Writing for Broadcast Journalism

Basic Journalistic Guidelines  Timeliness (How recently did the event occur?)  Prominence (How famous are the participants?)  Proximity (How close to the viewers did the event occur?)  Pertinence (How will it affect the viewers’ lives?)

Other factors that influence TV news priorities:  Visual impact (Are there strong video images available?)  Cost  Promotional value (Does the story boost network’s prestige? Ex. Exclusive interview)

Two main types of news  Hard news  Stories examining events that affect U.S. society as a whole  National and international relations  Appeals to viewers’ intellect  More respected than soft news

Two main types of news, cont’d  Soft news  Stories that deal with the personal – gossip, scandal, and other human interest stories  Weather, sports, entertainment news  Appeals to viewers’ emotions

The Basics of Broadcast News Writing  Short, simple, direct, declarative sentences  Active voice  Read story aloud to test it out  Avoid abbreviations and symbols  Use contractions  Begin with statement and follow with attribution (what was said followed by who said it)  Use phonetics for words that are difficult to pronounce  Standard spelling and punctuation  Direct quotes should be no longer than 1 line and right to the news point. The best direct quote is a good sound byte.

Robinson and Levy’s Recommendations for Journalists:  More repetition and redundancy: story should be built around a main point. All elements should contribute to this.  Emphasize why story is important  “Slow down” the news with tight, well-structured reporting and reflective writing. Highlight historical context as well as latest angles  Be explicit: don’t expect the audience to get hidden meanings  Separate similar stories from one another.  Tell the story in human terms  Avoid jargon/ technical/ legal terms