Two-Way Stuff

sribbled test

2011-01-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

Live-blogging

2010-09-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Evolution

2010-07-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

In the beginning, there was On Deadline.

It quickly became a valuable tool for reporting breaking news, digger deeper into ongoing stories, surprising and delighting readers, and showing that we were out there surveying the media landscape to bring them valuable and sometimes just plain fun information.

That approach was brought to NPR in May 2009 with The Two-Way.

It is, first and foremost, a news blog. At the core of its mission is staying on top of what's happening, right now.

So, on days such as last Nov. 5:

We "live-blogged" the news from Fort Hood as it was coming in. That truly was a "river of news" that flowed past readers as quickly -- and accurately -- as we could pass it along. We looked to what our NPR colleagues were reporting, of course, but also to the best sources we could find from anywhere else. Those included the cable news networks, the wires, publications such as Army Times and the Army's Facebook page.

Or, on a much less serious note, on a day such as last Oct. 15, we followed right along as the rest of the nation watched that weather balloon float over Fort Collins -- and our readers chimed right in with some scientific analyses of their own.

The blog has other responsibilities, of course.

-- We want it to be a place where folks can come to get their day started by catching up on what's happened overnight.

-- It should be provocative without being opinionated.

-- It should be fun.

-- And while it certainly should spotlight the best that NPR has to offer, it also needs to be an "honest broker" that readers can come to knowing that we'll point them to important, credible stories no matter who's reporting them. If The Times or The Post or the BBC break something that people will want to know about, we'll tell them that too. They'll come back to us because of the trust we'll build up.

Through it all, I'm thinking about the person who wants timely, professionally reported/edited news and information/links of value -- and who doesn't mind once in a while being surprised/challenged a bit, having some fun, engaging in a conversation and contributing to the discussion.

A few other thoughts about what blogs like this are especially good for:

-- Covering breaking news.

-- Highlighting and expanding on exclusives.

-- Keeping track of ongoing stories.

-- Dealing with controversial subjects.

-- Surveying the media landscape.

-- Fun/touching/news-of-the-weird.

-- Explainers.

-- Interviews.

-- Peeling the onion.

Which all leads me to Surfing St. Louis and how I approached that assignment.

Build Outs

2010-02-19T05:46:00.000-08:00

Mystifying:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/nyregion/16polk.html?scp=5&sq=David%20Rohde.&st=cse

Slightly better:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/t/taliban/index.html?scp=2&sq=%22Held%20by%20the%20Taliban%22&st=cse

Where's the story?

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/10/20/world/asia/1247465280261/held-by-the-taliban.html

Wonderful:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/world/asia/18hostage.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Rohde%20Tahir%20%22Held%20by%20the%20Taliban%22&st=cse

Missed opportunity?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123851564

Underwhelming -- and where's the suspect?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123824057

Where are the links?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/02/haitis_next_big_hurdle_water.html

Perfect:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122522434

More examples of what we do

2010-01-05T09:56:00.001-08:00

Monday's shooting in Las Vegas.

And follow-up.

Engage readers with questions (Brit Hume/Tiger Woods).

And quizzes (Olympics history).

Break news from two-ways the shows are doing -- even before they air: Chertoff.

Original reporting (ball/hall of fame).

Material from the reporters and producers (Iran).

Surveillance and keeping readers up-to-speed.

Examples Of What We Do

2009-12-03T10:52:00.000-08:00

Live-Blogging The Fort Hood Shootings.

Obama Team Continues Push For Afghan Policy; Fed's Bernanke Gets His Hearing.

Lawyer: Neighbors Saw No Signs Of Family Dispute At Scene Of Tiger's Accident.

Story Debunked About Fort Hood Suspect And Presidential Transition.

White House: Elections Weren't About Obama.

How Deadly Are Rural Roads? It Depends On Your Definition Of Rural.

Holbrooke: Support From Allies On Afghanistan Is Best In His Lifetime.

Record High No. Of Americans Say U.S. Should 'Mind Its Own Business'.

Mega-Media Merger In Works: Comcast Cuts Deal For 51% Of NBC Universal.

In White House Vs. Fox News War Of Words, Who Gets Your Vote?

Fox News / White House Question Sparks Strong Response.

Examples

2009-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Breaking news:

-- The afternoon/evening Michael Jackson was taken to the hospital and then declared dead.

-- The day of the Holocaust Museum shooting.

-- When Obama holds a news conference ... news, some instant analysis and instant reader feedback.

-- As word begins to spread across the news media, as with the death of Robert McNamara.

Added value and context:

-- The morning surveillance that sets up the day and catches readers up on the best stories.

-- On Sotomayor and the firefighters case.

-- And on the day Sotomayor was announced, with multiple links.

Opportunities to engage readers and have some fun:

-- Will Palin be the GOP nominee in 2012? (More than 2,000 votes.)

-- Can You Haiku? (160 submissions.)

-- Where Black And White People Buy Furniture.

Opportunities to break news from NPR's staff:

-- Davar Iran Ardalan's posts about Iran, including the words of a leading poet and a Nobel prize winner.

-- Newsmakers interviewed by show hosts during two-ways, including Melissa Block's interview of National Security adviser Jim Jones, her interview with Sen. John Cornyn, Michele Norris' interview of compensation czar Kenneth Feinberg.

Opportunities for the hosts to add their expertise:

-- Steve Inskeep on Iran.