Super Kids Club interview editor
BROKEN BOW - In a turn of events, journalists are now the ones being interviewed. The Super Kids Club of Broken Bow is interviewing staff members of the Custer County Chief!
In November, the children talked via Zoom with Chief ’s General Manager Donnis Hueflte-Bullock. On Jan. 22, Managing Edtor Mona Weatherly was on the hot seat.
“They had very good questions,” Weatherly said. “They asked about deadlines, accuracy and which stories were my favorite or most important.”
Megan Crawford, Director of the Super Kids Club, said the children went online to find questions and modified them. The questions included “How do you pitch a story?” “What happens if you miss a deadline?” and what have been the most important stories you have reported.”
The interview was done by Zoom, with children approaching the computer at their location to read the question, then Weatherly answering from her desk at the Chief.
She talked about two different types of pitches a story needs. “If you want to write about someone, you first have to convince them to tell their story to you,” she said.
“You find the positive angle and you ask them what they want to say.”
As for pitching the story for publication, Weatherly said the Chief is a community “cheerleader.” While there are very serious articles that must be written, the Chief is also committed to telling positive stories about local communities, people and businesses.
The answer to “What happens if you miss a deadline” was the simplest to answer.
“You don’t,” Weatherly said. “It is a tight schedule and a lot of people depend on us getting our work done. I’ve spent many a late night making sure things will get done on time.”
As to the most important stories, Weatherly said all stories are important. “If that’s your name in the paper, it’s important.”
The children learned articles about city meetings and school board helps people know how their tax money is being spent. Articles keep people informed on what’s happening locally, what local businesses have to offer and what may be happening in the courts. And all the articles in the Chief are archived, thus building history.
In answer to a question about making sure what is written is true and accurate, Weatherly said trust is one of the most important things in journalism.
“People are letting you into their homes and businesses. They are telling you their stories. You listen carefully. You ask questions, sometimes more than once. You repeat things back to them. If necessary, you call them after the interview to check.” Weatherly also said the Internet is very useful to fact check, however, a journalist needs to be careful in choosing resources. “Make sure you are getting information from a reliable source,” she said.
The interview was a turn of events for Weatherly, who is more used to being the one who is asking the questions.
“It was good for me to have this experience,” she said. “It’s good to have a reminder of the pressure a person can have in coming up with the answers.”
Once a month, the Chief provides treats to the Super Kids Club and gives them copies of the paper so they can do scavenger hunts and look for information. It’s hoped that later in the year, Chief staff members and the Super Kids Club can meet again in person. Until then, the children will continue to meet and interview staff members via Zoom.