Date: This Conversation was offered May 21, 2008. An archived replay of the event will be available soon. If you registered in the live event, you are already enrolled in this Conversation. Simply log in at right and click on My Courses in the Welcome box.
What will I learn? See how to cover a story when everyone is watching and history is happening before your eyes. CBS national correspondent Byron Pitts will show examples and share his strategies for covering breaking news. We’ll watch four of his stories on-air and then listen to Pitts dissect his own reporting on some of the biggest stories of the last decade. You'll learn how to talk to people at the worst possible moments, stay calm in extraordinary circumstances, how to be sensitive to those easy-to-exploit stories and still make deadline as the story breaks.
About the Conversation crew: Our guest is Byron Pitts, CBS national correspondent, New York. Byron is known for his coverage of many of the biggest stories of our times, including the Sept. 11 attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2000 election presidential recount, the Elian Gonzalez story, mudslides in Central America and the refugee crisis in Kosovo.
Interviewing our guest is Al Tompkins, group leader for Broadcasting and Online at The Poynter Institute. More than 10,000 people a day read Al's online journalism story idea column, "Al's Morning Meeting," on Poynter.org. For 24 years, he worked as a photojournalist, reporter, producer, anchor, assistant news director, special projects/investigations director, documentary producer and news director.
About Poynter/NewsU Conversations: Join us in our virtual
studio as Poynter faculty and other veteran journalists discuss issues about
the craft and values of the profession. This live videocast also gives you
the opportunity to join the conversation, submitting your own questions and
responding to poll questions posed by the host.
Note: Byron's participation in this Webinar and the related Poynter conference, "Covering War at Home," is funded in part by a grant from the McCormick Foundation.
Questions? Read our Webinar FAQ or contact us at webinars@newsu.org.