As a final blog post for the NewsTrack project, I decided to take a look at a story that aired on Morning Edition, WBUR’s flagship news magazine program. This piece opens with a paraphrased quote from Governor Baker explaining the upcoming changes, and then segues into reporting from WBUR reporter Quincy Walters to discuss the specific dates that the changes will go into effect (such as the outdoor mask mandate). An audio clip of acting mayor Kim Janey is included, followed by an explanation from Walters about what specific parts of the state plan will be changed, followed by quote clips of Governor Baker and an infectious disease physician, Dr. Sabrina Asumu. Quotes are interspersed with narration from Walters, and each guest voice doesn’t speak for longer than around 30 seconds at a time.
This tightly edited format didn’t waste any time, and kept my attention, anticipating the natural questions that someone would ask about a change in COVID regulations both on a state and national level. As a piece, it felt concise and yet like it had all the information it needed to get across, and If there was any detail that I didn’t find in the piece, I could find it elsewhere in other reporting on the site. Something interesting I did notice, though, was that as of this morning, a transcript or text of “interview highlights” wasn’t yet added to the piece, though sometimes this component of the story is added later in the day. Still, it’s an example of one way that WBUR stories sometimes overlap in mediums and sometimes stay firmly within one (in this case being audio) and later may add another.
Something I have really appreciated about following WBUR over the course of this semester is the way that they as a news outlet have stepped up to provide “explainer-style” informational articles, pieces that may not have direct “news hooks” in terms of a specific event or original coverage, but that go over the details of a larger news story in an approachable way for the general public. Especially on the coronavirus beat, these types of stories have become increasingly prevalent and increasingly useful to help inform the public, as a lot of stories are about changes in legislation, rulings, safety policies, medical research, or other topics that can otherwise be heavy in jargon or need a sort of translation between industry experts and the general public.
This text article explains in plain language the specifics of planned upcoming changes to the state’s COVID protocols, including the projected complete reopening of the state in August. It’s really focused around what the reader would want to know–it poses direct questions as if they’re being asked by the reader, almost like a FAQ page, and explains answers in a few sentences or two. It’s interesting to see this type of journalism as I could see it being dismissed in the past as a sort of “listicle” format, but in reality, it’s a really useful way to present information that might not require detailed interview quotes or long paragraphs.
I find that when I’m looking for information about a topic like this myself, I go for these types of articles first, and afterward if I’m curious about the details, I search for other articles that dive deeper into the context of the situation (for instance, the interview I mentioned earlier about businesses choosing to hold out and keep their COVID protocols stricter than required by the state.) To me, this type of opportunity to engage with stories at different levels of detail is something that WBUR does really well, across all its platforms. By having so many different formats of news–live broadcasts, produced audio journalism pieces, podcasts, written online newspaper style stories–WBUR allows readers to explore news based on their own schedule and own time frame, and respects the public’s time and levels of expertise. Explainer articles don’t assume the reader knows everything, while still avoiding being condescending. The variety of different social media accounts that WBUR uses to promote different beats and directions of news further allow for their audience to focus on coverage that is relevant to them, and they offer a real variety of beats and angles to choose from. While it can be said that this trend on a larger scale in journalism can add to a sense of “echo chambers” being formed, it’s also a way for people to sort through and find information and reporting that is actively relevant to their lives, and keeps their attention on what they are curious about.
Julia Maruca 
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