Let people speak
John Blackstone of CBS’ “Sunday Morning” provides a closer look at California’s financial troubles from the mouths of the people experiencing it — and with an eye to the past.
To set up the theme of California’s bust, the story juxtaposes images:
There was a time when the rest of the country looked west to California and saw a place of sunny beaches and postcard vistas . . . the thriving economy of Silicon Valley . . . and Hollywood, the world’s capital of entertainment.
But lately the view west is of foreclosure signs and financial crises . . . and headlines about a state forced to pay its bills with IOUs.
In this economy, even Hollywood’s dream factories can’t deliver a happy ending.
Then, the segment offers a wide variety of voices, including the owner of a failed business that once did well by supplying props to movie makers and the founder of a going-out-of-business clothing store that opened in 1952.
Today’s Tip: Step back, and let your sources’ voices be heard. Humanize the facts with tales of real people.
People identify with other people, and letting your sources speak is the best way to connect with your audience.
