Journalistic Standards and Practices

IV. PRODUCTION STANDARDS

A: INFORMATION GATHERING

14. LIVE TWO-WAY REPORTS

Thanks to advances in newsgathering technologies, live reports are a lot more common on radio and television these days. The demands of viewers and listeners are driving a need for ever-faster news delivery in a highly competitive media environment. The criteria for what constitutes quality news haven't changed, however, and speed shouldn't come at the expense of thoroughness.

When circumstances make it necessary to report live on a controversial news story (e.g., one that could be seriously damaging to a person's or organization's reputation or integrity), a live exchange is not the appropriate format for doing so. In those exceptional cases where this format must be used, the story's content must be forwarded to newsroom management for consultation prior to broadcast.

Any stories of this type that could require Law Department involvement must be scripted and vetted before being delivered on air.

The risk of error is much higher with live reports than prerecorded ones, which is why specific training has been developed for them.