Come discuss our current #JEAOneBook and investigative reporting at 11 a.m. in Harding, Mezzanine Level. “Investigate this: Takeaways from ‘Dopesick’.” #NHSJC
@JEAOneBook I'm never happier than when I'm driving to an interview, plotting my questions, thinking about how it's going to go. And also driving back, with all these yummy nuggets in my notebook, thinking about how I'm going to show others what I've learned. Journalism is civic glue.
@JEAOneBook Here's the great thing about being a reporter: Every single day is different. You get paid to be curious. It's like getting a graduate degree in anything you're interested in.
@JEAOneBook Don't rely solely on the Internet. There are no good stories in the newsroom (or on Twitter/Facebook feeds!). Drives me crazy when reporters won't pick up the phone or just go to a source in person.
@JEAOneBook Pick something you personally care about. Talk to anyone you can find with an interest in it. Then talk to more people. Then call the initial people back after you find out more, and keep circling, circling on the material, until the real story begins to emerge.
@vkibler@nationalJEA@JEAOneBook@DorianKarchmar Favorite story ever: about @sita7290 -- raised by single mother (and her branch library!) who wasn't just first in family to go to college; she was first in neighborhood and she went to Harvard. I pieced at that story her entire HS career. The best stories are worth waiting for.
@stanti4733 @jacobhwasserman I circle back to people over and over. Time + truth (@RobertCaro). I go back to people who say no and tell them what I've learned. I go back to people I've already interviewed, sometimes 40-50 times if they're a main character. I talk face to face, via phone, text, FB, etc.
@SarahJNichols @stanti4733 @JEAOneBook@roanoketimes But who doesn't want to help a teen who's trying?! Be prepared, dress appropriately, do your homework. Be genuinely curious, always. Be humble. Kitchens are best! Sometimes, when a subject is really confusing, I'll ask, "Can you explain it to me again, like I'm a third grader?"
@JEAOneBook@vkibler@nationalJEA I choose subjects on this rubric: Whose story moves me the most, makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, makes me cry, makes me see an abstraction with breathtaking clarity. THEN I do research to see if what I'm observing -- I always start at ground level -- matches.
1/ @jacobhwasserman wants to know how to build relationships and trust -- particularly key in stories involving trauma and addiction. Always lead with transparency -- be absolutely honest about what you're trying to do. Be a human first. #JEAOneBook
.@papergirlmacy We’d like to start with the amount of research vs. reporting you did for “Dopesick.” Also, how long did it take to report vs write? #JEAOneBook
@JEAOneBook educators and students, for the next hour please feel free to ask me anything about how I commit acts of journalism, especially craft questions about #DopesickBook thanks for reading!