Journalism teachers associate with AP

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 22:59:00 GMT

By Amy Burton

Six stories above Second Street in San Francisco’s financial district, 20 million words a day feed the fire hose of news that is the Associated Press’s northern California hub. It appears to be the typical newsroom: computers and phones manned by 15 reporters in open cubicles in an open room with two editors’ offices’ glass windows supervising the newsgathering process. But the photographs give it away. The walls display images quickly recognized: a woman during the Depression, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe, former President Clinton playing the saxophone, Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. These are just some of the images the Associate Press has been recording of America and the world for 160 years. Recently, 35 high school journalism teachers toured the AP as part of the ASNE Institute. They came for an understanding of the organization’s place in journalism’s history, a peek at its future, and a glimpse into the world of a professional journalist they could share with students. “All of us came to journalism because someone brought us to journalism,” said AP Bureau Chief John Raess. “We want to help you do that for your students.” “The AP’s international scope is a good model for how all news organizations will operate,” said Lanita Pace-Hinton, career counselor for the UC-Berkeley School of Journalism. “It brings the global and local together, online and standard journalism. It’s how student journalism might evolve with technology.” HISTORY The AP is the world’s largest and oldest newsgathering organization. It is a source of news, photos, graphics, audio and video for more than one billion people a day. The San Francisco office covers northern California, Nevada and Honolulu for the world. Reporters gather and write their own news covering beats such as business, sports and biotech. They also “pick-up” stories of interest beyond their area from contributing papers, rewrite them in AP style, and send them back over the wire in print and broadcast form. The nonprofit cooperative is owned by its contributing newspapers and broadcast stations in the United States, who both contribute stories to it and use material written by its staffers. Education writer Juliet Williams left daily papers to join the AP because it provides her more reach. “It’s cool to have your story go everywhere. You have more impact,” said Williams. In 2005, 1,700 newspapers and 5,000 television/radio outlets used the AP’s news. Its photo library consists of over 10 million images. (For more info, visit the AP Web site .) The cooperative started in 1846 in New York, when gathering the news meant rowing boats out to ships coming from Europe. “Publishers, then as now, always wanted to save money. So, they said, ‘Why not send one boat and share the news,’” said John Raess, bureau chief. (See sidebar of AP history.) Being nonprofit, the AP can be a “pure news organization,” said Raess. “In the AP, news comes first. You’ll never get fired for missing a revenue goal; you’ll get fired because you miss a story.” STYLE The AP is known for its brief, “just-the-facts” writing style, Raess said, employing what has come to be called the inverted pyramid structure. It hails from the Civil War period when reporters sent the most important facts first because the telegraph wires they used were often cut down. AP stories are often shorter than newspaper stories, with an 800-word average. His organization is known not only for getting the news first but first getting it right. “AP is extremely careful about its reputation,” said Raess. “We are deathly afraid of corrections. When your audience is a billion people, your mistake goes around the world.” AP’s stylebook is the standard for many American newsrooms. Its code of ethics emphasizes responsibility, accuracy, integrity and independence. “AP reporters are expected to exercise a lot of journalism judgment,” said Raess. With only two editors and a 24-hour news cycle, reporters make more editorial decisions than those at daily papers. Stories are expanded and updated constantly. “AP’s got to be first,” said political writer and Berkeley journalism grad Scott Lindlaw. “Breaking news is my thing.” To get that news, Lindlaw calls his sources as often as possible. “I’m always reaching out. We have a beast to feed. We’re constantly getting information out.” MODERN MEDIA The AP began as a print organization but is now integrated into all the news media platforms: radio, television and Internet. “The AP is freer to try new platforms because we don’t have the physical plant restrictions: presses, trucks, etc. All we have is pure news,” said Raess. It services 5,000 radio/TV outlets and 330 international broadcasters. Television editor Ron Harris shared Lindlaw’s deadline thrill. “AP wants to be first. The demands of AP keep the juices flowing and you popping.” Harris said he moved from print to broadcast because it is the part of AP that gets the news out fastest to radio and television stations. “I’m the guy who rewrites print stories into edible-sized pieces of news: 130 words or less that can be read in 30 seconds.” Moving beyond radio and television is the newly launched “ASAP,” an initiative to capture the under-35-year-old demographic by delivering online and print content in a multimedia package created for presentation in every format, from newspapers to mobile devices. “We are in a transitional period, but there’s never been a greater demand for accurate information,” said Brian Carovillano, news editor. “Lines are blurring, media is merging: read, view, listen. But the way we gather news, source development, beats, hasn’t changed.” However, he said learning to write broadcast copy made his print writing stronger. Harris said he writes his broadcast news in active tense with a more conversational style. He recommends writers read their copy aloud like a radio announcer. “Look to lose clauses and ‘that.’ Think about it one extra time: Does it have a news sense? Is it straight forward?” TEACHER REACTION Teachers left the three-hour tour as energized as AP writers on deadline. Charlie Appleby of Bigfork, Mont., said he most enjoyed Lindlaw’s stories of being a White House reporter. “It was so insider and cool!” He and Amy Kushner from Gaithersburg, Md., began planning a lesson based on Harris’ talk about turning print stories into broadcast format. “What are the main ideas you need for your 130 word limit?” said Kushner. “Or what would your ‘flash’ be,” said Appleby referring to AP’s invention of a one line news story broadcast in times of emergency, then updated as soon as possible. The AP’s last flash was sent when the second World Trade Center tower fell on Sept. 11, 2001. “I was blown away by how much pride they take in their organization and what they write,” said Yoni Fine of Berkeley, Calif. “That is the hardest thing I have getting across to my students — personal pride in what you produce.” Joe Byrne of Gettysburg, Pa., was a journalist for 16 years before becoming a teacher. “It was mind boggling the amount of time they spent with us and how they let us disrupt their operation,” he said. “Each speaker had a fascinating story. They have to live it and breathe it. That’s one reason I got out; it’s hard to have a family. You’ll get beat if you’re not constantly on the story.” Dain Liepa of St. Paul, Minn., agreed. “It was fascinating to learn about what you can do with a small, lean staff. It reinforced my sense of their integrity.” “They are doing really amazing things, and to think, they were inspired by people like us,” said Michelle Balmeo of Santa Clara, Calif.

The Gate

Journalism teachers associate with AP