Poynter Uses WTVF Story As Teachable Moment

The journo think tank Poynter.org singles out WTVF Nashville, and reporter Nick Beres, for standout work on a recent report involving a compelling news story, but a limited amount of resources to make the story work.

The story involves a man who tried to run down his girlfriend in his pickup truck, and ended up slamming into (and through) a convenience store.

Poynter’s Al Tompkins breaks down Beres’ report like a professor.

He writes:

Nick explains the video, he doesn’t narrate it. That is the key to writing to video. Don’t compete with the images, and don’t say what I can already see. Tell me what I would not know from watching the video.

The fellow who drove through the quickie mart then backed up and drove out of the store and parking lot, and headlong into a giant truck.

The girlfriend was OK. So was the store manager that was pinned between the truck and a sale rack.

It’s reporting like this that keeps WTVF ahead in Nashville.