During the time I was trained with BBC Thai Section (Supporting Unit) in Thailand, I was always told to think different and to report story in different aspect of Thai media.
It's about competition. BBC World Service (Thai Section) at that time was so small comparing with local media.
BBC Thai broadcast only two times a day. But local media (example manager website, mcot) reports news every hour.
If we approached the story the same way local media did, we would be behind and no one wanted to listen to the program.
We had to be an alternative program where people can tune in to get different aspect of news.
I always keep that in mind - think different.
But it's never been easy. I found it difficult to see story in different angles. I tried hard..sometimes I could but sometimes I couldn't.
When I came here to study journalism, my first part is television news, I had problem of getting into story. I wanted to do so many good story, interesting topic, some hard news. But I couldn't get the interviewee so I had to throw the story away and found something easier. I don't like that. I upset. But i have to. I always have question - how can I get into the stories I want?
Possibility of story
Then, during radio class, I found the answer that may help me getting into to story.
The exercise was that we picked one story and tried to see who we can interview and about what we will interview.
Everyone had their story and their interviewee in thier mind. But teacher pushed us forward to see more possibility of story and other interviewee we could have.
For example, my story was 'bird flu in UK'. I wanted to approach economic side of story - how the situation would effect trade and export during christmas. I would like to interview trader, exporter, and ministry of industry.
Teacher said if I was your editor and I didn't want economic story, what other stories I could have.
Well, disscuss with my partner, we might go to psychological side.
Yeah, good idea..but what else?
Um...I don't know now...who else can I interview?
Teacher said you could interivew farmer - that will be agriculture side of the story...another angle..
Oh..I could interview specialist journalist, professor from relating field. That's in case you couldn't get the interviewee you want. It's plan B, Plan C...
ummmm....I never thought about that before.
That's how we can get into story...there are many ways out there. But I never look at them closely. I know now why I couldn't get the story I want just because one interviewee turned me down. Because I never thought of more possiblity of story!
News is like a crystal
News is like a crystal which have hundred of angles. When you look from differnt angle, you can see different things.
Just look at the story in the simple way. Asking myself about who is in the story. Whom the story may effect. Who can give comments. What i want to know about the story. Who can give me the answer. just simple like that.
When you know the possiblity of story, and people you want to talk to, the story can spin around in many ways.
If you research more on the story, you will get a chance to report a better story.
Now I can see why news is like a crystal. I just have to practice, learn to think, know more..and one day I will be better, I will become a journalist I want to be.
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