our tax dollars? What our garbage money buys Whatever happened to the "State That Works?" The new FCC ownership rules and what they mean to viewers
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.	Break
3:15 - 4:30 p.m.	How do you handle THIS? A discussion of some ethical dilemmas of broadcast political reporting. Dealing with management or sponsor interference When do you go for the gotcha? When are public lives private?
Sunday	27 July
8-8:30 a.m.	Breakfast
8:30-9:30 a.m.	We should do this story: How to overcome newsroom obstacles to political reporting How to tell and pitch stories even your station's consultants will love and the audience research to back it up.
9:30 - 9:45 a.m.	Break
9:45 - 11:00 a.m.	Candidate Profiles: What they reveal and what they don't How do we portray what candidates are really about, especially early in the campaign? A look at the benefits and limitations of traditional profile pieces and some new approaches. Profiling candidates before they enter the race Whatever happened to candidate platforms?
11 a.m.- 12 p.m.	Closing Meeting: Reviewing your 2004 plans and take-home story ideas Story ideas for 2004, plus how to plan your own coverage strategies