By Morgan Mapstone, Bulletin Correspondent
‘I like to be able to spend more time on a subject and learn more. My favorite assignments are those that allow me to learn something new.’
— Robin Chan, GateHouse Media New England
What is the key to creating an award-winning piece of journalism?
According to Walter Bird Jr., it’s approaching the task like it’s the last one you’ll ever have.
Bird won this year’s New England Newspaper and Press Association award for Weekly Reporter of the Year for the reporting work he did as editor of Worcester (Mass.) Magazine.
“I try to write every story like it’s my last,” Bird said.
In a Worcester Magazine story in February, Checked In and Pimped Out, about human trafficking in the Worcester area, Bird worked closely with victim advocates and talked with local police and motel and hotel staffs. Although that story did not contribute to his award, Bird referenced it as a prime example of his writing style. Bird said that by sticking with the specific angle of hotels and motels, he was able to write a cohesive and interesting story. Focusing on one element of a story can save writing from becoming complicated and gives it direction, Bird said.
‘I like going out there and meeting people and getting different perspectives.’
— Merrily Cassidy, Cape Cod Times ~ Hyannis, Mass.
After the story was published, the city of Worcester set up sex-trafficking workshops to prevent more cases from occurring. To Bird, prompting such a result is the best type of achievement.
“The best type of stories are ones where something happens as a result of writing them,” Bird said.
His story ideas come sometimes from tips from his regular contacts, sometimes from pure luck in finding a topic, and sometimes from people in the community, Bird said.
“I look for stories that I think have something to say,” Bird said. “I don’t know if it’s as much my writing tactics, but rather the people that are in the story that make it what it is. The people tell the story.”
For this year’s winner of the Daily Reporter of the Year award, Doug Fraser of the Cape Cod Times of Hyannis, Mass., inspiration comes from his passion for the maritime beat he covers.
Fraser has dedicated more than 15 years of his career to following the great white shark population off Cape Cod. Surrounded by water, the Cape always has plenty of new and intense marine research to cover, Fraser said. To him, it is a perfect location for writing about topics rooted in nature that also have a technological component too, a combination he finds fascinating.
‘I try to write every story like it’s my last.’
— Walter Bird Jr., Editor ~ Worcester (Mass.) Magazine
“I try to find things that are interesting to me so in that way I put a lot more energy and time into the story. It makes it easier to write it if you have a passion for what you’re writing about,” Fraser said.
Although his stories are usually inspired by his own inquiries, Fraser stressed the importance of including the community in his work. He said the local community can affect the success of a story.
“A lot of times it’s just knowing what’s important to the community that you’re covering,” Fraser said.
The jobs of this year’s award-winning photojournalists also require the same level of involvement in the community for success.
Coming from a reporting background, Merrily Cassidy of the Cape Cod Times, winner of this year’s Daily Photojournalist of the Year award, also has experienced the importance of connections in her work.
“My ideas come from whoever. I could meet someone six months ago and they mention something that is happening in the summer that I think could be a great feature or story,” Cassidy said.
‘I try to find things that are interesting to me so in that way I put a lot more energy and time into the story. It makes it easier to write it if you have a passion for what you’re writing about.’
— Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times ~ Hyannis, Mass.
In her recent work, Cassidy worked side by side with Coast Guard rescue swimmers as they practiced lifesaving techniques, following them for months in their training at boot camp. The time spent developing relationships with them Cassidy credits to her passion in her work.
“I like going out there and meeting people and getting different perspectives,” Cassidy said. “We hear about the Coast Guard all the time, so I thought it would be a cool thing to go out and put a face to the name.”
Developing a relationship with the photo subject is something Robin Chan of GateHouse Media New England, this year’s winner of the Weekly Photojournalist of the Year award, strives for as well. Chan said that, in his photography, it helps to try to be an active listener and observer, always looking to see how the subject is acting or what the subject is revealing.
“I like to be able to spend more time on a subject and learn more. My favorite assignments are those that allow me to learn something new,” Chan said.
Chan’s work includes shooting high school sports, town meetings and other events, but originally began rooted in nature. Chan began his photography career as a nature photographer out of his love for the outdoors, but switched to a people-focused form of the art later in his career.
“A lot of time with nature photography you don’t want people in the photo, but it’s the opposite with photojournalism. You want a person in the photo because the reader connects to a person,” Chan said.
So, how have these journalists achieved award-winning status?
Here are some final pieces of advice from this year’s NENPA award winners:
Bird: “This isn’t something you can teach, you just have to love it. Don’t just work, don’t just watch the paycheck. It’ll all come together if you work hard.”
Fraser: “When it comes time to write, it’s good to have read how other people have tackled writing in a way that’s interesting. Read other writers’ work and even that of your own staff. You can learn a lot from the people in your newsroom.”
Cassidy: “I once had an editor that would always say, ‘There are no boring assignments; yes, boring photographers and reporters, but no boring assignments,’ and I truly believe that.”
Chan: “Be a part of organizations like the National Press Photographers Association or the Boston Press Photographer Association. Enter their contests and keep looking at your own work critically. There’s always an opportunity to grow. I know I still have an opportunity to grow every day.”