1. REPORTING, HEADLINES, and CAPTIONS

2. REPORTING: REPORTING: HOW TO CONDUCT AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW

3. 12 3 Reporting Good reporters have to be on the scene to OBSERVE firsthand. GOOD REPORTERS LOOK AND LISTEN FOR THEIR READERS. EVERYONE AT AN ACTIVITY OR EVENT IS A POTENTIAL SOURCE. SOME SOURCES OFFER BETTER INSIGHTS THAN OTHERS. INFORMATION GATHERING STARTS WITH THE FIVE W’S AND H.

4. 12 3 Reporting RESEARCH adds depth and details to the story. RESEARCH HELPS REPORTERS UNDERSTAND THEIR STORIES. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED MATERIAL IS A PLACE TO START RESEARCHING A STORY. PRIMARY SOURCES PROVIDE BACKGROUND AND MATERIAL THAT MAY BECOME PART OF A STORY.

5. 1 3 2 Reporting Thoughtful INTERVIEWS works result in stories with substance. THE BETTER THE QUESTION, THE BETTER THE ANSWERS. ACTIVE LISTENING PRODUCES THE BEST RESULTS. GOOD NOTES CONTAIN DIRECT QUOTES AND FACTS.

6. HEADLINES

7. 12 3 Headlines With impact words and specific facts, headlines contribute to REPORTING a story. HEADLINES PROVIDE A MAJOR ENTRY POINT FOR READERS. COMPONENTS COMBINE FOR STORYTELLING POWER. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HEADLINE PATTERNS ADD INTEREST.

8. 12 3 Headlines The PRIMARY HEADLINE relies on a SECONDARY HEADLINE to provide specific information.

9. 12 3 Headlines KICKER: A short, single line secondary headline is placed above the primary headline.

10. 12 3 Headlines WICKET: A detailed secondary headline is placed above the primary headline.

11. 12 3 Headlines HAMMER: A detailed secondary headline is placed below the primary headline.

12. 12 3 Headlines TRIPOD: The secondary headline is placed beside the primary headline.

13. 12 3 Headlines WRITING effective headlines requires creativity, effort and attention to details. A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF CONTENT RESULTS IN BETTER HEADLINES. WORD PLAY AND BRAINSTORMING ARE USEFUL STRATEGIES. GUIDELINES LEAD TO QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY.

14. 12 3 Headlines BRAINSTORMING in teams of two or three makes generating a list of key words much easier. STEP ONE: List 10-15 key words that describe and relate to the story. car drive keys money gas cool style wheels color wrecks dates expensive friends insurance happy auto

15. 12 3 Headlines STORYTELLING words have significance and relate to the topic of the spread. STEP TWO: Brainstorm rhymes for words with storytelling potential. car: star, far drive: alive, strive, five keys: please money: honey, bunny, funny gas: pass, mass cool: school, pool wheels: peals, steals, deals wrecks: decks, pecks dates: mates, plates friends: bends, spends happy: pappy, sappy auto: lotto, motto

16. 12 3 Headlines More than a cute phrase, headlines employ creative LITERARY TECHNIQUES that relate to the content. STEP THREE: Craft words and phrases that creatively capture the story. car: star, far star wars = car wars once upon a star = once upon a car carpe diem = CARpe diem auto: lotto, motto AUTOmotives wheels: peals, steals, deals the wheel deal keys: please pretty please = pretty keys

17. 1 3 2 Headlines Headlines with strong VISUAL appeal communicate more effectively. GRAPHIC DETAILS MAKE PRIMARY HEADS POP AND CREATE HEADLINE PACKAGES. CAPITALIZATION STYLES CREATE A VARIETY OF LOOKS.

18. 1 3 2 Headlines RHYME: The secondary headline provides specifics to support the catchy primary headline.

19. 1 3 2 Headlines PUN: A creative primary headline establishes the angle for the story. The secondary adds specifics.

20. 1 3 2 Headlines An ACRONYM is given a new meaning. Acronyms add specifics to the secondary headline.

21. CAPTIONS

22. 12 3 Captions A caption’s CONTENT combines with a photograph to tell a story. CAPTIONS SHOULD DO MORE THAN STATE THE OBVIOUS. CAPTIONS ANSWER READERS’ QUESTIONS ABOUT A PHOTO. CAPTION WRITING REQUIRES REPORTING. QUOTES FROM INDIVIDUALS IN THE PHOTO ADD DEPTH.

23. 12 3 Captions Gather INFORMATION about the photograph, answering the 5 W’s and H. STEP ONE who: Junior Travis Wilson, competitive wakeboarder what: spent a week practicing for competitions while on a family vacation when: vacation, last week of June, competition in July why: for fun and to improve on last year’s second place how: practice paid off with a first place medal at the Junior X Series Wakeboarding Championship.

24. 12 3 Captions To write a SUMMARY CAPTION, write a sentence in present tense explaining the photo. STEP TWO During an annual family vacation in June at Lake Powell, junior Travis Wilson practices for the upcoming Junior X Series Wakeboarding Championship.

25. 12 3 Captions For an EXPANDED CAPTION write additional sentences providing relevant information and a quote. STEP TWO During an annual family vacation in June at Lake Powell, junior Travis Wilson practices for the upcoming Junior X Series Wakeboarding Championship. His efforts were rewarded with a first place medal. “I live for wakeboarding. It’s an awesome way to push yourself to the limit. My favorite trick is called a tantrum, which is a true back flip.”

26. 12 3 Captions Brainstorm a list of attention-getting impact words; select the best option for the caption LEAD-IN. STEP THREE determination airborne in the air “boardum” water and air concentration up and away concentration surf the wake flying on water on the fly board walk flip big air wakeboarder air male splash

27. 12 3 Captions The FORMAT of a caption varies with its function. CAPTION FORMATS RANGE FROM IDENTIFICATIONS TO MINI-STORIES. SPORTS CAPTIONS REQUIRE SPECIFIC DETAILS AND UNDERSTANDING. ONE TYPE OF CAPTION SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

28. 1 3 2 Captions A caption’s DESIGN works with its content to draw readers. A LEAD-IN SERVES AS A MINI-HEADLINE FOR A CAPTION. THE FIRST SENTENCE INDENTIFIES INDIVIDUALS AND EXPLAINS WHAT IS HAPPENING. A SECOND SENTENCE ADDS INFORMATION AND INSIGHTS. WRITING A CAPTION IS LIKE WRITING A POEM; EACH WORD COUNTS.

29. 1 3 2 Captions Use TYPOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES to emphasize the caption lead-in.