MY FIRST WORK ASSIGNMENT
"Unforgettable", says new journalist
Never will Zhou Yang (ZY) forget his first assignment at the office of a popular English newspaper. His discussion with his new boss, Hu Xin (HX), was to strongly influence his life as a journalist.
HX: Welcome. We're delighted you're coming to work with us. Your first job here will be an assistant journalist. Do you have any questions?
ZY: Can I go out on a story immediately?
HX: (laughing) That' s admirable, but I' m afraid it would be unusual ! Wait till you' re more experienced. First we'll put you as an assistant to an experienced journalist. Later you can cover a story and submit the article yourself.
ZY: Wonderful. What do I need to take with me? I already have a notebook and camera.
HX: No need for a camera. You'll have a professional photographer with you to take photographs. You'll find your colleagues very eager to assist you, so you may be able to concentrate on photography later if you' re interested.
ZY: Thank you. Not only am I interested in photography, but I took an amateur course at university to update my skills.
HX: Good.
ZY: What do I need to remember when I go out to cover a story?
HX: You need to be curious. Only if you ask many different questions will you acquire all the information you need to know. We say a good journalist must have a good "nose" for a story. That means you must be able to assess when people are not telling the whole troth and then try to discover it. They must use research to inform themselves of the missing parts of the story.
ZY: What should I keep in mind?
HX: Here comes my list of dos and don'ts: don't miss your deadline, don't be rode, don't talk too much, but make sure you listen to the interviewee carefully.
ZY: Why is listening so important?
HX: Well, you have to listen for detailed facts. Meanwhile you have to prepare the next question depending on what the person says.
ZY: But how can I listen carefully while taking notes?
HX: This is a trick of the trade, If the interviewee agrees, you can use a recorder to get the facts straight. It's also useful if a person wants to challenge you. You have the evidence to support your story.
ZY: I see! Have you ever had a case where someone accused your journalists of getting the wrong end of the stick?
HX: Yes, but it was a long time ago. This is how the story goes. A footballer was accused of taking money for deliberately not scoring goals so as to let the other team win. We went to interview him. He denied taking money but we were sceptical. So we arranged an interview between the footballer and the man supposed to bribe him. When we saw them together we guessed from the footballer's body language that he was not telling the truth. So we wrote an article suggesting he was guilty. It was a dilemma because the footballer could have demanded damages if we were wrong. He tried to stop us publishing it but later we were proved right.
ZY: Wow! That was a real "scoop". I'm looking forward to my first assignment now. Perhaps I'll get a scoop too!
HX: Perhaps you will. You never know. |