Transcript Inside Reporting

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.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Every culture seeks
constantly evolving,
effective ways to spread
reflecting and shaping its
new information and gossip. culture.
In ancient times, news was
Others see it as an
written on clay tablets. In
inspiring quest for free
Caesar’s age, Romans read
speech, an endless power
newsletters compiled by
struggle between Authority
correspondents and
(trying to control
handwritten by slaves.
information) and the People
Wandering minstrels spread (trying to learn the truth).
news (and the plague) in the Which brings to mind the
Middle Ages. Them
cameHarrower
words of A.J. Liefling:
Tim
ink on paper. Voices on
“Freedom of the press is
airwaves. Newsreels, Web
guaranteed only to htose
sites, And 24-hour cable
who own one.”
news networks.
In the pages ahead, we’ll
Thus when scholars
take a quick tour of 600
analyze the rich history of
years of journalism history,
journalism, some view it in from hieroglyphics to
terms of technological
hypertext: the media, the
progress—for example, the message and the politics.
dramatic impact of bigger,
Technical advances and
faster printing presses.
brilliant ideas forged a new
Others see journalism as
style of journalism. It was a
a specialized form literary
century of change, and
expression, one that’s
newspapers changed
Inside Reporting
3
Newswriting basics
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
© 2013 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.
Newswriting basics
Just the facts
The five W’s
The inverted pyramid
Beyond the basic news lead
Leads that succeed
After the lead…what next?
 (continued)
3-2
Newswriting basics
(continued)
Story structure 
Rewriting 
Editing 
Newswriting style 
Making deadline 
66 essential tips 
3-3
Just the facts
You must try to be objective.
Truthful. Fair.
 Good reporters
respect integrity
of facts.
 Facts tell the
story.
 Readers draw
their own
conclusions.
Where do opinions
belong in a
newspaper?
• Most newspaper stories can
be placed on a continuum.
• Ranges from rigidly
objective (breaking news)
to rabidly opinionated
(movie reviews).
3-4
The five W’s
Facts usually fall into
3-5
The five W’s
The WHO
 Readers love
stories that focus
on people.
 WHO keeps it
real.
• Who’s involved?
• Who’s affected?
• Who’s going to
benefit?
• Who’s getting
screwed?
The WHAT
 WHAT gives news
its substance.
• Stories become dry
and dull if they focus
too much on WHAT.
• Need WHO.
3-6
The five W’s
The WHEN
 Timeliness essential
to every story.
• When events
happened or will
happen.
• How long they lasted
or will last.
The WHERE
 The closer the
event, the more
relevant it is for
readers.
 Many stories
require
supplements.
• Map
• Diagram
• Photo
3-7
The five W’s
The WHY
 Finding
explanations
difficult.
 The WHY is what
makes news
meaningful.
The HOW
 Often requires
detailed
explanation.
 Sometimes
omitted to save
space.
 Readers love
“how-to” stories.
3-8
The inverted pyramid
Newswriting format summarizes
most important facts at story’s start
This is the lead, which summarizes the
story’s most important facts
This paragraph adds more details or
background
This paragraph adds even
more details
This adds more
details
More
details
3-9
The inverted pyramid
The typical news story uses the
inverted pyramid
 Summarize first.
So should you
use this format
• Explain later.
 Resolve everything in for every story?
• Gets repetitive.
the beginning.
• Doesn’t always
 Allows editors to trim
organize story
stories from bottom.
material
logically.
3-10
The inverted pyramid
Why writing a good lead actually
matters to readers
 If a story takes too long
to make sense…
 Readers flee like rats
from a sinking ship.
3-11
Writing basic news leads
How to write an effective news lead
 Collect all your
facts.
• Lead should
summarize.
• The more you
know, the easier it
is to summarize.
 Sum it up. Boil it
down.
• List who, what,
when, where, why
of story.
3-12
Writing basic news leads
How to write an effective news lead
 Prioritize the five
W’s.
• Lead contains the
most important
facts.
• Which of the key
facts deserves to
start the first
sentence?
 Rethink. Revise.
Rewrite.
• Is
• Is
• Is
• Is
it
it
it
it
clear?
active?
wordy?
compelling?
3-13
Writing basic news leads
How to write an effective news lead
 Writing leads
often a process of
trial and error.
• Try different
approaches.
 Create different
leads using the…
• Who.
• What.
• When.
• Where.
• Why.
3-14
Writing basic news leads
Not every story begins with a
roundup of essential facts
 Basic news leads
can be too dull
and dry.
 All good reporters
spend time
searching for the
perfect lead.
3-15
Beyond the basic news lead
Story checklist
 Be accurate.
 Remember what
day it is.
 Don’t name
names.
 Use strong verbs.
Ask “Why should I
care?”
Sell the story.
Don’t get hung up.
Move attributions to
the end of the
sentences.
3-16
Leads that succeed
A roundup of commonly used options
 Basic news leads
 Anecdotal/
narrative leads
 Scene-setter
leads
 Blind leads
 Roundup leads
 Direct address leads
 The startling
statement
 Wordplay leads
3-17
Leads that succeed
A roundup of commonly used options
Basic news leads
• Summary lead
– Combines five W’s
into one sentence.
• Delayed
identification lead
• Immediate
identification lead
– Uses a public figure or
celebrity in the
sentence.
– Withholds the name
of the person in
question until the
second paragraph
3-18
Leads that succeed
A roundup of commonly used options
 Anecdotal/
narrative leads
 Scene-setter leads
• Lack urgency of hardnews leads.
• Borrowed from fiction.
• Have a beginning,
middle and end.
• Will be mini-story  Blind leads
with symbolic
• Extreme delayed
resonance for
information lead.
bigger story.
– Deliberately teases
reader.
3-19
Leads that succeed
A roundup of commonly used options
 Roundup leads
• Rather than focus
on one person,
place or thing,
impress reader
with longer list.
 Direct address
leads
• Use secondperson voice.
 The startling
statement
• Also called a
“zinger” or a
“Hey, Martha.”
 Wordplay leads
• Encompass wide
range of amusing
leads.
3-20
Leads that succeed
…and three lazy leads you should
usually reconsider
 Topic leads
• Convey no actual news.
 Question leads
• Are irritating stalls.
 Quote leads
• Don’t fairly summarize
the story.
3-21
After the lead…what next?
Add another paragraph
 Know how long the
story should be.
Write the nut graf
 Paragraph that
condenses the story
idea into nutshell.
Briefs and
brites:
•Brief – written
using the inverted
pyramid.
•Brite – written
with more
personality than a
brief.
3-22
Story structure
Giving an overall shape to writing
 No one-size-fits-all
solution.
 Every story
unfolds in a
different way.
3-23
Story structure
Organizing your story
 The inverted
pyramid
• Use for:
– News briefs.
– Breaking news.
Most important facts
Additional facts
More facts
Etc., Etc.
Etc.
3-24
Story structure
Giving an overall shape to writing
 The martini glass
• Use for:
– Crimes.
– Disasters.
– Dramatic
stories.
The lead
Key facts in invertedpyramid form
Chronology of events
Kicker
3-25
Story structure
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
Meat
Meat
Anecdote
3-26
Story structure
Keeping readers from getting bored
 Modern journalist’s  Use narratives
job basically boils
when you can.
down to
 Think like a
• Teaching.
teacher.
• Storytelling.
3-27
Story structure
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
3-28
Story structure
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.
3-29
Rewriting
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.
3-30
Rewriting
5Reasons 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
• Lower the IQ of
your writing.
3-31
Rewriting
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.
3-32
Rewriting
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.
3-33
Editing
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.
3-34
Editing
The role editors play in your stories
 After you write
• Editing content.
• Copy editing.
• Cutting or padding.
• Assigning follow-up
stories.
3-35
Newswriting style
Who’s right?
 Every news outlet
customizes
guidelines.
 Copy desk’s job to
standardize style.
 Know AP and your
news outlet’s
style.
3-36
AP Style Highlights





Numbers
Titles
Capitalization
Abbreviations
Addresses





The Internet
Parentheses
Possessives
Prefixes
And others…
3-37
Making deadline
Live by the clock
 Deadlines are
mandatory.
 Pass the deadline
checklist.
• Accuracy.
• Fairness and
balance.
• Writing style.
3-38
66 newswriting tips
 Writing leads
 The rest of the
story
 Editing and style
 Rules of grammar
 Word choices
• Nonsexist,
nonageist,
nondiscriminatory
 Punctuation
3-39