Associated Press Reporting Handbook

1. Associated PressReporting Handbook General Assignment or Specialization Chapter 8

2. General Assignment? • Larry McShane: • Helped cover the trial of Sean “Puffy” Combs • Winter weather stories • Mayor Rudolph Giuliani • He went to Boston to write about fugitive mobster James “Whitey” Bulger. • McShane is a general assignment reporter in the AP’s New York City bureau.

3. Specialization? • Marcia Dunn • Wrote stories about the space shuttle • The international space station • A rich American’s efforts to buy a seat on the shuttle • She went to Russia to cover a launch • Marcia Dunn has been the AP’s aerospace writer since 1990.

4. Dunn: “I really had a desire to make contacts and follow something thoroughly.” • “There’s such satisfaction in that. I really had the urge to become a so-called expert in one area and just write the heck out of it.” • “There’s always something new.” • “Always a new angle.” • “Every day you can’t anticipate what this day will bring.”

5. McShane says what appeals to him about general assignment is, “coming in to do something different every day.” • He prefers “a nice mix.” • He has developed some area of expertise, like organized crime -- and “humor.” • “If you know the right people to talk to, or you can find out relatively quickly it really doesn’t matter what you’re writing about.”

6. AP President Lou Boccardi says: • Beat reporting brings “an expertise to your subject …” that helps people understand. • Imagine sending a general assignment reporter to write a story on the national budget. • Boccardi: “The phrase I like to use is to ‘report with authority.’” • And, write without veering off into opinion.

7. Boccardi on general assignment: • There will always be a need for general assignment reporters. • The ideal, now and in the future, is a reporter with a literate liberal arts background along with some specialized expertise acquired in or out of school. • “I think one of the things that some people find interesting in journalists is that they can talk about anything for four minutes. And maybe that’s not a bad asset.”

8. Covering the Beat: Courts

9. The Trial of Ennis Cosby’s KillerBy LINDA DEUTSCHAP Special Correspondent • What is this story about? • When you finish the story, what do you know about the case? • Can you find any slant or bias in what Deutsch is telling? • Do you feel like you have the facts -- did they sound like “facts?”

10. The story of the prosecution • What can you feel as the story progresses? • Can you get an idea where the case is going from the defense action? • When the end of the trial comes, are you expecting the verdict? • Do you detect any slant or bias as the story comes to an end? • Was the coverage fair? • Complete?

11. http://www.ncpress.com/LegalFiles/intro.html • Linda Deutsch had written stories about Charles Manson, the Exxon Valdez trail and Rodney King. • Then, came O.J. Simpson. • “I’m just reporting the story.” • “Lawyers love to talk.” They are her best sources. • Know the clerks and know the judges. • Taking notes is the key to her success. • And, dictation is really a nice plus.

12. A Forum for Society • Levels of Jurisdiction • Watergate started as a burglary, then became a federal criminal conspiracy trial, then a civil action when Democrats sued the president’s re-election committee for $1 million. • The Nature of Crime • Crime: A forbidden act

13. A Forum for Society • Kinds of Crime • Crime against the person • assault, threats, rape, murder, abduction • Crime against property • Larceny, theft, robbery, embezzlement, false pretenses, malicious mischief • Crime against the habitation • arson, burglary, vandalism

14. A Forum for Society • Kinds of Crime • Crime against the public peace • acts against morality and decency, adultery, bigamy, incest, prostitution, gambling, obscenity, indecency and contributing to the delinquency of a minor • Crime against authority • obstruction of justice, interference with a police officer, resisting arrest, breaking out of prison, withholding evidence, perjury and bribery

15. A Forum for Society • Rights of the Accused • Notice of the nature and cause of the accusation • Have the assistance of counsel • Reasonable bail, as determined by law • Fair, speedy trial by impartial jury • Refuse to testify against himself • Confront and examine accusers • Be tried only once for the same crime

16. Arrest, Accusation and Pleading • Booking a Suspect • May be jailed and arraigned • Entering a plea • Guilty, Innocent (not guilty), nolo contendere, insanity (not guilty) • Plea Bargaining • Not a strong case. Need a witness, insider. “Strike a deal” Avoids some costly trials and supports weak evidence.

17. Arrest, Accusation and Pleading • Preliminary Hearings • Defendant is confronted with the evidence. Defendant presents no witnesses. • Closed preliminary hearing • Judge may order case to trial or dismiss for insufficient evidence. • Other Routes to Trial • Information: An accusation by a prosecutor of a criminal offense. • Grand Jury

18. Arrest, Accusation and Pleading • The Grand Jury System • Secret (usually) • Presentment: An accusation presented by the grand jury after its own investigation. • Pretrial Pleading • Demurrer: Challenge to the facts • Challenge jurisdiction • Change of venue • Suppression of evidence

19. Criminal Trial • Officers of the Court • Judge, court clerk, bailiff, attorneys • Setting the Stage • Description of the setting, the principals and the drama • Basic Elements of the Trial • Jury selected and sworn • Accusation read, defendant pleads

20. Criminal Trial • Prosecution presents case • Defense opening statement • Defense evidence - reasonable doubt? • Rebuttal evidence • Summations • Jury instructed • Deliberations • Release or Sentence

21. Criminal Trial • Course of the Trial • 12 jurors chosen • Judge may hear the case • Confession: “testified” “admitted” and “acknowledged” and “described” • Cross-examination • The Court Record

22. Free Press vs. Fair Trial • Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press (First Amendment) • In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed. (Sixth Amendment)

23. Secrecy as a Problem • Domestic Relations • Product Liability • Malpractice

24. Covering a Beat: Science and Medicine

25. Using Radiation to Fix a HeartBy DANIEL Q. HANEYAP Medical Editor • What makes this medical procedure special? • Why was it necessary? • When does the story turn from the human aspect to the technology aspect? • Do you feel the story is balanced? • Is it commercial? • Is it complete?

26. Why Cover Science, Medicine and Health? • The past 20 years have brought an explosion in the public’s appetite for news about science, medicine and health. • Atomic Bombs, Germ Warfare, Chemical Warfare, Cancer, AIDS, Implants • The race for space, open-heart surgery, organ transplants, reattachments, T-cells and robotic prostheses.

27. Research Studies Health Effects New Treatments Health-Care Delivery Occupational health Alternative Medicine Legal and Ethical Issues ‘Translating Science’ Stories on the Beat

28. Research Studies • The New England Journal of Medicine • University of Michigan • Duke University • Johns Hopkins • M.D. Anderson • Oschner Clinic • Masters and Johnson

29. http://www.ific.org/foodinsight/2001/nd/nutrnewsfi601.cfm Research Studies

30. Health Effects • General Health • What to eat? • What to drink? • Studies about decaffeinated coffee and caffeinated coffee • Vitamin C for colds or heart disease • Oatmeal for your cholesterol

31. New Treatments • Stories about new treatments should explain their success rates, related dangers and side effects. • Cost can also be a factor. Very Expensive • Not covered by insurance • New procedures with new machines can run up tremendous costs.

32. Health Care Delivery • From the cradle to the grave. • Medical Science and modern health care continue to extend the average life span of Americans. • As people live longer, medical care costs rise rapidly.

33. Occupational Health • Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) • Occupational Health and Safety News Digest • OSHA's Job Safety & Health Quarterly Magazine • http://www.osha-slc.gov/html/jshq-index.html

34. Alternative Medicine • Biofeedback • Acupuncture • Chiropractor • Herbs • Magnets • Copper, silver, gold • Peach pits

35. Legal and Ethical Issues • State Medicare rules and regulations may disallow certain life-saving procedures like bone marrow transplants. • Fund-raising efforts for the child who cannot afford treatment puts the news media in a position of choosing who gets the story and who doesn’t.

36. ‘Translating Science’ • deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) • DNA is used in all types of investigations from paternity suits to forensics. • Many victims of the WTC disaster are being identified from DNA from their ashes.

37. Covering the Beat • Gathering Background • NEXIS, Reader’s Guide to Periodicals • Dealing with Sources • The Public Information Officer, Press Releases, Always do your homework

38. ‘Selling Science’ • Showing off research to get the publicity serves the science community well if they want to apply for grants. • Breakthroughs in research may be just milestones in a certain project. • Exploitation of the press can also get certain researchers advancement or job offers elsewhere.

39. Changing Focus The Medical Marketplace Quality of Care Regulation of Medical Providers Universities and Medical Centers Local Corporations Covering Local Health Care

40. Writing About Research • Handling Complex Information • Avoid Jargon, Provide Background, Make it Familiar and Simple, Use Numbers • The Reluctant Scientist • Scientists speak and write in a precise language often understood only by other scientists. • Professional groups offer workshops for medical and science writers.

41. Specialized Dictionaries • The Facts on File Dictionary of Health Care Management • The Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health • Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary • Dictionary of Behavioral Science • The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Science • The Facts on File Dictionary of Science

42. The End