Chapter 8

Small Path, Big Story

1. Which type of story would you rather do and why:
a. A ‘paper chase’ conducted entirely by computer and telephone that takes half the time it would have taken if you had left the office?
b.A ‘paper chase’ involving visits to half a dozen government offices and in-person interviews that puts you under extreme deadline pressure?

While both types of paper chases would be interesting, I would rather complete the first paper chase that would not put me under deadline pressure. This would allow me to write a more accurate story that would report the facts whilst meeting the house style, and doing the story justice. This style of story would be easier to write and would be also more convenient on a busier news day.

2. Would you be willing to pursue a corruption investigation or an investigation into organised crime if it included many unpaid hours of extra work and personal risk?

I would be willing to pursue such a story if I had a solid lead or evidence to justify the unpaid hours. Such a story may be rewarding if it achieves a good outcome however if the lead and evidence was not solid I would be less inclined to pursue a wild goose chase.

3. Would you be willing to act together as a unit with competing reporters at a media conference in an effort to get maximum information if it meant giving up your best question which you had intended to ask privately after the conference?

Yes, I would be willing to act as a unit, in this field journalists tend to rely on each other for information and they would also have to forgo their best question at the press conference. Also it is my understanding that in these situations private question time is not always possible so it would be better to ask the question while you are certain that you will get a response. By relying on my own personal skills as a journalist I would then hope that I could write the better article based on the information we obtain.

4. Who really owns government-held information: the government or the people? Why?

I believe that the government have the right to withhold information from the people when it is doing so to protect society. There are instances where the people should not need to be aware of facts in that it might be detrimental to a society’s well being.

5. If you were assigned to report on the proceedings of a conference and you had to choose between attending different sessions being conducted at the same time, how would you decide which to attend?

In this instance I would consider the values of news-worthiness and what would be the most appealing for my readers as a story. For instance if I was assigned to an environmental conference I would attend a session on climate change rather than biodiversity due to its timeliness, impact and currency angles.