1. Week 5
News Writing

2. Week 5 http://stsmtinewswriting.weebly.com Brites (Brights) wrap-up
Impromptu news discussion
Finishing Chapter 3 with exercises
Intro to AP style
NY Times and AP article analysis

3. Test Yourself p.65, Exercise 6
Some people would just take the money and run.
But when Laura Lynn Hardy found $300,000 lying on the street, she bicycled 20 miles through a Christmas Eve snowstorm to return the cash to its rightful owner.
What would you do if you found $ ? If you’re Laura Lynn Hardy, you’d give the money right back.

4. Brites - p. 66, Exercise 8
1) Linc and Helena Moore may have finally learned the answer to that age-old question: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Because chickens don’t know jaywalking is illegal.
2) Computer programmer Steve Relles has the poop on what to do when your job is outsourced to India.
3) Rick O’Shea was listed in serious condition Sunday at Park West Hospital - but he’s in better shape than earlier, when he was declared dead.
4) At the London Zoo, you can talk to the animals - and now some of them talk back.
Story 1, 3 and 4 reprinted from The Associated Press; story 2 reprinted from Reuters

5. Inside Reporting Tim Harrower
lcome to the world of urnalism, where porters have been gging dirt, raking muck, king headlines and adlines for centuries w. It’s a history full of bloid trash, of slimy nsationalists, of runkards, deadbeats and mmers” (as a Harvard iversity president once scribed reporters).
But it’s a history full of roes, too: men and men risking their lives tell stories of war and agedy, risking prisonment to defend ee speech. And as you n see here, reports have come beloved characters p culture, too, turning up movies, comics and TV ows as if guided by an cult hand.
Every culture seeks effective ways to spread new information and gossip. In ancient times, news was written on clay tablets. In Caesar’s age, Romans read newsletters compiled by correspondents and handwritten by slaves. Wandering minstrels spread news (and the plague) in the Middle Ages. Them came ink on paper. Voices on airwaves. Newsreels, Web sites, And 24-hour cable news networks.
Thus when scholars analyze the rich history of journalism, some view it in terms of technological progress—for example, the dramatic impact of bigger, faster printing presses.
Others see journalism as a specialized form literary expression, one that’s
constantly evolving, reflecting and shaping its culture.
Others see it as an inspiring quest for free speech, an endless power struggle between Authority (trying to control information) and the People (trying to learn the truth). Which brings to mind the words of A.J. Liefling: “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to htose who own one.”
In the pages ahead, we’ll take a quick tour of 600 years of journalism history, from hieroglyphics to hypertext: the media, the message and the politics.
Technical advances and brilliant ideas forged a new style of journalism. It was a century of change, and newspapers changed
dramatically. The typi newspaper of 1800 wa undisciplined mishma legislative proceeding long-winded essays a secondhand gossip. B 1900, a new breed of tor had emerged. Jour had become big busin Reporting was becom disciplined craft. And newspapers were bec more entertaining and essential than ever, w most of the features w expect today: Snappy headlines, Ads, Comic Sports pages. And an “inverted pyramid” sty writing that made stori tighter and newsier.
Radio and television brought an end to newspapers’ media monopoly. Why? Well yourself: Which did yo
Inside Reporting Tim Harrower 3
Newswriting basics
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© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Story structure Giving an overall shape to writing
Slide
Giving an overall shape to writing
No one-size-fits-all solution.
Every story unfolds in a different way.
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© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Story structure Organizing your story The inverted pyramid Use for:
Slide
Most important facts
Additional facts
More facts
Etc., Etc.
Etc.
Organizing your story
The inverted pyramid
Use for:
News briefs.
Breaking news.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. Key facts in inverted- pyramid form
Story structure
Slide
Giving an overall shape to writing
The martini glass
Use for:
Crimes.
Disasters.
Dramatic stories.
The lead
Key facts in inverted- pyramid form
Chronology of events
Kicker
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© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. Story structure Giving an overall shape to writing The kabob
Slide
Giving an overall shape to writing
The kabob
Also called Wall Street Journal formula or the Circle.
Use for:
Trends.
Events where you want to show actual people.
Anecdote
Nut graf
Meat
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. Story structure Keeping readers from getting bored
Slide
Keeping readers from getting bored
Modern journalist’s job basically boils down to
Instructing.
Storytelling.
Use narratives when you can.
Think like a teacher.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. Story structure Writing tips as you move from paragraph to paragraph
Slide
Writing tips as you move from paragraph to paragraph
Keep paragraphs short.
Write one idea per paragraph.
Add transitions.
Alternatives to long, gray news stories
Bullet items
Sidebars
Subheads
Other storytelling alternatives
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

12. Story structure The big finish
Slide
The big finish
Good writers agonize over the kicker as much as the lead.
Plan ahead.
Don’t end with a summary.
Avoid clichés.
End with a bang.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

13. Rewriting Good story. Now make it better. Writing is rewriting.
Slide
Good story. Now make it better.
Writing is rewriting.
Make things a little better.
Few stories arrive fully formed and perfectly phrased.
Most require rethinking, restructuring and rewording.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

14. 5 Rewriting Reasons to hit the delete key Passive verbs
Slide 5
Reasons to hit the delete key
Passive verbs
Start sentences with their subjects.
Replace to be with stronger verbs.
Redundancy
Avoid unnecessary modifiers.
Wordy sentences
Jargon & journalese
Filter out jargon and officialese.
Clichés
Lowers the IQ of your writing.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

15. Rewriting The Fog Index – a readability gauge Find typical example.
Slide
The Fog Index – a readability gauge
Find typical example.
Average number of words per sentence.
Number of “hard” words with 3 or more syllables (no proper names).
Add average number of words to number of “hard” words.
Multiply the sum by 0.4.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

16. Rewriting The Fog Index – a readability gauge
Slide
The Fog Index – a readability gauge
Most Americans read at or about 9th-grade level.
Aim for Fog Index of 7 to 8.
Bible, Mark Twain, TV Guide have Fog Index around 6.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. Editing The role editors play in your stories Before you write
Slide
The role editors play in your stories
Before you write
Assigning story.
Planning angle.
Estimating scope.
Anticipating packaging.
While you write
Adding details.
Monitoring speed.
Fine-tuning.
Layout changes.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

18. Editing The role editors play in your stories After you write
Slide
The role editors play in your stories
After you write
Editing content.
Copy editing.
Cutting or padding.
Assigning follow-up stories.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

19. Newswriting style Who’s right?
Slide
Who’s right?
Every news outlet customizes guidelines.
Copy desk’s job to standardize style.
Know AP and your news outlet’s style.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

20. AP Style Highlights - p.56-7
Slide
AP Style Highlights - p.56-7
Numbers
Titles
Capitalization
Abbreviations
Addresses
The Internet
Parentheses
Possessives
Prefixes
And others…
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

21. Making deadline Live by the clock Deadlines are mandatory.
Slide
Live by the clock
Deadlines are mandatory.
Pass the deadline checklist.
Accuracy.
Fairness and balance.
Writing style.
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

22. 66 newswriting tips - p.60-1 Writing leads Word choices
Slide
66 newswriting tips - p.60-1
Writing leads
The rest of the story
Editing and style
Rules of grammar
Word choices
Nonsexist, nonageist, nondiscriminatory
Punctuation
McGraw-Hill
© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

23. Test Yourself
p.65, Exercise 7

24. Chapter 3 wrap-up
Reporters must be skilled at collecting facts, presenting them accurately and balancing stories.
They must endeavor to seek truth and report it.
Errors should be minimized. So should opinions, unless a source is cited or quoted.
Reporters should write in third person, keeping their personal opinions out of news stories.
Accuracy requires seeking answers to the five W’s – who, what, where, when, why – as well as how and so what.
Reporters must tell readers why the story is important and why it should be read.
The basic summary news lead includes many of the five W’s because combining those elements tells the story in the most succinct manner.
Chronological storytelling rarely works because in that approach the most important information – the information that should be the lead – often is “buried” several paragraphs into the story.
For breaking news stories, place the most important information in the lead so that you sum up in one sentence of 25 words or less the point of the story.
Some stories, often feature stories, require leads that are creatively written, that entertain or astound readers.
Such a lead does not sum up the story in the first sentence or paragraph, so the writer must include a “nut” graf – the story in a nutshell – which tells the reader the importance of the story and why it should be read.
The nut graf usually is placed within the first six paragraphs of the story.

25. Chapter 3 wrap-up
Leads that succeed include the summary, delayed identification, immediate identification, anecdotal/narrative, scene-setter, direct address, blind, roundup, startling statement (or “zinger”) and wordplay leads.
Leads to reconsider include topic, question and quote leads.
After writing a lead, the journalist must organize the story. The primary story structure for breaking news is the inverted pyramid, which begins with the most important details and tapers to the less important details in descending order. Its shape is that of an upside-down pyramid.
Other stories, such as feature pieces or trends, can be told best by using different structures.
Crime stories, for example, are best told in the hourglass or martini glass structure.
The Wall Street Journal or kabob structure works best with trend stories.
Information that is not common knowledge must be attributed to someone.
Reporters must cite their sources.

26. Chapter 3 wrap-up
Stories that are not breaking news often have an ending, called a “kicker.”
A memorable quote might be a good kicker for a story.
Or the last paragraph might include some important information about a person mentioned in the lead of the story.
Reporters call that a circle kicker because it circles back from the end to the beginning of the story.
To arrange a kicker, reporters must plan their stories.
Stories should not end with summaries.
Reporters rewrite frequently to make their stories sound better.
Key objectives in rewriting are to replace passive verbs with active verbs, omit redundancies and long, wordy sentences, and eliminate jargon and clichés.
Reading the story aloud is a good way to find the errors.

27. Chapter 3 wrap-up
Reporters should not be offended when their stories are edited.
The editor’s goal is to improve the story, and the reporter should work with the editor to do so.
All reporters should learn grammar and punctuation and refer often to the AP Stylebook or their newspaper’s style guide.
AP style, an industry standard, includes the rules that govern how most newspapers refer to numbers, titles, capitalization, abbreviations, addresses and other grammatical and word usage issues.
Deadlines are important.
Missing them creates extra work for others trying to publish a newspaper, and that could get a reporter fired.
Reporters should give themselves plenty of time to write and rewrite their stories, plan ahead, and write each story as soon as they have the information.

28. AP Style organized like a dictionary
entry words, in alphabetical order, are in boldface. They represent the accepted word forms unless otherwise indicated.
Text explains usage
Examples of correct and incorrect usage are in italics. AP doesn’t use italics in news stories.
Many entries simply give the correct spelling, hyphenation and/or capitalization
Related topics are in boldface
Abbreviate indicates the correct abbreviation of a word
Other abbreviations include: n.: noun, v.: verb, adj.: adjective, adv.:adverb

29. AP Style My (email, e-mail) is not working properly.
The advisor told the student to consider Graduate School at a univ. in Oklahoma City, Okla. (5)
When, in general, should journalists use parentheses, according to the AP Stylebook?
Early this a.m., he asked for the No. of your room. (2)
Joe Java Junior joined the American Automobile Association, just like his father, Joe Java Senior.(3)

30. Week 5 Assignments NO class next week – Class resumes on April 10
Read Chapter 4
Brainstorm for Beat Story #1 – XISU and Xi’an- related stories ONLY
eWorkbook Ch.3 exercises
3-1 (select 5 out of the 10 questions)
3-2.3; 2.7
3-3.2
3-4.1, 4.2, 4.3 (select 5 out of the 10 or 11 questions)
3-4.4, 4.5 (select 4 out of the 8 questions)