The explosion of online information in this decade has changed the game for reporters. Great reporters aren’t just good communicators, now they must also be public record genies who know how and where to quickly find important facts online.

Public databases and other online libraries now enable breaking news stories to become incredibly rich in facts. Investigations that once took weeks can now be wholly completed in a few hours.

The 602 Communications enterprise reporting workshop will show your team where to find this powerful information, how to access it quickly, and how to build amazing stories with it. These skills will give all your stories greater depth and context.

This workshop is all about finding the right information…fast. Your reporters and producers will learn how efficiently find essential information that adds real depth to breaking news stories.

They will also learn how to unlock a treasure trove of public documents that contain vital information for adding hard data to their stories.

We’ll teach them the limits and opportunities of open records laws in their specific viewing area. They will come away with practical tactics for accessing government records even when bureaucrats stand in the way.

Your staff will learn:

 Advanced Google search techniques that quickly find more relevant resources.
 Public document strategies that bring greater depth and resources to stories.
 The local, state and federal laws that govern your access to public documents.
 A vast list of online resources that will help your team cover government and business data more effectively. Your audience will better understand where their dollars are going.
 Online resources and strategies for when bureaucrats stand in the way of obtaining public records.
 How to find and develop daily stories your competition is unlikely to uncover – until they watch it on your newscast.
 How to turn ordinary stories into enterprise stories on tight deadlines.
 How to cover non-profit entities in your viewing area more effectively.

How many times have you heard a producer say, “I don’t have enough to fill my show!” How many times have you heard viewers in focus groups say, “The station keeps repeating the same top stories over and over”?

The cross-platform nature of today’s world of breaking news requires a very different storytelling style than in the past. One story is now continually reported throughout the whole day. Many stories can actually split into two stories, or even three. Most reporters feel the need to cram every detail, every soundbite, and every video clip into one huge, super-sized report.

Each update needs its own stimulating plot twist and new discovery to keep that story exciting and relevant. The 602 Communications training teaches teams the important skills for building a day-long adventure that keeps information fresh and compelling. You team will learn how to develop multiple stories out of just one topic.

Too many reporters simply do a “fact dump.” They gather information, spew it out, then repeat it verbatim throughout the day. We show your team how to triage a story and build a structure that optimally utilizes facts, video assets and characters. We train your team to break down the individual components of one story into stand-alone reports with a singular focus. This makes the stories more understandable and keeps them fresh.

Great storytelling is about great planning and designing a narrative that unfolds across all platforms. Whether it’s breaking news or a regular story, we show your staff how a narrative can be advanced by deconstructing it.