Alan Goldenbach, a Staff Writer for the Washington Post, met with the sports writing and reporting class at George Mason University. As a veteran reporter who covers high school sports, he shared some of his experiences and gave advice to students who are hoping to have a similar career in the future.
The most important thing Goldenbach had to say was, as a sports journalist, his goal is to convey something to his audience that they could not see if they were watching the game on television.
“The way the game story is being written has changed dramatically,” said Goldenbach. “The internet and ESPN have totally changed the way we take in sports new.”
He also spoke about the importance of quotes in a story, saying a quote is only good if it “supplements the story.” He stressed the importance of getting quotes from players because they are the reason people are watching the games.
Ross Wilkers, a senior communication major at GMU, agreed with Goldenbach’s thoughts on using good quotes. “For me, quotes are really important,” said Wilkers. “Garbage quotes that get put in as filler get boring and I stop reading.”
Another topic covered was a strategy of getting people hooked at the beginning of the story. “I try to draw the reader in with a little bit of a story,” said Goldenbach. “Everybody sees the guy that hit six three-pointers, but what was different about today?”
Overall, the message was simple. Get quotes, use them to tell a story and tell the reader something they don’t know. If this strategy can work for a veteran of the profession, it is definitely something that students should look into.
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