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1.        

Content &

Organization

Story is choppy, not organized; content is not newsworthy

Story has organizational flaws,

Story is organized, needs tightening; slightly difficult to follow; content is good.

Story is well-organized. Content is strong. Story flows; has beginning, middle, and end. A cohesive piece.

2.

Relevancy

Story does not appear to be relevant. Missing those elements that make a story newsworthy.

Story could be relevant if approached with a new angle.

Story is relevant but not convincing enough.

The question of, “Why should I care about this story?” is very clear. 

3.

Accuracy/Fact Checking

Story is filled with mistakes; sources not properly identified.

Story has many mistakes; some sources need identification.

Story facts have been checked but accuracy is not evident.

All story facts checked and information properly attributed.

4. 

Continuity (Flow)

Story is choppy, disjointed.

Words and pictures do not flow well.

Story is hard to follow. With script and video edits, it can be revised.

Story flows. Pictures match the words but slightly difficult to follow. Beginning, middle, end slightly unclear.

Story flows smoothly. Pictures and words match. Story has a beginning, middle, and an end.

5.

Balance,

Objectivity

Story is not balanced, does not represent all sides. Story includes personal opinions; not objective.

Story is more balanced, but bias is evident. Story has hints of personal opinions.

Story includes all sides, but copy is leading. Story is free of personal opinions but does not seem objective.

Story is balanced; all sides are presented. Story is objective in choice of words and pictures.

6.

On-air

Performance

The reporter appears uncomfortable, unprofessional and unrehearsed.

The reporter needs more practice to appear natural and confident in front of the camera.

The reporter appeared confident but needs a little more practice with the script to appear and sound natural.

The reporter appeared natural and confident. He/she knew the lines, was fluid with the camera.  He/she  talked to the audience.

7.

Audio

Quality

Poor quality; inconsistent levels; distracting background noises; difficult to understand.

Audio is not clear; distractions, levels vary.

Audio is understandable but not crystal clear; minor mixing and level problems.

Audio is clear and crisp; proper levels; balanced mixing; no distractions.

8.

Camera

Technique

Shaky camerawork, poor composition, out of focus shots, random movement.

Minor camerawork problems, some composition and focus problems.

Mostly steady camerawork; a variety of shots; composition problems, clear, sharp focus.

Shots are steady; good composition, motivated movement, a variety of shots.

9.

Lighting

Video too dark or too light; numerous shadows on

Subjects; poor color reproduction.

Needs work on lighting, light or dark spots; needs to white balance.

Video is properly lit, but subject is still slightly washed out and flat; lacks contrast; good color reproduction.

Excellent lighting and contrast, accurate color reproduction, proper exposure.

10.

Editing

Story is poorly edited; words and pictures do not flow. Numerous jump cuts; audio and video track don’t match; distracting transitions.

Some good editing; Words and pictures do not flow in sections. Some jump cuts, ineffective transitions.

Clean editing; audio matches the video but still slightly difficult to follow. More powerful images would have more impact.

Well edited; audio and video match. Transitions are effective, smooth, not distracting. No jump cuts; cuts are clean and sharp.

11.

Length

Story is too long or too short.

Story needs editing or additions

Story is well timed but needs minor editing.

Story is the perfect length for topic and content.