KubanKlass: Preparing for Big Story

An assignment for Multimedia Reporting class with Adam J. Kuban, Ball State University
by Marsha Imaniara | Friday, 28 June 2013


Picture source: http://www.kensingtonacademy.com/english-courses/exam-preperation-courses/

MUNCIE, Indiana - Americans will celebrate their Independence Day in just a couple of days. As the Fourth of July approaches, so does our final assignment to cover the big story.

When preparing for such a big story project, there are a number of things that I would prepare to get ready.

First, is to do "the homework". I personally think that it is very important to be knowledgeable about the event we are about to cover. Therefore, a preliminary research is required. Yesterday, I started to try and find more details about the Fourth of July and its history. I also did an additional research about sample stories on Fourth of July celebration. This preliminary research gave me a pretty clear picture of what to write and what angle I should take to make my story fresh and not cliché. I acquired information that would help me structure good questions later. The "good questions" should not revolve around trivial or widely known facts, because I would have known about them already.

Then, it is time to structure my questions. I will first list all the questions that I want and need to know the answer to through the interviews. After that, I will arrange the questions into sequence that I deem suitable to build the story. The sequence will not be a fixed one though, it will still give me room to re-organize and add follow-up questions when needed.

Third of all, I will practice to master my interviewing skill! As awkward as it will be, in-front-of-the-mirror practice is one of the items that are on my checklist. When possible, I will also have joint practice with my other SUSI friends. This will at least prepare me to interact with people comfortably and to react naturally to whatever may come.

And finally, a technical preparation will be in order. Since the audio equipment is pretty new to me, I will practice to get used to the equipment in the field. I will also do last-minute check-ups to make sure that it is up and ready to go.

And that's it! That is what I will do to prepare to cover big stories such as the Fourth of July celebration. Just remember, preparation matters.

As Benjamin Franklin put it, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."