Reporter Standups

I just saw a taped reporter standup that was a real missed opportunity. She was walking and talking but not really saying a whole lot. I can guess why this ended up in her pkg. She shot one standup and then when she got to writing, she was stuck with it. She did something bland so she could put it anywhere.

Ideally, a standup could be interchangable with a paragraph in the story. It should be that integrated. Obviously you can't write your story till you actually cover the story, but some are better than others in being able to sketch it out in their head. If you have a reporter who has standups that seem sort of extraneous and tacked on, encourage them to shoot several-- saying several different things. Enourage them to work with their photographer to brainstorm creative standups. Encourage them to call you from the field if they need help (sometimes it's a lot easier for someone not directly involved with the story to come up with something). No shame in asking for help. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and maybe in this case, the reporter just needs a little assistance getting up to speed in standups.