Everything we do in TV news has the same two goals: We send out important information, and we use various tools to grab the viewer’s attention, so he absorbs that important information and retains it. The second goal is just as important as the first, maybe even more so. What’s the point of having great stuff to tell if no one notices or remembers?

That’s why a writer should care about that “thing” over the anchor’s shoulder.

OTS graphics are attention-grabbers. They make you focus on the story even before you hear a word of it. A big, bright picture of Hillary Clinton (“SHE’S RUNNING!”) telescopes the story’s subject matter instantaneously, which is a tremendous advantage. The writer can take that momentum, create a strong lead that builds on it, and follow through with words, sound and video, maintaining interest while conveying the essentials of the story.

That’s how it SHOULD work.

Problem is, if the graphic is poorly done, or if the writer improperly references it, the story can sputter. The viewer’s eyes dart from anchor to picture, he hears words that don’t complement what he sees, and instead of focusing, he wonders what the devil is going on. You’ve probably lost him.

It’s a good idea for every writer to get into the habit of checking the OTS on a story, right at the start, before a single word is written. Let that picture and caption circulate in your head as you craft your lead. Certainly the tone of your first graph should reflect and reinforce what’s up there on the screen. You don’t have to try for a verbatim match every time (although many producers will ask for this), but the message coming from your words and that picture should be the same.

Of course, if your newsroom is typical, writers often prepare stories before the graphics have been chosen. This is where people skills matter almost as much as writing skills. Why not help the producer do her job? If you’ve got a great lead line in mind, if you’ve seen an amazing bit of video, or even if you think you have a clever idea for the OTS, let the producer know. Your extra input will be appreciated, the story will be better, and there’s less chance of sending confused signals to the folks watching.

Those people skills will come in handy when the producer comes up with a graphic that doesn’t work. Maybe it contains a horrible cliché word, like “arraigned”, which, if you’ve seen our “Groaners” section, you’ve already sworn to banish from your copy. Or maybe the picture is little more than a map with no attention-grabbing power. There’s nothing wrong with a writer strolling over to the producer and saying, “You know, that graphic really isn’t right.” There’s also nothing wrong with an anchor on camera without a visual aid. If the story doesn’t need an OTS, or if a picture is inappropriate, so be it.

Sure, it all sounds like simple common sense. But simplicity is about to be stampeded. We are headed into the complicated new world of HDTV, and even before we get there, graphics departments are getting bolder, doing newer, more elaborate things with every bit of the screen not taken up by the anchor’s face.

“Over the Shoulder” used to mean exactly that: a little box up in the corner. Nowadays, forget little, and forget corner! Graphics are growing faster than consultants’ fees. Many now fill half the screen, complete with undulating backgrounds, animated images and multiple captions. The worst offenders put whole paragraphs of text below the image, saying something entirely different, supposedly to provide context, but more likely just creating confusion. Humans can’t focus on so many things at once.

As the technology allows us to put more information on the screen at the same time, we risk the same kind of overload that occurs when news copy is crammed with too many nonessential details, numbers, trivialities and statistics. The writer means well. He wants the viewer to know as much as possible. But the overall effect is the opposite. The folks at home, relaxing on their sofa, get bombarded with more than they’re able, or willing to handle. It turns them off and they retain nothing.

With HDTV we may be able to offer multiple images, ever-changing graphics, paragraph after paragraph of on-screen factoids, and who knows what else, on every story we write. There will be a tremendous urge to do it all. There always is, when we get these new toys. But just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should. Let’s remember the essential point of newswriting: to tell a story in such a powerful way that it’s impossible to ignore or forget. It can be done now with just words. It can be done better with video, sound and a properly referenced OTS. If the new technology helps us even more, fine. If it gets in the way, forget it.

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