I took the class "US Government and Economics" this year after knowing I was signed up for my Advanced Journalism class. Since the election in 2016, I have tried to learn more about my politics and even more about journalism within the political world. In this class, I got the chance to learn about my beliefs and the importance of voting. Mr. Royers began the class with teaching us all how to decipher biased from unbiased news. As a Hard News Editor, I know a lot about looking for opinions in news stories, but I knew nothing about making sure a story was credible. I always went straight to news websites and articles and thought they were reliable and true, and he taught us how to do an extra back-up check on all stories. I also discovered the significance about my state's government, and wrote a story about it. To the left you will see my notes, I searched online and also took notes in class about the famous unicameral. I got involved in my class and became the Chair of the Education Committee in our Mock Unicameral.
Just recently I started participating in the Omaha World-Herald's Exploring Program. There, I am taught the basics of journalism. Although I have been involved in journalism since my freshman year, they will teach me the real-world rules and guidelines to it. One topic that we have touched so far is credible sources. Here are some bullets of the notes I have taken and involved into my own stories:
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Do a fact check. Look at their sources and make sure they are real people
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Surf websites that are not commonly known for being biased
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When looking for sources, go back to sites you know you have used before and trust
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While reading the stories, make sure it is balanced (both sides to the story are shown)
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Don't go off of opinion stories, look for news
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Facebook stories aren't always legit, don't be so gullible
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Another thing we have learned is that our interviews could either make or break our story. When going to quote people and put them into my stories, I have to make sure they are reliable.
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Don't interview someone who wasn't at the event
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If they have a strong opinion, they may or may not be the best person to interview based on if your story is going to be hard news or opinion
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Don't ask questions to someone that is your friend because they will give you the quotes you want, not the quotes you need
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Ask someone who is reliable and completely involved in the topic
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I knew I wanted to write the story about the Millard West competition cheer team winning Nationals for the tenth time, but I knew absolutely nothing about cheer or the competition. My story was due by Feb. 14, and they had won on Feb. 11. This meant, the team was still in Florida and my interviews would have to be over a phone call or iMessage. Before interviewing, I checked the Universal Cheerleaders Association website for details on what the competition was all about. I looked for things like where it was held, what television channels it would be televised on, when Millard West was up, and who the best teams were. This way, I knew exactly what they won. I decided to check the UCA website because I knew they would be a credible source as they are the ones who hold the competition. For interviews, I chose two girls that had gone before (so they knew everything about the award and what it's like there) and of course the head coach, who had helped these girls win the title 10 times and knew all there is to know about cheer.