Day 1: Inspirational Quote

"News is like a food: it is the cooking and serving that makes it acceptable, not the material itself." Rose Macaulay.

This is the quote I always pull out when my team complains that their stroy isn't "interesting" or "gripping" enough.  YOU have to make the story interesting and gripping with how you present the product itself.  You have to be creative with your story and present it in such a way that will grab people's attentions.  All aspiring journalists should strive to live by this quote and not just those interested in broadcasting, because it also relates to writers and photographers who get "stuck" with a story that they find "boring."  There's always a way to make a story interesting, you just have to be creative enough to find a way to do so. 

Zak Huberty

Day #1: Inspirational Quote

"I'm very excited about our product. Our product is the day's news, something for your water cooler in the morning, and something maybe to get a giggle about while you're at the office the next day. All of those things can come together in a package that doesn't have to be boring. Why take something that we find so interesting and artificially make it boring That seems like it would be a real disservice."
Shephard Smith

No matter what a story is about, who is in it, or who is reporting it, it always has to grab the viewer's attention and make them want to keep listening. Whether it is about the opening of a store, the weather, or a dangerous high-speed car chase, a story has to be memorable. This is one of my goals when it comes to putting together a broadcast. I would never want to let down the students who tune in every other Wednesday to SFTV, my high school's broadcast. After two years of creating and building SFTV, our broadcasting team has found how to be an example of this statement. High school students have an extremely short attention span, and after watching about 20 seconds of a boring newscast, they don't want to see any more. We thought, why not make it fun and informative?

We did this by creating an SAT vocabulary word skit. Fellow students in the journalism class get together and create a fun, exciting, and hilarious skit that students love. I am extremely proud when I hear other students talking about the latest SAT skit. It inspires me to keep helping improve the broadcast by making it more entertaining and memorable for students.

This quote is not only important because of its inspiring message, but because I have been tuning in to Shephard Smith's show since I was a child. When learning how to read, I would read the words scrolling at the bottom of the television. He was my first celebrity-crush. While looking back at files on an old computer, I found recordings of me "filling in" for him while he wasn't on the show. This quote is very inspiring because it inspires me to always think about what a viewer will want to see and hear, which will help in every aspect of creating a wonderful, memorable final product that viewers love.

Maggie Kelley

Kalin's Inspirational Quote

     “The First Law of Journalism: to confirm existing prejudice, rather than contradict it” Alexander Cockburn I really like this quote because it says a lot of things some unsuccessful journalists have not come to understand. When it comes to an interview when someone is needed to confess, make sure they are comfortable about it because if they aren't, they could start a big controversy around the journalist. Our job is to confirm facts, not start scandals and other horrible things.

Inspirational Quote

"There is no script at all for what is said on camera" - Anthony Bourdain

While writing scripts is a major part of broadcast journalism, when the camera starts rolling anything can happen.  This quote is inspirational to me because it implies that the only way to perfect skills in journalism and other areas of life is through practice.  Experience creates the ability to work through difficult situations.  Though Bourdain's personality is full of humor and sarcasm, he has incredible experience in the travel journalism feild that has taught him to be able to speak to the camera without a script.

My Inspirational Quote

"A news story should be like a mini skirt on a pretty woman. Long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting."


- Anonymous, linked to a Texas newspaper editor
There is little I love to do more than laugh and when I read this I cracked up. With journalism and broadcasting, I find it very important to add a bit of your personality into what you are doing so you can have a true connection with your audience and viewers. I was reading some quotes and they were very serious for the most part and when I read this quote it showed me that it's alright to keep the mood light when appropriate and you can't take your job or life too seriously.

My Inspirational Quote

"We do things with a wink and a nod. If you don't include yourself in the critique, you have no business doing it." I chose this quote because it demonstrates how reporters are just as human as everyone else. A true reporter does not think of themselves as above everyone, but, rather, he/she tries to find common ground with people they come into contact with. A reporter understands that he/she is flawed and that one can learn from and embrace the mistakes one makes. Anderson Cooper is one of my favorite anchors because he holds himself up to these standards. He knows he is not perfect and he applies this common, human attribute through his reporting and anchoring. He strives to get his point across by being himself.

My Inspirational Quote

"Be honest about what you see, get out of the way and let the story reveal itself." Anderson Cooper To me, this quote represents one of the main purposes of broadcast journalism: make sure you focus on the story. The news should focus on stories, not on making the reporter look good. While the latter's still important, the mission of news is to inform the public. The story should also be the truth, not manipulated into something you want it to be. This quote represents both of those aspects and condenses major points about news into one sentence.

Monday's Topic: Inspirational Quotes

Here's the topic for Monday's blog post:

Find a quote by a journalist or a quote about journalism that inspires you. Tell us what the quote is and why you find it inspirational. 

There's no length requirement but remember you must also comment on at least one other person's post.

Note:
I have sent out the blog invites. If you have not yet received the e-mail double check your spam filters/folders. If you still haven't received a message it's either because I typed it wrong or because you did not provide us with an e-mail. If you run into any problems, please e-mail James at james.brierton@smithtownradio.com. I'll try to response to issues as soon as possible.