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Working outside of your comfort zone

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by MTM, May 17, 2012.

  1. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    The first hockey game I ever covered (sidebar) was during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I knew nothing about hockey and was scared shitless (I was also 22, so that was definitely a factor). I asked one of the columnists and he said, just focus more on what is said after the game and don't spend much time trying to explain what happens on the ice. He also said to avoid "lingo", which was great advice.

    The point that we should never have something that is outside our comfort zone is fine and good, but unless you've been working GA for a long time, it's a safe bet you have sports that you're more comfortable covering than others...

    I was most comfortable covering basketball and very comfortable covering football, but I never had any interest in writing or explaining some of the technical aspects of football. There are some writers who do that incredibly well, but I was not one of them. I always preferred the "behind the scenes" stuff that the readers didn't see on TV. But there are plenty of readers who want the technical stuff, so the guys who do that are not wrong to do so.
     
  2. BillyT

    BillyT Active Member

    Mizzou: I think you're right. Give me football, wrestling, baseball/basketball any time.

    Hockey is not in the comfort zone, but I get it done.

    I find sports like field hockey harder, because I don't know the rules, but I also find non-major coaches more willing to explain.
     
  3. txsportsscribe

    txsportsscribe Active Member

    special olympics was always one of my favorite things to cover. if a person's jaw doesn't hurt from smiling after covering something like that, they have have no soul.
     
  4. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    For me, it was soccer, track and field. Tried to focus on the human element in soccer, where the score was always 0-0 or 1-0.

    Track was hard because there were always so many events. It wasn't a primary beat, so I didn't spend enough time with the people to get to know their stories and backgrounds.
     
  5. farmerjerome

    farmerjerome Active Member

    Death stories throw me off, but I guess they throw everyone off.

    There anothe one that really stuck with me though, and it happened right after my dad died. I've been at my paper for 12 years, so when a longtime coach specifically asked for me to do story it was no big deal.

    It was on his cousin, who had just been diagnosed with Huntingson's. They were starting an annual road race in his honor and were trying to get some press for it.

    Holy shit was that hard. He was just starting to slip and I couldn't understand what he said through a lot of the interview. The coach told me right off the bat that he was tested and didn't have the marker, but when the cousin was talking about his kids, I just couldn't ask. I just couldn't plaster a teenagers' future across our area (and on the web) like that -- negative or positive. I figured it was enough that their dad is living with a death sentence.

    I had a chance to do a follow up, but it was geared towards the newside. I'm not going to lie, I couldn't handle it. There are still nights that I lay awake thinking about that story.
     
  6. FileNotFound

    FileNotFound Well-Known Member

    Print this out and tape it to your monitor. No truer words spoken. The best writing is the result of exploration, and exploration never happens within a "comfort zone."
     
  7. PaperDoll

    PaperDoll Well-Known Member

    I've had the reverse experience, and I mainly cover Olympic sports. Most coaches around here have been thrilled to answer even semi-intelligent questions about their sports.

    I try to do homework beforehand, both about the sport and the players/team if possible. I get frustrated with colleagues (not just in sports) who seem to take saying "I don't know anything about [insert event here]" as a badge of honor. You have to cover whatever it is, so take five minutes to search for background before you go out there -- and maybe come back with a good story instead of 12 semi-coherent inches.
     
  8. spikechiquet

    spikechiquet Well-Known Member

    My first full-time professional job was in TV and in my hometown. I spent my whole high school and college life covering sports.
    Yet, when it came time to take a job, I went with the local TV station I had PTed at and interned at as a GA news reporter instead of moving west and taking a sports/weather weekend gig.

    I sucked at it.

    My breaking point was when RU-486 came out and I had to get "both sides of the story" and be "fair and balanced". It was so stressful and being a news story I had feelings for one way much stronger than the other...I had a tough time getting it to air without hating it.
    I'm sure the story sucked hardcore and within a week, I found out the third-guy out of a 3-person sports staff at the local paper was leaving. He happened to be a college buddy of mine, so he got me the gig. I lasted two years and left only because I got married and moved.

    I've had plenty of jobs since then, and I honestly think I was just too young and unexperienced with the situation. I believe now if I had to, I could move to news and be fine, but I like sports and so here I am...still in sports more than a decade later.
     
  9. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty New Member

    yet, sadly, there is an entire thread.
    fairly sad.
     
  10. BillyT

    BillyT Active Member

    While I agree with this sentiment, let's face it, we all have things we are less comfortable than others.

    I think this is a fair discussion to have.
     
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