Back to the Basics

I helped a news organization with its Twitter feed for the State of the Union address this week.

The company had the youthful SoMe expertise, and needed the news savvy to go with it. I rarely participate in social media – but I know a good story or an attention-grabbing quote when I see it.

Together, it was a good pairing – and if you’re a news junkie like me, a fun way to spend an evening.

The experience calls to mind a study from the University of Colorado Boulder, which concludes that today’s journalism schools tend to focus too much on technology at the expense of the fundamentals.

Study author Patrick Ferrucci, an assistant journalism professor, interviewed 29 longtime digital journalists for the research. The veterans found the newcomers adept at audio, video and social media skills, but lacking “traditional reporting skills” – writing, interviewing and news judgment.

That has certainly been my experience working with young reporters, but I see a need here that reaches beyond the virtual newsroom. Knowing how to ask a good question – and fact-check the answer – craft an engaging sentence and explain a complex topic are skills that can help a person succeed in so many professions.

When you’re ready to learn any of these, I’m happy to share four decades of experience.

(Photo credit: Sticker Mule/StockSnap)