I Don't Know
There are moments in your career you always remember. Many times, it's because you learn something valuable about something, someone else, or yourself.
This particular time, I gleaned a nugget from all three realms.
It was my first job in the "big city." Well, of course it was big compared to my hometown of about 16,000 people at the time I left. THIS town had buildings with more than three floors. THIS town had more than three bridges. THIS town would be instrumental when it came to shaping the way this newsie put some polish on his craft.
I had been in Portland for just five weeks. My job at the time was anchoring the weekend news, and picking up a reporting shift or two during the week. On this particular Saturday morning, my regular partner was off, and someone else was stepping-in to co-anchor the show. I didn't know her well, which made that morning a little tougher in more than one respect. After all, she was a stranger, and I was still getting used to news radio myself.
Outside of a few bumps we survived the morning. At 9am, the news was over, and the weekend talk shows began. The shift wasn't over until 1pm, so in these last few hours, we were responsible for writing and reporting news updates at the top and bottom of the hour.
The scanner began squawking about a major car accident on one of the local freeways. While my reporter instinct was still fairly new, it kicked-in, and I dashed out the door and headed towards the scene. I arrived just in time to get an update from the officer on the scene AND be ready for a live update at the top of the hour. She introduced me, I told my story, then she had a follow-up question...
"Brian, do we know what caused this accident?"
"No we don't. The officer I spoke with said the investigation would take a few more hours."
"How about the people hurt, do we know where they were taken?"
I paused for a split-second. In my report, I had just said "The four victims, three of which had serious injuries, are being taken to the hospital. The officer I spoke with didn't have any more information." So, why was she asking me something I obviously didn't know? Oh well, Brian, think of something. Say something. NOW!
"I don't know," I responded live on the air.
There was another long pause, then, after what seemed like an eternity, the voice back at the station said "Well, we'll have more information on the crash the moment it becomes available."
I remember feeling badly about saying "I don't know" on the air. After all, people were counting on me to know what was going on. Later in the week, another colleague cornered me, and congratulated me on what I thought was a big mistake. She said one of the most powerful phrases a reporter can utter is "I don't know." She said it was one of the most honest answers in the business, and that some reporters might have even been tempted to make up an answer. And yes, she did teach me that it's always a good idea to follow an "I don't know" or an "I'm not sure" with "but I will try to get that information as soon as possible."
Since that time, I've used the phrase "I don't know, but as soon as I find out, you'll hear it right here" a lot. Granted, saying "I don't know" in every story my cause some to question your credibility, but in a developing news situation where the facts are unclear, never be afraid to be honest. No one is expecting you to know everything. I believe they're expecting you to tell them only what you DO know. And if there's something obvious you're omitting because you don't know the details, let your news consumer know you're on the job. "We're not sure if anyone is inside this burning building, or if anyone has been hurt, but we're on the phone right now and as soon as we know, YOU will know." It's actually pretty effective in getting your listeners/viewers a little more invested in this developing situation.
Whoever thought not knowing something would make you sound so smart?
This particular time, I gleaned a nugget from all three realms.
It was my first job in the "big city." Well, of course it was big compared to my hometown of about 16,000 people at the time I left. THIS town had buildings with more than three floors. THIS town had more than three bridges. THIS town would be instrumental when it came to shaping the way this newsie put some polish on his craft.
I had been in Portland for just five weeks. My job at the time was anchoring the weekend news, and picking up a reporting shift or two during the week. On this particular Saturday morning, my regular partner was off, and someone else was stepping-in to co-anchor the show. I didn't know her well, which made that morning a little tougher in more than one respect. After all, she was a stranger, and I was still getting used to news radio myself.
Outside of a few bumps we survived the morning. At 9am, the news was over, and the weekend talk shows began. The shift wasn't over until 1pm, so in these last few hours, we were responsible for writing and reporting news updates at the top and bottom of the hour.
The scanner began squawking about a major car accident on one of the local freeways. While my reporter instinct was still fairly new, it kicked-in, and I dashed out the door and headed towards the scene. I arrived just in time to get an update from the officer on the scene AND be ready for a live update at the top of the hour. She introduced me, I told my story, then she had a follow-up question...
"Brian, do we know what caused this accident?"
"No we don't. The officer I spoke with said the investigation would take a few more hours."
"How about the people hurt, do we know where they were taken?"
I paused for a split-second. In my report, I had just said "The four victims, three of which had serious injuries, are being taken to the hospital. The officer I spoke with didn't have any more information." So, why was she asking me something I obviously didn't know? Oh well, Brian, think of something. Say something. NOW!
"I don't know," I responded live on the air.
There was another long pause, then, after what seemed like an eternity, the voice back at the station said "Well, we'll have more information on the crash the moment it becomes available."
I remember feeling badly about saying "I don't know" on the air. After all, people were counting on me to know what was going on. Later in the week, another colleague cornered me, and congratulated me on what I thought was a big mistake. She said one of the most powerful phrases a reporter can utter is "I don't know." She said it was one of the most honest answers in the business, and that some reporters might have even been tempted to make up an answer. And yes, she did teach me that it's always a good idea to follow an "I don't know" or an "I'm not sure" with "but I will try to get that information as soon as possible."
Since that time, I've used the phrase "I don't know, but as soon as I find out, you'll hear it right here" a lot. Granted, saying "I don't know" in every story my cause some to question your credibility, but in a developing news situation where the facts are unclear, never be afraid to be honest. No one is expecting you to know everything. I believe they're expecting you to tell them only what you DO know. And if there's something obvious you're omitting because you don't know the details, let your news consumer know you're on the job. "We're not sure if anyone is inside this burning building, or if anyone has been hurt, but we're on the phone right now and as soon as we know, YOU will know." It's actually pretty effective in getting your listeners/viewers a little more invested in this developing situation.
Whoever thought not knowing something would make you sound so smart?
Posted by Brian Calvert at Tuesday, July 07. 2009 
Categories: TV, Radio, Journalism
Tags: Broadcasting Radio Journalism Writing TV
Categories: TV, Radio, Journalism
Tags: Broadcasting Radio Journalism Writing TV
I remember learning this lesson early in my career as well. I wish more people knew it's okay to not know everything. Well said, Brian.
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This is a very important lesson to learn as early as possible. As a kid, I remember knowing "everything" only to find out later I knew nothing. I'm not sure if you meant to do this, Brian, but your post makes another clear point. There's a certain honesty and vulnerability in the phrase "I don't know" that makes it somewhat endearing. It's not the fact the person doesn't know the answer, it's the fact they cared to be candid enough to say they didn't know.
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I've forwarded this to my fellow recent journalism grads. I don't remember this one covered in class, but it really resonated with me. BTW, know of anyone hiring these days?
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Art is a human activity which has as its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings to which men have risen.
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