I feel like I've been reading about crime for 827382 days...

One of the really cool things I got out of the eighty million chapters was how crime beats can be treasures to journalists. They offer such great stories and they usually have all the components viewers or readers want: greed, sex, violence, comedy, and tragedy. Crime reporters have to juggle many differents kinds of stories from fires to homicide so it's definitely a test of your character. The book even said that crime reporters are the busiest in the newsroom- quite interesting I thought. Without a doubt they GOT to be the most aggressive!! I also found it intriguing how society is so fascinated by crime. I'll admit the stories are more entertaining and attention grabbing.

Some of the tips I learned were to figure out how to distinguish robbery, burglary, larceny and theft. I learned some of the pressures of crime beat reporting and some ideas and tips to get myself started... if I ever felt the need to do this (which I do not believe will be the cases but nonetheless it was cool!!) I also learned some of the steps of prisoner processing, bail procedures and arraigment. This was really interesting to me because I write stories for newswatch and many of them often include a crime involving arrest and I finally know what some of the key terms reallllly mean... Now I have a better idea of what's actually going on!

I thought it was really telling how the author spelled out the fact that if you can't handle death, tragedy, conflict, and lawfullness get out because the crime beat will leave you"miserable." I know the crime beat isn't for me... thats for sure! I really liked how he included information about the crime reporter's demographics, job satisfaction, safety and job tunrover because it really humanized the fact that there are real people going out and covering these sometimes gruesome stories.

Finally from chapter one I really enjoyed how the crime beat issues were broken down. It really coincides with the fact that there are many ethical dilmenas reporters face when trying to determine what's important vs what's news. This really brought to my attention the fact that sometimes we give too much value to a crime story and we end up making them a famous celebrity, sort of like OJ Simpson. I think that's where we cross the line and it doesn't become tasteful any longer because people will just eat it up like some story straight out of Hollywood.

In chapter 5 for the majority I learned why we realllly cover crime stories. First of all its important to give society an overall view of the criminal justice system. Next we want to make sure people are aware of whats going on in their area so they can protect themselves. In general reporters want to inform, uncover problems, prevent crime and help victims. The job requires perspective, persistence, and patience and is easily one of the hardest jobsin the newsroom. For one you have to speak to various victims during their time of sadness or distress. You also must determine your actual motivation for the story to make sure you are giving the public information that is new, different, and helpful. After reading this chapter I really understood the seriousness and stresses crime reporters face with contacting and approaching victims and yet at the same time trying to do their job.

For the most part learned some really good tips for approaching crime victims at the scene, at their home, at the hospital, or over the phone. In general I learned to identify myself, and be cautious, appropriate, simple,sincere and respectful in order to establish rapport. Then I must explain my purpose and get interviewing. Other tips included doing your research, being available at all times for the source to contact you at their convenience, listen, and give interviewees time to formulate their thoughts. Lastly,make sure you are not too graphic and that you interview others to achieve objectivity, fairness and balance which afterall are the principles of solid journalism!

In my last chapter of reading (chaper7) I realized how little I knew. I knew that the law shaped and held our society together because they are responsible for a large part of American life ranging from issues such as taxes to abortion. I knew that the law controls how these things affect our lives but I didnt realize how crucial it was for reporters to translate the language of the rulings and decisions so that individuals like me could understand. In general the chapter discussed how the court system operates and how a reporter like me can go about doing their job and reporting on what occurs there.

Now I will sheepishly admit, alot of the terminology and discussion was over my head but hey I tried to wrap my head around it. I learned that the U.S. courts are organized by jurisdiction and function and that there are two basic court systems: federal and state. Within each court system there are different levels of function such as trials, intermediate appeals and fine appeals. Within these various court sytems there are two players. One group is the administrative personell who handles paperwork and proceedings. The other is the judges and juries who make decisions and bring criminal charges. I guess its obvious to say that the journalist who learns and understands the functions of these players will get the best coverage of the court beat!!

I really learned that covering the courts is Intimidating, with a capital I. You must listen, ask questions, be concise,be patient, be observant and above all, become knowledgable. I learned that court documents can and should be a reporter's best friend because it is most likely the most valuable source of information. They are libel proof, and they will not turn on you like a source. I also learned what sources to contact and which sources will give me the information I need. Also learned to make sure to cover the pre-trial hearings and rulings to understand how a case is progressing before it falls into place in the court room.

Some other tips the author give the reader were really basic but nonetheless helpful.When covering either a run-of-the mill case or a heater trial make sure you, listen to jury selection, pay close attention to opening statements, listen to cross-examination and develop some ground rules for speaking with the judge because they can be a key source for your beat.

I thought it was really interesting how the author said covering a trial is like covering a sports event- you got to know your players! Pretttty clever!

Overall the chapters were really intriguing even though they were a little dry. But hey now I'm ready to go out there and start my beat! wohoo!