The Community Correspondents Corps’ first radio pieces were set to hit the airwaves at WMMT in Whitesburg, Kentucky, and the Web at appalshop.org/projects/ccc in mid-January.
The CCC added two more citizen correspondents to the project, for a total of 11 volunteers. Throughout the fall, the project concentrated on training and editorial assistance, and it produced drafts of training guides. Mia Frederick, the CCC project manager, writes in her progress report that the correspondents were asked to evaluate the usefulness of the material.
“As we progress we will continue to review and revise the training guides, with the goal of being able to share those materials with anyone, on the CCC website, the Knight Citizens News Network, and other appropriate outlets,” Frederick writes. The project has applied for a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation to support development of the training model.
WHAT WE USE:
- Marantz PMD660 portable audio recorder.
- Electro Voice RE50N/D-B omni-directional microphone.
- Audio-Technica AT897 short condenser shotgun microphone.
- Audacity audio editing software.
One hurdle is that audio recording equipment is expensive, so the project has a limited number of reporting kits and, consequently, a limited number of correspondents. “Also correspondents are still learning to master the technique of interviewing someone while wearing headphones, monitoring levels, and holding a microphone,” Frederick writes. “In addition they are all novice editors, all of which adds up to a steep learning curve.”
However, the ambition of the CCC is to do even more. Correspondents have worked on features, but there’s a desire to do local and regional news, on such topics as politics and government, schools, the environment, extractive industries, and health. Frederick says the CCC has identified beats to cover, and in January the project will begin this initiative. Most of the initial reporting will be done by Frederick and Julie Shepherd, a WMMT producer. They’ll work on recruiting a new batch of hard-news correspondents in coming weeks.
The CCC is reaching out to area university journalism programs and working journalists to develop relationships and recruit an advisory panel. Another effort on the horizon: creating awareness of the project.
