Staff Writer’s Survival Guide

A Reporter’s handbook compiled by:

Brent Summers

Fall 2011

Part One: Structure

Writing an article is a much different form of expression from those usually seen in college classrooms. Unlike creative/expository writing, a news article arranges a large amount of information in a concise, easy-to-comprehend method. Newspaper writing is designed to give readers the most important facts in a story right away; to write great news is to picture every reader as in a rush. They may have two minutes before their next class, but they really want to find out about that big strike outside the administrative building. Your job as a reporter is to give them everything they need to know in that short amount of time. Lets dive into the most commonly used organizational structure used at The Vermont Cynic, the Inverted Pyramid.

The Lead: - A clear introduction to the story in 15-35 words.- The “who” and what” of your story first. Make the reader instantly aware of why they should keep reading.

The Nut Graf:- Summarizes your story, answers 5 W’s - Explains the main actors and impact to students- If asked to explain your story in 30 sec-onds, your response should be your nut graf.

Information/Quote:- Strive to get a strong quote from the main

actors in the top 4 grafs of your story.- Do not place quotes back to back.- Paraphrasing is OK, but be sure the information is accurate.

More Information/Reactions:- Student reactions to the issue- 2-3 other sources: professors, administrators, student government, club members - what do they have to say?

The Close:- After exhausting the topic, concisely end. - Provide a website to visit for more information

Remember:- All grafs should be under 50 words.- Keep every graf concise: One idea or quote per graf.- Write, then re-write and re-write again. Reorganize grafs and transitions to suit your story: Don’t bury the lead!

Part Two: Reporting

When assigned a story, it is the reporters’ job to take the issue at hand, find out as much information on that topic as possible and then condense it into an article. The pri-mary tools of information gathering are interviews, online research, surveys and public records requests. While every reporter has their own unique reporting style, here are a few tips that can help a beginning writer get the hard-hitting information needed for a great story:

Using the Internet:- Go to http://VermontCynic.com and search for past stories on the same or similar topic.- Use the UVM Directory to find contact information for every student, faculty and staff mem-ber at UVM:

Navigate to http://uvm.edu/directory and hit the “Login and search” option. After en-tering your UVM NetID and password you are allowed access to thousands of phone numbers

and addresses/room numbers of people both on and off campus. Use this information wisely. If you have a week to contact the source, email or call first. If your story is due tomorrow, call or text and possibly go to their dorm room and knock on the door.

Before interviewing a faculty/staff member... it is always a good idea to do some background research on their academic work and the department they work in. Use the information found on their website to come up with interesting, thoughtful questions. Remember that in this inter-view your goal is to manipulate the conversation to get the information you need. If a professor is getting off-subject due to excitement about their newest re-search project in the Barbados, politely redirect him or her back with some engaging questions.

Questions every reporter should get answered:

- How will *blank* affect students over the next semester?- What are the biggest problems in getting *blank* accomplished?- If you could have the attention of the entire student body for 10 sec-onds, what would you say?

Part Three: Objectivity

As a reporter for the Cynic, it is your job to collect and convey the facts of a story in a completely objective, or non-bias, way. A good way to think about how to write an objec-tive news story is to picture yourself, the writer, as the judge in a court proceeding. You will hear testimony from different sides of an argument, and it is your job to listen to both sides equally. It is difficult not to pass judgement on the people you hear from, but after hearing from different sides it is time to write. You are not taking the job of the jury; it is up to them (aka the reader) to decide who is the right and wrong. When conducting research and giving interviews, it is difficult to remain completely objec-tive in your coverage. Here are a few ways to keep your own opinions out of a news story:

When conducting an interview, it is extremely important to remain skeptical of the person you are talking to. While the administrator you speak with may seem impartial, realize that they are trying to influence your story. If you ever walk out of an interview and have that “Oh, that was all the information I needed” then stop: Your source may have just smooth-talked you into beliveing what they said to be the ab-solute truth. By remaining cynical (yes, I know) about the interview process, a reporter has a much better chance of getting the “real” story. Yes, that one source was convincing. But what happens when your second source completely refutes what the first source said as lies?

Interviews: Keeping them in perspective

Avoid “he said, she said.” In-stead, find the truthIt may be easy to report on what two sources say about each other in separate interviews, but it is simply lazy and leads to sloppy re-porting. Try this: after every interview, make sure that you take down the phone number of your source. Let them know that you may be calling back if you need any additional in-formation. Now that you have this source on file, go interview the person who disagrees with them. Find out the “he said, she said” first but don’t stop there. Call back the first source and say something along the lines of “Well I know you told me this, but this per-son said that was false.” Their response will often be the best quote of your story.

One of the most difficult aspects of objective news reporting is being able to attribute correctly and keep all personal voice out of an article. There will be many a time when you realize that there needs to be a transition in your article that relies on this one fact that you know and think everyone should know. So why not go ahead and put it down? Because nobody said it. If it is not common knowledge, it simply needs to have attribution. So what is attribution and where does it belong?

Give attribution in the following situations:- Direct quote or a paraphrase/summary of what someone said.- Whenever new or startling information is pre-sented.

- When attributing to a person, use “said”.- When attributing to a document, web-site, press release, etc., use “according to” or “stated.”- It is important to have at least 3 sources in every story. More sources = more info, more balanced coverage.

Part Four: Style

Is it adviser or advisor? Knowing the basics of AP Style, the standard of jour-nalism provided by the Associated Press, will allow you to focus less on grammar/spelling and onto more critical aspects of your writing. Beyond AP style, there are also many general tips in style that will lead to better writing. (Caution: Mastering style may cause your editor to adore you.)

• Keep verbs in the active voice. “The admin-istration passed the reform bills” is much stronger then “The reform bills were passed by administrators.”

• Never begin articles or sentences with a day, date or time.

• Never paraphrase half a sentence, do not use some of your own words and some of the in-terviewee’s.

• Numbers 1-9 are written out (one, two, etc.) while 10 and above are numerical.

• Write “said” after the noun, except when a long title could cause confusion. Ex. Derr said, not said Derr.

• Avoid fuzzy words. Select words carefully and be precise. Put them together consicely.

• Keep paragraphs short: 35 words is a good maximum. Keep leads to an average of 15-35 words

• The shorter and punchier the lead, the better. • Never use a complicated word to sound edu-

cated. If a shorter word exists, use it. Could a 5th grader understand it? If not, take it out.

• All articles should be submitted to the edi-tor with a headline, subhead, byline, and pull quote option.

• Avoid using adjectives or other descriptive grammar that makes statements subjective. News articles are objective and unbiased by nature.

• Be wary of too much punctuation, especially commas. Keep sentences simple and only one space after a period.

• Avoid generalizing adjectives. Don’t call somebody tall, call them 6’5’’.

• Avoid using all first- and second-person pronouns, except in quotes.

• Use a hyphen if the word that follows be-gins with the same letter or is capitalized. Ex. anti-inflammatory/ ex-Beatle.

• Abbreivate street, avenue and boulevard when they are used with a specific numer-al address. (123 Fogel St.) Otherwise, spell them out.

• For long titles, put them after a name for easier readability. Always double-check titles on the UVM directory.

• Write percent, not per cent or %.• When adding clarification to a quote, use

brackets. “The dean said [she] had no clue what had happened to the grades.”

• It’s is not possessive: it means it is. • Use “affect” as a verb, and “effect” as a

noun. “The grade did not affect the out-come.” The grade had a significant effect.”

• Toward, not towards. Afterward, not af-terwards.

• A couple “of” something: Never a couple students.

• Only write annual if it has occurred more then once. It can’t be the first annual.

• who’s is not possessive. It is a contraction for who is. Whose is the possessive.

• Use who when somebody is the actor. Use whom when they have been the object of action.

• Temperatures get higher or lower, not cooler or warmer.

• Use “that” to direct a readers thought. Use “which” to be non-restrictive.

• PS: It’s adviser.

Part Five: In-depth reporting

Sure, it takes a lot of effort just to cover an SGA meeting, but what is stopping you from un-covering the next Watergate happening at UVM? In-depth, investigative reporting is an art that requires knowing the right people, learning how social systems work and knowing your right to information. It takes a great deal of time and effort to uncover a controversy, but the payoff is huge: an successful investigative story can turn a reporter into a modern day hero: uncovering corruption and informing your peers is one of the hallmarks of journalism. Armed with the tools of the 21st century, investigate and exhaust story ideas until that perfect story takes over your life. Be prepared.

Is my story idea worth the time?

Closely follow the most important characteristics of investigative news:- Timeliness: When did the event occur? Uncover-ing a 30-year old pay scandal is old news, but un-covering a 30-day old pay scandal will put current administrators in hot water. - Impact: Ask yourself: is there an injustice to be exposed? It is important to know your audience. How many people in the UVM community will your story affect?- Prominence: If a janitor’s wife is involved in a romantic affair, it is small news. If it’s the Presi-dent’s wife, then it’s front page.- Conflict: When investigating a problem on cam-pus, it is important to portray the struggle between viewpoints. Get lots of quotes, ask engaging ques-tions; the human emotion element will turn an aver-age story into one of greatness.

Where do I find my stories?

A common question among new report-ers is about where stories come from? While in an ideal world there would be a tipster calling you every week with the latest buzz around campus, that is simply not reality. As a reporter, you will have to go out and find the news and bring it to light. It takes time and effort, but it can be made easier through a few steps.

2. Use the Internet

The Internet contains an incredible amount of informa-tion, so how do you find the relevant stuff?News aggregators, such as Google News, can be utilized to search massive amounts of news. By learning how to effectively keyword search, a reporter can find website comments, forum postings and social media responses that may clue them in to the next big story.

1. Develop a book of contacts (and use them):

You will notice that after a few weeks of writing for the Cynic, you will have met and interviewed people in high places. Administrators and faculty are a great tool for finding the news. After each in-terview, create a contact list with your sources name, phone number, and email. Biggest point of advice: keep in contact! Send a quick email to the administra-tor you interviewed a month ago: “Hey Bill, just checking in and seeing if there is anything new you are working on.” By maintaining a rela-tionship with your sources, the stories will come to you.

Part Five: In-depth reporting (Continued)

What documents can I access?

The University of Vermont is a public institution, which is great news for journalists. The University is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act, which allows all citizens access to government records. At UVM, most documents and email conversations are subject to the law and therefore can be obtained by a reporter. Here are the guidelines for successfully obtaining public records.

1. Know exactly what you are looking for and your right to that information:

- You can request incoming and outgoing emails from any UVM.edu address, as long as it does not:• Contain specific mention to ongoing contract

negotiations• Discuss highly sensitive financial data/trade

secrets that would put UVM at a disadvantage if known by competing institutions.

• Pertain to an open police investigation.

2. Format and send it in the right manner:

All public records requests should be written as a formal letter and submitted through US mail or through email as a PDF. Submit all records requests to Gary Derr in the President’s office. Sample:

November 25, 2011

Gary DerrVice President of Executive OperationsOffice of the PresidentWaterman Building, Room 348The University of VermontBurlington, VT 05405

Dear Mr. Derr,

Please consider the following document my official public records request under Vermont State law 1 V.S.A. §§ 315-320.

I hereby request the procurement of the following documents:- *List of requests

Please do not hesistate to contact me for any further information needed. If possible, I would prefer to receive the documents in electronic format in the interest of the environment.

Sincerely,

*Your signature*

John DoeStaff Writer, The Vermont Cynic

3. Follow up:

After your public records request has been submitted, follow up with Gary after a week. Remember that it is his job to protect the University from any potential negative press; if he finds something in your request that could be potentially embarrassing if published, he may try to stall. Call him and if there is no response after two weeks, go into his office. It is within your legal rights to obtain the documents within 10 days. If an extension is needed, he is legally required to no-tify you and has a maximum of 20 days to fulfill the request.

4. Read your documents

After obtaining the records, sit down and scour them for any potential clues. There may be 299 pages of nothing, but if that other 1 page contains that one juicy email then you are in luck.