By Jeff Kuehn
APSE Great Lakes region chair
PONTIAC, Mich. — “Is that camera on? Can we turn it off for a few minutes?”
So said Dave Birkett, who is the beat writer for the Detroit Lions at the Detroit Free Press, during the annual Associated Press Sports Editors’ Great Lakes region meeting, held recently at The Oakland Press in Pontiac, Mich.
“I can say a lot more if we turn the camera off for a minute,” Birkett said.
It was that kind of experience. Those who made the investment to come to Pontiac were treated to an open, lively conversation with Birkett.
Those who didn’t had to settle for just the basics — the do’s and don’ts of covering an NFL beat. The part meant for public viewing was streamed live on The Oakland Press website.
Birkett talked about how the life of a beat writer has changed — for better and worse — in today’s 24-hour newscycle.
“The night of free agency I dared to get four hours of sleep,” Birkett said. “I was trying to keep in touch with Eric Wright’s agent. After I went to bed, he sent me a text saying, ‘we’re close.’ Close to what? Close with which team? I had no idea. Then I saw a tweet saying he signed with Tampa.“ The days of submitting a mainbar and notes on a daily basis have long since passed, putting added pressure on beat writers to man their posts 24 hours a day, get the story as fast as possible and add to it as the day goes on.
Birkett immediately turned his focus from Wright signing to what tyhe Lions would do next to replace him.
That was the part of Birkett’s participation suited for public viewing as he gets ready to cover the NFL draft Thursday-Saturday.
The rest of his conversation with Great Lakes region editors is exactly the reason why editors need to make workshops like this a priority. It’s the reason editors go to great lengths to make workshops like this happen. It’s a chance to learn from one another, to share experiences about what works, what doesn’t.
Sixteen region editors took part in the two-day meeting which included an afternoon at Comerica Park on a cold, windy day, watching to the Texas Rangers beat the Detroit Tigers in 11 innings.
During Monday’s series of workshops, Birkett provided a candid look at what it is like to be a beat writer in today’s digital-first world. That’s the G-rated version.
While the camera was rolling, editors watched a dazzling display of how the sports department at the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., has turned multi-media efforts into an award-winning, profitable operation. Sports Editor Eric Olson shared tips on how they did it.
Steve Buttry, the vice president for community engagement of Digital First Media and Journal Register Company, led a discussion on ways editors and reporters can become more engaged with readers on the web. Readers are no longer like sponges simply absorbing what reporters, columnists and editors tell them is the news of the day. Today, readers want to engage. It’s the job of editors and reporters to recognize that thirst and find ways to quench it. Live chats, CoverItLive, Storify, Twitter and GoogleVoice are all avenues to explore for editors and multi-media journalists.
In an attempt to get into more detail regarding community engagement, Oakland Press community engagement editor Karen Workman went through a step-by-step presentation of how The Oakland Press has managed to engage Lions’ fans for reaction following games during the 2011 season. The presentation including audio fan reaction combined with a photo gallery from “Stompgate” involving Ndamukong Suh on Thanksgiving Day.
Editors representing Ohio, Illinois and Michigan took part in this year’s region meeting.
