Week 5: Chapter 6, 'Upside Down Pyramids'.

I was a little late with this post due to the birth of Noah Rigby Allen Murray. He's my son and he's pretty handsome, thats him up there!


Reading: Chapter 6 - Upside down pyramids in The Daily Miracle: An introduction to Journalism / David Conley & Stephen Lamble. Melbourne, Victoria. Oxford University Press, 2006. 3rd ed.

• Would you include balancing comment (in the form of a source's statement) in a story if you knew that the statement was untrue but could not say so or prove that it was untrue, and the source insisted that the comment be included?

No. Publishing an untrue statement is very damaging for the individual reporter and the publication. An untrue statement leaves the publication open to be prosecuted under defamation laws. An untrue statement also affects the fairness and balance of a story, unfavorably slanting a story in a certain direction.

• Because you could not locate a source for balancing comment, would you withhold a story on which you have worked hard? Would your decision change if you knew that an opposing newspaper was planning to run a similar story, reducing the value of your effort?

It is possible, depending on the circumstances of the story, for a reporter to write a follow up piece the next day. If an opposing paper was to publish a similar story with the same amount of knowledge that I had, it might be a good idea to wait until a balancing comment is found and make my story more legitimate.

• You are sent to report from the scene of a major uncontrolled fire in a high-rise building. People are trapped inside. What dangers should you look out for? Who would you interview? When would you start writing the story?

Dangers at a fire scene would firstly include the fire. Structural damage and the ensuing chaos a fire brings with it are all very dangerous elements. Keeping clear of all emergency workers so they can get on with their jobs and save lives is imperative. Taking a calm, collected and unaggressive approach to the situation is very important. The text states that '[r]eporters who are too aggressive in such circumstances risk becoming the targets of people experiencing anger, fear, shock, or anxiety' (Conley & Lamble, 2006, p. 130).

Fire, police and medical officers are all high priority people to interview they can provide authoritative comment on injuries, structural damage, the fire's trail, and suspected causes.
Witnesses are also very significant people to interview. Witnesses are often easy to identify, and they often stick around to the end of an incident. The main use of witnesses is to allow the reporter to get a grasp of the facts.

Due to the circumstances of the incident, it would be very important to see the outcome of the event. The story could either be a recount of a tragedy, or a tale of heroism from the brave personnel who saved people from an inferno. Writing after the event also allows for the reporter to check the facts and write an accurate story.

• From your reading of news stories, do you think the inverted pyramid remains the most effective method of structuring material?

For straight up newspaper news, the inverted pyramid is definitely the most effective method of structuring material. Readers have become very accustomed to having their news presented in this fashion. It attracts the readers with the most important facts in the lead and allows sub editors to quickly and effectively tailor a story to fit, without loosing any of the important, newsworthy facts.