Craig Anderson
News Copy
In this section of my portfolio, you will find five digital news stories written and published while working as an assignment editor and web content producer for WSPA - a local television news station based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The title indicates the type of news report and a brief description of the information gathering process is included below each title. A link to the stories on WSPA's website is also provided at the end of each description.
Breaking News
Breaking news stories require prompt communication with both internal news partners and external sources of information, as well as quick, efficient delivery to the public.
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When we become aware of a breaking news story like the building fire shown in this example, I had to contact multiple fire departments and officials, organize and dispatch news teams to that location, send a push alert using the news station's app and social media accounts before writing and publishing a complete news story to the station's website.
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LINK: Townhomes catch fire in Greenville Co., one person taken by EMS
Breaking News
My role as an assignment editor and web producer varied depending on the day and worker availability. On weekends, I would manage both roles simultaneously - which meant that I had to make calls and organize crews while creating online stories and maintaining a digital news presence. Weekdays, I would only work as an assignment editor in coordination with a team of web producers. I also took calls from concerned citizens, like the one who sent in an image of a firetruck crashed into a tree. This prompted further follow-up with local fire departments and resulted in the accompanying online news report.
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LINK: Driver of Whitney FD firetruck avoids pedestrian in roadway, hits tree
Sports News
While the majority of my experience at WSPA was centered on breaking news, there are other stories we shared within the market.
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Clemson University's athletics programs were an emphasis in our sports department, among other local colleges and high schools. Compelling narratives about athletes, coaches, fans and families were regularly included alongside game results and statistics. I would occasionally assist our sports department when they were juggling several assignments on busy weekends. The sports department would send some information, pictures and story outline that I would help turn into a complete report.
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LINK: Clemson basketball fans and the DeVoe family head west to support the Tigers
Descriptive News
Some news stories that were presented to us through law enforcement press releases contained a lot more detail compared to most breaking news incidents.
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The attached story provided extensive detail about an illegal gambling operation discovered by Cherokee County law enforcement in South Carolina. When writing a news story with several details, you have to make a decision about what information is most important to share first. This concept in journalism writing is called the "Inverted Pyramid", which I teach to students in introductory courses.
When crafting this news story, it was the operation itself that was unique and demanded focus compared to the two men who were arrested. Their names and charges were listed at the bottom of the report while the crime details were shared first.
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LINK: Two charged after mobile home allegedly turned into illegal gambling operation
Special Event News
Each year, our news teams would host or emcee a few events in the market, which demanded more extensive coverage in the form of livestreams and social media content drives from participating audience members..
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A benefit of these events was that we knew ahead of time what to expect and had an extensive plan in place for coverage. Often, we would make sure to have an additional web producer or reporter at the station to help. We would make sure that all remote camera feeds were operational prior to the event, as well as maintaining constant communication with the on-air talent working the event. They would often send in photos and we would encourage online audiences to share their pictures with us if they were attending.
Due to the constant flow of photographs coming in, we would sometimes use a rolling collection of images from the event (see accompanying example) rather than using a photo gallery, which required more time to update new pictures. Having a plan and making decisions on the fly while sticking to that plan as best as possible is a skilled balancing act that journalists must become comfortable with. I actually found these experiences the most engaging and look forward to opportunities where I can incorporate active decision-making skills.
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LINK: Veterans Day Parade draws in hundreds of spectators to Columbus, NC