Last week, I was getting ready to contribute to our weekly morning newscast. I had found no interesting leads that could take time to speak to me. So I woke up very early the morning of my newscast to see if there was any breaking news. Lo and behold, a CSX Freight Train derailed at 12:30 that night and I had some material that could potentially be the lead story.
I got into the studio before everyone else including the professor and producer to try to make some calls to get the latest news. I called the Syracuse Post-Standard as well, but the editor who broke the story was not even at work yet. I decided that in order to get sound I would go to the
Geography Department at Syracuse University to get some sound for my story.
I left the studio before nine and quickly found out that the most knowledgable person about Freight Trains and CSX had left earlier that morning and was going to be out over the entire weekend. I went to another department across campus because I was told that this professor would know something. With my luck, it was a wild goosechase. My lead couldn't help me because he only took pictures of trains. He sent me over to his friend at Bird Library. That was a mess too because I jumped from the second floor, to the fifth, to the third, and then to the sixth. Ultimately, after going through three other people, I found someone who had worked for CSX 20 years ago, when I had just been born.
I came back to the studio with no sound that was worthy of broadcasting. So I called the editor at the local newspaper again and he gave me some updates. The soundbites were not great, but at least it was something that I could use as opposed to getting a lecture about how great it was to work at CSX 20 years ago.
I learned that when it comes to breaking news, it is best to go online, get some research, and find some phone numbers. Parading around a campus, when there is breaking news is not good. You must find out the number of the local police department and call them. If they can't help you, ask them who can and so on. When it comes to breaking news, few people know what is going on, and the key is to get into contact with them. So, don't try to get general info from a local source. Go to the source of the story and try to get the latest news.
I got into the studio before everyone else including the professor and producer to try to make some calls to get the latest news. I called the Syracuse Post-Standard as well, but the editor who broke the story was not even at work yet. I decided that in order to get sound I would go to the
Geography Department at Syracuse University to get some sound for my story.
I left the studio before nine and quickly found out that the most knowledgable person about Freight Trains and CSX had left earlier that morning and was going to be out over the entire weekend. I went to another department across campus because I was told that this professor would know something. With my luck, it was a wild goosechase. My lead couldn't help me because he only took pictures of trains. He sent me over to his friend at Bird Library. That was a mess too because I jumped from the second floor, to the fifth, to the third, and then to the sixth. Ultimately, after going through three other people, I found someone who had worked for CSX 20 years ago, when I had just been born.
I came back to the studio with no sound that was worthy of broadcasting. So I called the editor at the local newspaper again and he gave me some updates. The soundbites were not great, but at least it was something that I could use as opposed to getting a lecture about how great it was to work at CSX 20 years ago.
I learned that when it comes to breaking news, it is best to go online, get some research, and find some phone numbers. Parading around a campus, when there is breaking news is not good. You must find out the number of the local police department and call them. If they can't help you, ask them who can and so on. When it comes to breaking news, few people know what is going on, and the key is to get into contact with them. So, don't try to get general info from a local source. Go to the source of the story and try to get the latest news.
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