Things You'll Need:
- Journalistic integrity
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Step 1
Be balanced. If you are interviewing someone on one side of an issue you must do everything you can to interview someone on the opposing side. Sometimes there are more than two sides to an issue. All significant points of view must be represented in your TV news story.
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Step 2
Allocate equal time. If you give one side of an issue 20 seconds of face time in your TV news story then the other sides should get about the same. It doesn't have to be to the second, but it should be fair.
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Step 3
Allow each side to respond. If the reporter or one of the people interviewed makes an accusation, allow the side accused the opportunity to reply. If there is a counter accusation, then the other side should be allowed to respond as well.
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Step 4
Include all sides in your TV news story even if one is unavailable or unwilling to speak to you. It is common to run into a deadline without reaching someone who can speak for one of the sides in your story. It is also common for a side to ignore you or make no comment. You still must show that you gave them the opportunity to respond. This can be a quote of "no comment" or a shot of you knocking on their door and being told to go away.
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Step 5
Be honest with your video. In television, it is easy to make something look like something else. Twenty people at a demonstration can appear to be a huge crowd when shot close up, but a small gathering when seen in a wide shot. Represent reality to the best of your ability.
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Step 6
Don't alter reality with your editing. By chopping up a sound bite you can make someone appear to be saying something they didn't. Be sure to represent what people actually said. Many reporters have been sued for taking someone out of context.
