2. Chapter Five Writing Breaking News and Developing Stories Is it timely?

3. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. A journalist’s job is to figure out the point her audience needs or wants to hear to find the answer to “so what?”

4. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Breaking and developing news stories breaking news story communicates new information about unexpected events as they occur or shortly afterward developing news story relates new information about a breaking story as it becomes available

5. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. News cycle amount of time between publication or broadcast of one edition and the next edition influences the type of story you write the shorter your news cycle, the more often you will report breaking news the longer your news cycle, the more often you will produce general news or features

6. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The five W’s who, what, when, where and why breaking news stories need all five W’s the need to be timely may force you to publish before all information is available you must indicate that you made an effort to get the missing information –Examples: “The cause of the fire is still under investigation,” or “Police have not yet released the name of the victim.”

7. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The five W’s journalists get answers to the five W questions from specific, reliable sources –police or eyewitnesses guard against guessing write what the facts are slow to tell their audience what the facts mean

8. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The five W’s leads leads that contain the five W’s and are used in breaking news stories sometimes called summary leads journalists figure out the so what for the audience the answer to “so what?” determines which of the five W’s will star in the lead

9. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The who lead strongest form is who did it can also be who had it done to them or who reported it example: Band director Stacy Harris will leave HTHS this July to become fine arts administrator for the district. –“Band director” is an identifier—use them unless all your readers will recognize the name of the who

10. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The what lead begin your sentence with what happened use active, strong verbs to tell what happened, what is happening, or what will happen example: A three alarm fire demolished the grocery store across the street from East High on Friday night.

11. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The when lead when can be the star of a lead, but it provides necessary context even when playing a supporting role example: This weekend will provide the best nights to view the Perseid meteor shower. example: The cafeteria will be closed every Friday beginning in January to save money, according to school officials. avoid today, tonight or tomorrow

12. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The where lead where is needed to provide context whether or not it stars in the lead example: The Zoological Park in Cuba’s capital Havana is busy preparing for a delivery that it hopes will transform its fortunes: 146 wild animals, donated by the government of Namibia.

13. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The where lead sometimes the where is so important a map accompanies the story Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

14. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The why lead why is important to readers we want explanations we want to understand we want to judge we want assurance the same trouble will not strike us example: A broken water main kept East High’s new semester from opening on schedule.

15. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The five W’s and sometimes H some stories add an H to the five W’s the how may be essential for some breaking news stories examples: How did the people survive the flood? or How did we lose the game? the how may not be available in many breaking stories –when it isn’t, let your audience know you’re working on getting that information

16. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Why not to have why why temps journalists to speculate or inject their own opinions journalists rarely say one thing causes another; instead they say one act follows another human activities are so complex that it is very difficult to assign one cause to an event

17. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. How long should a lead be? it depends on how you communicate with your audience leads meant to be heard—radio, podcast, television –may be several sentences long, but each sentence should contain only one or two ideas leads meant to be read—in print or on screen –tend toward fewer sentences, but the sentences may be longer than those written for the ear

18. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Online leads online publications have only a few seconds to capture a reader’s interest before he clicks on to something else need to be easily read with clear subjects and powerful verbs

19. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Other factors in lead length The Wall Street Journal, written for educated business people with an appetite for precision, and the LA Times science section may publish 48-word or even longer lead sentences student publications should aim for 35 words or less in that first sentence

20. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. What comes first? leads start with the most significant element followed by the most compelling verb examples: Seventeen thousand California teachers will descend... Band director Stacy Harris will leave… The Oilers will probably have their starting pitcher back on the mound…

21. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. What comes first? let nothing come between that most important element and the most compelling verb all other elements of the lead—the rest of the five W’s—follow the most important element and the verb

22. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The inverted pyramid the most important information comes first and less important information comes farther down in the story common to breaking news stories works well with five W’s leads readers get the most important facts in the first few sentences motivated readers will keep reading for more details

23. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Philosophy of the inverted pyramid start with the most interesting stuff let the reader decide if they want to continue do not waste people’s time

24. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. The inverted pyramid—an example Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

25. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Jump line a line of type that directs the reader to the page where story is continued Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

26. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Developing stories follow up on breaking news stories call for a new story or post as new information becomes available keep in mind that some readers may not have read the earlier versions, so give them the facts they need

27. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Editorializing inserting your opinions into news coverage don’t do it a journalist’s job is to present the facts and let the audience form their own opinions

28. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Checklist to avoid editorializing Before publishing a story, ask… Who deserves a chance to defend himself before I publish this? Is there another side or point of view to this story I have not covered? Do any descriptions contain editorializing? Do any verbs and nouns suggest I favor one side or another?

29. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be posted to a publicly accessible website. Discuss Identify examples of editorializing in the following paragraph. Suggest improvements. A hot-tempered citizen made a fool of himself at last night’s school board meeting. John Smith, whose son Bill is a senior at Goodheart H.S., shouted angrily at board members when they called time at the end of his allotted three-minute public response time. Smith was complaining about what he called “stupid counselors” at the school who had messed up his son’s schedule so badly Bill will be unable to graduate with his class.