When
a reporter turns in a story based in whole or in part on the
use of technology, a line editor should routinely ask these
questions. Use this "Editor's Guide to Working with Nerds" as
a conversation starter. Submitted by Debbie
Wolfe,
Technology Training Editor, St. Petersburg Times.
|
|
Editor's Guide
to Working with Nerds
Checklist for Editors
Before a reporter
starts reporting
- Where might you
get some data?
When a reporter
has brought in some data
- What format did
you get the raw data in? (Was it in Excel or did you get a comma delimited
version?)
- From what public
records are your data based? What do the original (paper or electronic)
records look like?
- Why did you select
these public records for the story / stories / graphics as opposed to
others that may be available?
When a reporter
has done their analysis
- Who has checked
each of your calculations? (including simple totals and percents)
- What are the methods
you have used to check for data integrity?
- How current are
the data -- what does the dataset cover (years, geographic areas. .
. )
- What are the main
themes of your data?
- How have the data
shaped the way you’ve conducted your interviews?
- How have the data
shaped the way you’ll write your story / stories / graphics?
When a reporter
has turned in their copy
- Describe why you
chose the numbers you’ve used in your story / stories / graphics?
- (Look at each of
the numbers) How did you get this number?
- What do you expect
the outcome of the story / stories / graphics to be?
- Who did you talk
to about the significance of the numbers you found?
Note:
These questions suggested by Debbie Wolfe, St. Petersburg Times
technology training editor: dpwolfe@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2919 (St.
Petersburg Times, 4th-floor News Training, 490 First Avenue South,
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 -- USA)
|