The News Conference

From http://www.quackypig.com/

The news conference can be an interesting thing.

There is a sense of urgency in taking notes, one must listen and look engaged in the speaker, try to stay interested in the speaker, be able to ask good questions, and later feel disappointed in the fact that you didn’t get enough information for your article

A news conference can be very hectic in the sense that you want to get every single detail right, but also pick and choose what is or is not important. Is a tape recorder the answer to everything? Well, yes and no. A tape recorder will come in very handy when putting the down an exact quote. However, the importance of a point may seem unimportant after the fact or out of the context of the actual “news conference.”

Is it possible to get bored by the speaker or the topic being discussed? Yes, there is a possibility. But it definitely a courtesy to the speaker and others around to at least try and stay somewhat interested in what is going on. It is always good to remember that an article needs to be written about that very experience.

And of course, the information that needs to be obtained. One must be ready to ask good and thought provoking questions or questions that demand an answer. If you don’t ask questions, how will you know what to write about?

Even after taking great notes, recording the whole news conference/speech, being very interested in what was being discussed, and asking some really hard-hitting questions, the sense of disappointment may set in. You just didn’t get enough information. It is possible to follow up on the speaker, but when that is not possible, you just have to work with what you have.
News conferences aren’t always going to be the same. Sometimes they can be exciting, other times boring. Sometimes you will learn a great deal of new information, other times… not so much.