Are you still fuzzy on what the rules are regarding drones? You’re not alone.
The WBA, through the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, recently offered a webinar titled “Broadcasters and Drone – Rules and Regulations Governing Operations.” If you missed it, you can watch it here.
Please note that this is a members-only page.
Are you looking for a way to work smarter and make the most of your time? It’s time to review the digital tools you’re using and take a look at some others that you might want to include in your toolbox.
Poynter collected a list of more than two dozen resources ranging from databases to plugins. Check them out here. This list is compiled for the Poynter newsletter aimed at female journalists, but many of the resources are useful to everyone.
A legislative committee studying the use of police body cameras held its first meeting on Thursday. The committee is trying to establish uniform regulations for law enforcement using body cameras. A body cameras proposal passed in the Assembly but was not brought up for a vote in the Senate before the end of the last session.
WISN-TV News Director Ben Hart and attorney James Friedman are representing broadcasters on the committee.
At its first meeting the committee heard reports from the National Conference of State Legislatures, Wisconsin Department of Justice, attorneys representing local and county government, and a body camera vendor.
The bill that failed in the last session would have made footage from police body cameras confidential to the public unless it contained injuries, deaths, arrests, or searches. Victims and witnesses would also need to give law enforcement permission to release footage if the videos violated their privacy.
The committee discussed issues like privacy, data retention, transparency, and enforcement of any regulations that are established.
The committee will meet again in September.
A TV station in San Francisco is learning a lesson many stations have had to learn about the risks that come with taking photos from Facebook.
KTVU-TV published the photo of a stabbing victim holding what appeared to be a gun. It turned out that it was not a gun.
This article from Poynter said the station apologized and explained the reasons for the outrage.
Read up and be careful not to make the same mistake.
It can be tempting to trust a screenshot, but if we’ve learned anything from the recent developments in how people use digital media its that we should be careful about what we trust.
Politifact found this out recently when one of its graphics was spotted on the internet, but the the data in the graphic was not something Politifact recently published. Read more about it here.
“That’s a problem with screengrabs, and why proper Internet sleuths should always track their material back to its source.”
Is this a problem you’ve ever run into in your newsroom?
Have you been trying to up your game but you need time and money to get the training?
RTNDA is out today with a list of three things you can do to get your boss to say “yes” to training. Check it out here.
WISN-TV investigative news reporter Colleen Henry retired on Friday after 25 years on the air.
Henry won countless awards for her investigative work in the Milwaukee market and was involved in numerous high profile stories during her 25 years on the air.
Friday was also declared Colleen Henry Day in Milwaukee County.
Colleen Henry
RTDNA Executive Director Dan Shelley recently wrote about how threats to journalists are taking on new significance.
He speaks from experience, having himself been threatened, attacked, and stalked.
Shelley spoke at the WBA Summer Conference on a panel on the topic of journalist and station safety, and he’s coming back to Wisconsin in October to sit on another panel on the same topic. He will be joined on Oct. 17 on the panel at the WBA’s Broadcasters Clinic by Madison Police Chief Mike Koval, Quincy Media Regional Vice President Tom Allen, and others yet to be named. WLUK-TV News Director and WBA Board member Juli Buehler will again moderate the discussion.
Journalists will be invited to attend. More details to come.
Dan Shelley
How does your newsroom look for new audiences? It’s a discussion going on right now at Poynter.
They’re looking for ideas from you. Read up and tell them what you think.
Kevin Carpenter has been named news director at WAOW-TV in Wausau.
Carpenter comes from WLS-TV in Chicago where he was director of digital operations for the last 16 years. Carpenter earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University before serving as a reporter in Plattsburgh, New York, Burlington, Vermont, and Flint, Michigan.
He joins the newsroom on Aug. 6.
Kevin Carpenter
WBA Newsroom