Yes, I know the headline is misspelled (and yes, there are two s’s in misspelled). Does this matter to broadcast journalists? You bet it does. But it’s a relatively new concern, says KARE-TV reporter Joe Fryer.
We really didn’t need to worry about having perfect punctuation in our scripts for many years because no one ever saw them. But now we have to write web scripts, which means YOU get to see our punctuation. It’s not always pretty.
Joe makes a good case for sweating the details in this blog entry that had me cheering. Notice, I didn’t say “cheering aloud.” That would have been redundant, wouldn’t it? (Check here for the answer.)
Filed under: 05. Writing the Story |
Advancing the Story 
I worked in television for a number of years and can remember anchors and producers who fluffed off good writing skills.
I can recall some of them leaving town to work in bigger markets and returning within two months time.
Think it had to do with their poor writing skills? They said that it did not.
It’s hard to say why people wash out of jobs in bigger markets, but a poor writer can be seen as a “high maintenance” employee who may not be worth the trouble. Once you get to a certain level in this business, there’s a presumption that you know what you need to know, including how to write. Unfortunately, most TV newsrooms don’t provide or encourage training, so employees who lack basic skills like writing aren’t given a chance to improve, they’re just sent packing.