Experienced professionals discuss their strategies. This episode focuses on the differences between getting the story and crafting the story. Several journalists discuss the skills needed to be a good writer versus those that make a good reporter. While the journalists are split about whether it is possible to be both, most agree that some people are born with a talent in one area and focus on developing their skills where they are weakest. All agree that a good story cannot be written without the reporter first providing a wealth of information based on a strong foundation of facts.
Writers then make the hard decisions about selecting the best material to use to write the story.
Bobby Calvan, a news writer in Northern California known for his aggressive reporting, illustrates the techniques of a strong writing style. The viewer follows Calvan as he covers a poisonous chemical spill in a Northern California river. Calvan, as well as several other award-winning journalists, stresses the use of concrete nouns and action verbs uncluttered by too many adjectives and adverbs. The remainder of the program is dedicated to interviews with two investigative reporters as they gather information for their prospective news stories. Both men agree that their largest challenge is researching and gaining the necessary information.