P
AGE
20 K
NOW
Y
OUR
S
OURCES
3 Journalists’ Talk
People as the news sources are helpful to develop our news stories’ accuracy and authenticity. Therefore, a journal- ist must know how to write the quoted or the reported speech.
Quoted Speech
C
ORRECT
W
RONG
• “We will win the last match,” the coach said. • Police said, “We have identified the kidnapper.”
• “These corruptor,” President said, “will be jailed
immediately.” • “Can they beat my team?” Ronaldo asked.
• “We will win the last match.” The coach said. • Police said, “we have identified the kidnapper.”
• “These corruptor,” President said, “Will be jailed
immediately.” • “Can they beat my team?,” Ronaldo asked.
Home assignment
F
rom the last week home assignment, you have chosen 2 topic for your news stories. You also have written the headlines and the leads. Now develop your news story by listing
the appropriate news sources. Hints: find the news sources as many as you can and do not forget to consider the balance of your news
stories.
Glossary
to assess: to judge or decide the amount, value,
quality or importance of something
iron bar: a straight stick made of metal iron
congested: describes roads and towns where
there is too much traffic and movement is made
difficult
to croon: to sing or talk in a sweet low voice
full of emotion
to deal with: to take action in order to achieve
something or in order to solve a problem
downpour: a lot of rain in a short time
earful: to angrily com- plain to someone
to endorse: to appear in an advertisement, say-
ing that you use and like a particular product
fatality: a death caused by an accident or by vio-
lence, or someone who has died in either of these
ways
graft: the act of obtaining money or advantage
through the dishonest use of political power and
influence
to hamper: to prevent someone doing something
easily
plea: the answer that a person gives in court to
the accusation that they have committed a crime
rubble: the piles of bro- ken stone and bricks, etc.
that are left when a build- ing falls down or is de-
stroyed
severe: causing very great pain, difficulty,
anxiety, damage, etc.; very serious
tirade: a long angry speech expressing strong
disapproval
1 Get Into The Newsroom
UNIT 5
M
EETING
5 R
EPORTING
E
VENTS
O
BSERVATION
D
ISCUSS IT
• Mention some reasons
why journalists must have the skill of ob-
serving
• When do the journal-
ists begin to observe? •
Do the journalists always find the truth
by doing observation?
A Journalist was born to observe
Journalists do not write news stories by putting all their opinions. They must find the facts and avoid using
opinions in hard news, soft news, and feature.
News paper is not a work of fiction. It gives its readers the facts from recent events or occasions. This newspa-
per’s function relies on the journalists’ skill in getting the information.
There are several tools of information gathering, obser- vation is one of them. A good share of information
gathering comes from observation. By attending a meeting, a speech, or watching the high school science
Olympic, we are reporting from observation. How- ever, it is always more than that. We can take a note of
some news issues in the meeting or find out the stu-
dents’ readiness in the Olympic. Observation is needed in almost all types of news stories and good journalists must have
the ability of observing. Adapted from Newsgathering, 1986 Catatan-Catatan Jurnalisme Dasar, 2005
Read the following news story
City smokers confused about puffing ban
Adianto P. Simamora
The Jakarta PostJakarta Jakartans beware, the new
laws on smoking in public places are now in effect – at
least in theory.
Starting Saturday, Jakartans are now prohibited from
smoking cigarettes in public places and enclosed spaces.
The ban in the 2005 Bylaw on air pollution control,
outlaws people smoking in shopping malls, restaurants,
bus terminals, buses, trains, taxis, public minivans, air-
ports, offices, hotels, schools an universities.
Official have banned smok- ing entirely on two city
streets – Jl. Sudirman and Jl. M.H. Thamrin – places
they call pilot areas for the
continues on the next page
2 Let’s Work
P
AGE
22 R
EPORTING
E
VENTS
ban. Those who caught smoking
in all restricted areas risks a six-month jail term and a
Rp 50 million fine.
Governor Sutiyoso said Friday that some 1,000
officials would be out on Jakarta’s streets to monitor
the implementation of the ban.
One official, Ali, told the Jakarta Post on Saturday, he
had caught many pedestri- ans puffing in the pilot ar-
eas.
However, in the ban’s early stages, officials were only
asking smokers to put out their cigarettes and giving
them a warning, he said.
“This morning we found many people are still smok-
ing here,” Ali said. Ardi, 25, a resident of Cira-
cas in East Jakarta, was observed by the Post calmly
lighting a ciga- rette shortly
after jumping
off a public
bus on Jl.
Sudir- man in
South Jakarta.
“Is the ban effective to- day?,” he nervously asked
when he saw a public order official, flicking away his
newly lit cigarette.
“I know about the ban but it’s still not clear to me
how it will be imposed,” he told the Post.
A guilty Ardi admitted to having already smoked two
cigarettes on the bus from East Jakarta to Jl.
Sudirman. “But nobody
stopped me. I saw the bus
driver smoking as
well,” he said.
Deni from Bin- taro, South Jakarta, was
puffing near the busway shelter in Tosari, Central
Jakarta.
When told of the ban, he said he did not care about
any sanctions or warnings he might receive.
“I can’t believe that smok- ing is prohibited along Jl.
Sudirman or Jl. M.H. Thamrin. In my under-
standing, the regulation is only being implemented
inside buildings or public places of worship,” he said.
A pair of ojek motorcycle taxi drivers near the Setia
Budi busway shelter on Jl. Sudirman also kept smok-
ing and chatting unmo- lested.
Health experts have said it would likely take time for
people to get used to the ban. Its effectiveness, they
said, would depend on how rigorously the ban was en-
forced.
Adapted from The Jakarta Post, February 5 2006, page 1 The news story above is the example of a journalist’s observation.
• What things that the journalist have observed? • What is the journalist’s purpose by doing such observation?
T
YPES OF
O
BSERVATION
There are three types of observation:
1. Participant Observation
In this type of observation, the journalist in- volves in the story he is going to write. The story can
be more interesting and accurate because the journalist really know what the real situation. If you want to
write a story of students’ daily life in the boarding house, you can start by leaving your house for a while
and stay in the boarding house. 2. Nonparticipant
Observation
The journalists just become a witness or a spectator in this type of observation. What the journalist see is what he is going to write. If you want to write a story of MOS
inauguration activity, you can just sit and watch the event. 3. Unobtrusive
Observation
It is also called as mouse-in-the-corner-concept. Nobody knows when the journalist is doing his observation. He can eavesdrop on the visitors’ conversation in a bar or café.
Adapted from Newsgathering, 1986 Catatan-Catatan Jurnalisme Dasar, 2005 Adapted from Newsgath-
ering, 1986.
B
REAKING
N
EWS
John How- ard Griffin
had dark- ened his skin
and become a negro. Then he started to
live as a negro and discov- ered the reality, the dis-
crimination against negro.
Griffin had successfully done his observation and he
wrote his experience in his book, Black Like Me 1961.
P
AGE
23 R
EPORTING
E
VENTS
W
HAT TO
O
BSERVE
Here are the things to observe:
• Setting
Describe the details of the places, the things you hear and smell, or what people doing in that place. The description of the setting will be useful for any
type of news stories. Descriptive touches of the scene provide a context for your story. However, do not give too much descriptive detail. It only illustrates the
topic and make it more vivid. • Character
Most of the stories involve people. You can observe how they look and act. It includes their physical appearances, mannerisms, and habits. The description will bring
the characters alive. • Action
Things happen all the times, and a journalist must find a certain action to char- acterize the characters or situations. At first, the journalist must understand the character
by previous research or interview. • Meaning
It is also called as the plot of the situation. From the elements that have been observed, the journalist try to capture the meaning. The meaning also can answer the
readers’ questions, “so what?”.
Those categorization of observation is called as “SCAM”. Although all elements are im- portant in observation, beginner journalists must focus on the setting and the character
first.
Adopted from Newsgathering, 1986
Glossary
Bylaw: a law made by local government that
only relates to its particu- lar region
to enforce: to make people obey a law, or to
make a particular situation happen or be accepted
Fine: an amount of money that has to be paid
as a punishment for not obeying a rule or law
to flick: to move or hit something with a short
sudden movement
Issue: a subject or prob- lem which people are
thinking and talking about
to outlaw: to make something illegal or unac-
ceptable
Prohibit: to officially forbid something
Rigor: forcefulness or extremely strict obedi-
ence of rules
Unmolested: is not touched, pushed, etc. By
someone violently 1. Prepare some piece of blank papers. You are going to make a list as shown below:
Place:
Setting: Character:
2. Go outside Take a walk around the school and observe some places as many as you can. Write down the information on your note. Try to find something that can be an interesting topic for your news story.
3. If You have found your most interesting topic, repeat the observation diligently. Find more news sources. Ask some people that have close connection with the topic.
4. Finally, make your news story. You can write news as many as you can.
P
AGE
24 R
EPORTING
E
VENTS
3 Journalists’ Talk
Adjective
In observation, a journalist try to write everything he had seen. He ought to make the readers see. A good news story must be able to involve the readers into the events or the situations that are being reported. Therefore, to produce
good news stories, the journalists should be able to use the appropriate adjectives to visualize the information.
C
ORRECT
W
RONG
One of my classmates is a foreign student. One of my classmates is a strange student.
The building is quite small The building is quite little.
His brother is very tall His brother is very long
Home Assignment
• Do a simple participatory observation You can try to get involve in other extracurricular or organizations in your school. Just explore your creativity Do not forget to ask for permission if necessary.
• Do a nonparticipant observation It can be a football match, students’ activity or any event happens in your school.
• Try to write the story of your observation.
UNIT 6
M
EETING
6 G
ATHERING INFORMATION
BY INTERVIEW
I
NTERVIEW
1 Get Into The Newsroom
Ask them and get the information
A journalist is interviewing an artist before her perform- ance photo by Syukron
I
f someone keeps an infor- mation you really want to
know, will you ask him to tell you? Or you just let him
go away and you remain to be curious?
In a day, you happen to ask people to tell you about
some things several times. It is such a basic activity for
human beings to get some information.
And, in journalism, asking people to provide some in-
formation is called as an in- terview. It is as same as eve-
ryday conversation, but it requires journalistic skills
that can be learned easily.
Is it important? Yes, it really is. Most journalists believe
that good reporting is 80 interviewing.
Therefore, to produces good news stories, skills of inter-
viewing must be combined with other journalistic skills.
You have learned how to make headlines, leads, and organize the ideas in the news story, • Do you know how the journalists gather the information? Can you mention some of the ways?
• Does a journalist only need a writing skill? • Is an interview only a matter of speaking?
B
ASIC
P
RINCIPLES OF
I
NTERVIEWING
• Interview is a conversation, usually between two persons with one obvious direction.
• The journalists have the responsibility to do homework in prepa- ration for the interview so that the level of conversation is
higher. • Be open and interested during the interview.
• Make the interview fun enough and the interviewee will talk more freely. • An interview is successful when the interviewee feels free to say what he or she
really thinks and feels. • Be the guide of the interview and write the result in a coherent stories or features.
Adapted from Newsgathering, 1986
B
REAKING
N
EWS
Scott Martel, the young F l o r i d a r e p o r t e r
showed up in T-shirt and blue jeans for a
black-tie interview. It was surprisingly suc-
cessful.
From this story, it is clear that the journalists
must have courage and confidence.
Adapted from Newsgath- ering, 1986