reading, reading, and more reading

chapter 1 "The Crime Beat"
I'm not surprised that the crime beat suffers from a high turnover rate. it's tough. the people who succeed move up to higher positions, and the people who don't do well probably end up getting replaced. that is why it is the "sink-or-swim" test for newcomers.
i found it interesting how much different terminology there is. such as the difference between civil cases and court cases. the difference between a felony and misdemeanor. and how robbery, larceny, burglary and theft are similar, but very different, and easily confused.
it's always important to have a base understanding of any story you are writing about, and beat reporting is as - if not even more - important to have a basic knowledge of.

chapter 5 "Covering Crime and It's Victims"
Covering a story where people's emotions are involved is very difficult. I think that i would make a terrible reporter in this case because i am very much aware that i am a human being first, and would have problems maintaining that journalistic face interviewing a woman who's son just died in a fire. it reminds me of Oprah, who was told in the beginning she couldn't do news because she would cry on camera if reporting on an emotional story. hey, she's one of the richest people in the world now, so i wouldn't mind comparing myself to her in any way.
Judging the state of a victim before approaching them might be one of the most important things a journalist can do at the scene of a crime. what kind of information you get from them totally depends on the state of mind you are in. that's why i really like the suggestion to hand them your card and write on it "when you're ready to talk, please call. anytime."
being sensitive to the victim yet getting the story for the public at the same time makes me think about the reporting on the California wildfires going on right now. watching hundreds of people get interviewed who just lost everything, i don't know how they do it. there has been some controversy on the interviewing techniques of reporters covering the wildfires. yet, there will probably always be.

chapter 7 "Covering the Courts"
wordiness. i hate it. this is a reason why i would be a horrible court reporter. they say that court documents are the journalists best source for reliable, libel proof information. yet, those things are usually hundreds of pages long, and full of law jargon. i would not have the patience to sit down and try to decipher all of that crap.
but that's why the world has reporters. to break down all that mumbo-jumbo for the common individual, who didn't spend half of his/her educational life in law-school. just because i said i wouldn't want to be the person doing the breaking doesn't mean i don't think that it is a necessity in the media to have people like that.
there is so much new terminology in this chapter, it's difficult to sort through it all. there are two basic court systems: federal and state. these court systems have different levels of function: trials, intermediate appeals, and fine appeals. there are two players in every court system: the administrative personnel and the judges and juries. etc. etc. etc.
basically if you're going to be a court reporter you should have a background in law, or be able to learn quickly. maybe i should take a law class...?