1. Journalism 2001
Week 2: September 18, 2006

3. Announcements Microsoft Word free (or $6 a CD) for students
Laptop program

4. Review of last week’s news
Hard News:
(murder, City Council, government, etc.)
Major local stories
Major national/international stories
Major sports stories
Soft News:
(retirements, school programs, human interest)
Local stories
National/International stories
Sports stories
Statesman
Today’s Front Pages

5. Words matter!

6. Review: Assignment due today:
Using the Wednesday (9/13) Duluth News-Tribune, list the stories on the front page, local section and the sports section. Determine if the stories where selected on the traditional news elements of:
Timeliness
Proximity/relevance
Conflict
Prominence
Consequence & impact
Human Interest
Keep evaluations brief: no more than three sentences each.
Microsoft Word attachment to:

7. Review: Last week’s assignment
Common mistakes
Agreement
Possessives
Let’s check AP Stylebook….

9. Chapter 4: Summary leads
Summary lead literally sums up the story in the lead, giving the reader the most important information first
Developed in Civil War when stories sent by telegraph
Continued into the 1970s with wire service telegraph machines

10. Inverted pyramid Put the most important news first
Organize the rest of the paragraphs in descending order of importance
Why? Lets readers quickly scan a newspaper story and decide whether to continue reading it
Different from short stories, novels, most feature stories
Easy to cut stories as needed to fit news hole

11. The 5 Ws and H! Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Focal point determines emphasis in lead

12. No two leads the same
Reporters covering the same story will write different leads
Examples from Duluth News-Tribune and Minneapolis Star Tribune about opening of Swenson Science Building

13. How to write a summary lead
Usually a single sentence
No more than 35 words
Bottom line:
Use a single sentence of no more than 35 words in a summary lead

14. Identifying the focal point
Which W or H is the focal point?
Let’s practice:
The search for a new president for the university has been temporarily postponed.
Who:
What:
When:
Where:
Why:
How:
Focal point?

15. Mayor Jane Doe announced today that she will not seek re-election next year.
Who:
What:
When:
Where:
Why:
How:
Focal point?

16. In an effort to increase awareness on campus, the UMD Kirby Program Board has appointed a new coordinator, and she plans to use more advertising to bring about change.
Who:
What:
When:
Where:
Why:
How:
Focal point?

17. What to avoid Clutter leads: Buried leads:
Too much information overwhelms readers
Buried leads:
Don’t make the reader work too hard

18. Billings Gazette Examples
Stuck gas pedal puts automobile in bank office
Blizzard leaves ‘nothing to feed’
Flash flood leaves mess in Buffalo
Buffalo flash flood leaves silt layer, ‘incredible mess’
Subdivision wants county to take over private road

19. How I write a lead
When starting to write a story, I often write out all of my notes, including the direct quotes
Lead often becomes clear in the second graph
When leaving a meeting, speech, etc., ask myself: What would I tell my friend, husband, person passing in the street?
What happened?
Who cares?

20. Active voice Write in active/rather than passive voice
What’s the difference?
In active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts
In passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon
Active voice doesn’t mean present tense

21. Huh? Active voice: Subject acts Passive voice: Subject acted upon
The dog bit the boy.
Mary will present her research at the conference.
Scientists have conducted experiments to test the hypothesis.
Passive voice: Subject acted upon
The boy was bitten by the dog.
Research will be presented by Mary at the conference.
Experiments have been conducted to test the hypothesis.

22. Summary of summary leads
Don’t go with the first lead
Avoid unnecessary words
Avoid gobbledygook
Government jargon
Write clearly, concisely
Use vivid verbs
Use colorful words

23. Chapter 3: Qualities of good writing
Poynter Institute for Media Studies

24. Robert Gunning: 10 Principles of Clear Writing
Keep sentences short, on the average
Prefer the simple to the complex
KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Use familiar words
10th grader
Avoid unnecessary words
Use active verbs
Write the way you talk
Use terms your reader can picture
Tie in with your reader’s experience
Use a variety of words
Write to express, not impress
Communicate!

25. Words matter!

26. Chapter 5: Organizing a news story
Inverted pyramid style
Write a terse lead of no more than 35 words
Provide background
From source or previous story
Present news in order of descending importance
Seldom chronologically
Use quotations early and throughout
After the news, separated by news and paraphrases
Use transitions
Numerically, by time, geographically, with words (also, but, once)
Do not editorialize!
Avoid “the end”
Report news until the end; often end with direct quote

27. Hourglass Style Circle Style Block Style
Same as inverted pyramid until the turn, a transitional paragraph to introduce a chronology of events
Used when reporting trials, police, fire news
Circle Style
Mainly for feature stories
Reporter sets scene, returns to it
Block Style
News or feature stories
Often broader story, introduces many sources

28. What about the end? Don’t end with “the end”
No editorial comment to wrap it up
Just quit, or use a direct quote

29. Story Pitches for Hard News, Sports Story Assignments
Length of story pitch: three paragraphs, about 200 words
Include the 5 Ws and H: what makes this story newsworthy

30. In-class assignment for 9/25
To help you prepare for the guest speakers, during next week’s class you will be interviewing Lucy Kragness. She will review her background, and each student will ask at least one question.
Assume story assignment for the Statesman
To prepare, review website, write out questions in advance.
story, written in Microsoft Word, as an attachment to

31. Assignment for 9/25 Summary lead exercises Steps to help you:
Identify the five Ws and H
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
What’s the focal point?
Determine what’s the most important to include
Reminder: Summary lead contains no more than 35 words
assignment, written in Microsoft Word, as an attachment to

32. Today’s assignment AP Stylebook editing practice Summary lead exercise
Steps to help you:
Identify the five Ws and H
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
What’s the focal point?
Determine what’s the most important to include
Reminder: Summary lead contains no more than 35 words
assignment, written in Microsoft Word, as an attachment to