I will be the first to admit that I might have grumbled a bit when I got this assignment. An exhaustive look at the degraded water infrastructure across the US… I’m usually not scared of wonky stories, but this was Not a natural video story.
Then I grumbled some more while pouring through 7 wire stories to identify a handful of representative locations and interviews. But the print reporters pointed me in the right direction. With some help from a colleague in Iowa, this package came together.
Collaboration paid off. It got picked up by 31 stations/outlets – the most for 2015. Here’s how KTVU in Oakland used my package to fill 5 minutes in their 4pm newscast and send viewers to their website, which hosted AP’s interactive map.
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t think this was my best package ever. (Tho it wasn’t bad for only 2 days of shooting and a day to write and edit.) But I do think it’s a powerful example of cross-format collaboration.