Week 8 News Writing. News Quiz #4 English name, class number (1 or 2) and student number In the...

Week 8 News Writing

News Quiz #4 English name, class number (1 or 2)

and student number In the form of leads with the 6W’s in

the correct order 5 news stories from the past week

International Beat China Xi’an XISU

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.

Every culture seeks effective ways to spread new information and gossip. In ancient times, news was written on clay tablets. In Caesar’s age, Romans read newsletters compiled by correspondents and handwritten by slaves. Wandering minstrels spread news (and the plague) in the Middle Ages. Them came ink on paper. Voices on airwaves. Newsreels, Web sites, And 24-hour cable news networks. Thus when scholars analyze the rich history of journalism, some view it in terms of technological progress—for example, the dramatic impact of bigger, faster printing presses. Others see journalism as a specialized form literary expression, one that’s

constantly evolving, reflecting and shaping its culture. Others see it as an inspiring quest for free speech, an endless power struggle between Authority (trying to control information) and the People (trying to learn the truth). Which brings to mind the words of A.J. Liefling: “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to htose who own one.” In the pages ahead, we’ll take a quick tour of 600 years of journalism history, from hieroglyphics to hypertext: the media, the message and the politics. Technical advances and brilliant ideas forged a new style of journalism. It was a century of change, and newspapers changed

dramatically. The typi newspaper of 1800 wa undisciplined mishma legislative proceedinglong-winded essays a secondhand gossip. B1900, a new breed of tor had emerged. Jourhad become big busin Reporting was becom disciplined craft. And newspapers were becmore entertaining and essential than ever, wmost 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

Inside ReportingTim Harrower

Covering the news

5

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© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Covering the news

Covering a beatWriting obituariesCovering accidents and disastersCovering firesCovering crime

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Covering a beat

New beat• Do research.• Meet people.

Beat reporters focus on specific topics or institutions

Make lists•Key sources•Upcoming meetings and events•Story ideas

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Covering accidents and disasters

Most editors maintain standards What is the severity? How many people

are affected? Is it local?

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Writing stories on traffic accidents Usually lead with WHAT or WHO. Start with a delayed-identification

lead.• Delay naming victims until 2nd

or 3rd paragraph.

• Distribute key facts logically through first few paragraphs.

• Generally no need to identify police by name.

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Traffic accident checklistVictimsExtent of

injuries/cause of death

Cause of accident according to police

Location

TimeVehiclesArrests or citationsCommentsActs of heroismRelevant facts

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When disaster strikes Arriving on the scene

• Go where the action is.

• Question authorities.

• Talk to victims and eyewitnesses.

• Record details that capture the scene.

• Check in often with your editors.

• Collaborate.

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When disaster strikes Dealing with victims of a tragedy

• Ask permission.• Go slow.• Empathize—but

watch what you say.

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Covering fires

Fire story checklistVictim namesExtent of


Type of buildingLocationTime

How the fire was discovered

Cause of fireNumber of fire

fightersEstimated cost of

damage

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Covering fires

Fire story checklist…Extent of

insurance coverage

Acts of heroismWeatherEffect of fire on

evacuees

Plans to relocate victims or rebuild structures

Arrests or citationsAnecdotes and

descriptionsAny other unusual

aspects

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Covering fires

Organizing stories on fire Death or injury usually

the lead. Focus on the most

compelling aspect. Cover the aftermath. May offer opportunity to

use narrative storytelling.

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Covering crime

Crime writing style and structure Add color, not clutter. Avoid sloppy allegations. Explore chronological

story forms.

Kicker

Inverted-pyramid lead

Chronology

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Covering crime

What you should withhold Names of minors Names of victims

of sensitive crimes

Names of endangered victims

Labeling people as suspects

Stereotypes

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Covering crime

Homicide or assault story checklistVictim’s nameExtent of


LocationTimeCircumstances

Description of suspectName and

identification of anyone arrested

CommentsUnusual factors

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Covering crime

Theft story checklistType, value of

items takenVictimLocationTimeCircumstances

Description of suspect

Name and identification of anyone arrested

CommentsUnusual factors

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Covering speeches

Speeches: Before, during and after Before• Research the speaker.• Request an advance

copy of speech.• Ask if picture- taking

will be allowed.

During • Get a good seat.• Estimate the size of

the audience.• Monitor the mood of

the crowd.• Take along a tape

recorder.

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Covering speeches

Speeches: Before, during and after After• Create a compelling

lead.• Avoid topic leads.• Include minimal

background/ biographical data.

• Highlight speaker’s key points.

• Convey tone of speech.

• Beware of false or libelous comments.

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Covering speeches

Speech story checklist Speaker’s name Relevant

credentials Reason for speech Time, day and

location

Description of audience

Quotes

Comments

Responses

Speaker’s fee

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Covering meetings

Explain issues, how decisions are made, and what it means

Start with research. Clarify. Condense.

Concentrate. Encourage readers

to attend meetings.

Go early. Dress

appropriately.

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Covering meetings

Explain issues, how decisions are made, and what it means

Stick around after the meeting.

Remember, meetings are not always news.

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Covering meetings

Meeting story checklistGroup/agency nameLocation and length

of meeting Important decisionsQuotesReactions

Crowd sizeAtmosphereGraphicsUnusual eventsWhat happens

next?

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Covering meetings

Personalizing meetings Write about real

people.

Write about real issues.

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Covering sports

Three most common story types Game stories Feature stories• Analysis• Profiles

Columns

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Covering sports

Game story checklistFinal scoreTeams’ namesWhen and whereKey players and key

playsQuotesStrategies

Key statistics InjuriesBoth teams’ recordsWhat the game

meansOther relevant

factors

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Covering sports

Advance sporting event checklistSignificance of

gameHistoryKey playersRecords and recent

performancesQuotes

Strategies InjuriesOther factorsWho’s favoredTime, place and

ticket information

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Covering sports

Compiling, crunching sport stats Conduct solid

research. Take careful notes. Use stats selectively. Add charts, graphs or

sidebars, if needed.

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Covering sports

Sports style Team name

usually plural. High school

athletes are girls and boys.

Abbreviate league names.

Use figures for measurements.Use numerals for scores and time.

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Covering sports

Tips for the sports beat Covering events• Know the sport.• Cultivate your

sources.• Ask tough, pointed

questions.

Writing stories• Think plot, not play-by-

play.• Avoid jargon and clichés.• Remember, it’s a game.

Ch. 3 eWorkbook exercises

https://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073378917/student_view0/chapter3/exercise_3-4_3.html




3.3POOR

Hayward is recovering from an earthquake that rocked the Bay Area at 8:12 a.m. PDT on Monday morning.

Felt from Los Angeles to Redding, the quake appeared centered on a building housing McHenry’s Auto Supply at 2342 Plum St. That building partially collapsed, killing two workers and injuring six others, according to Jennifer Vu, a public information officer from the Hayward Fire Department.

The quake appears to have been centered on the Hayward Fault, according to Penny Gertz, a scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. The epicenter of the quake, which had a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale, was under the Hayward Hills, Gertz said.

Three of the six injured at McHenry’s were hurt seriously enough to require hospitalization at Hayward General Hospital, Vu stated, adding that no other serious injuries have been reported in Hayward.

Twenty-one fire personnel, 12 police, and five American Red Cross workers responded to the incident, with some arriving at the scene within four minutes of the collapse, Vu said.

Hayward resident Mike Beamer, whose apartment is across the street from McHenry’s, said he felt a rolling motion that lasted for about 30 seconds, with a big jolt coming in the middle.

Hayward firefighters used ropes to stabilize the auto supply shop, conducted a search of the building and capped a gas line after detecting a leak at the site.

People as far south as Los Angeles and as far north as Redding felt the quake, according to Gertz.

The lead fails to mention the most newsworthy immediate effects of the quake — death, injury and destruction — instead giving us the bland “Hayward is recovering” and the trivial “8:12 a.m. PDT.”

The second sentence, which mentions McHenry’s, inaccurately suggests that the quake was “centered” on the building, and still we don’t have any details about what happened there.

When we finally get to the deaths, the story possibly misidentifies the dead as “workers” when Vu only identifies them as “people.” They could have been customers or even passersby.

From this point on, the details come randomly, with little sense of development or ranking by importance. The decision not to include Beamer’s quote takes out the one bit of color that could have enlivened the bottom part of the story.

GOOD

A powerful earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday morning, partially collapsing an auto parts store, killing at least two people and injuring six others.

The 8:12 a.m. temblor — felt from Redding to Los Angeles — measured 6.4 on the Richter scale and was centered on the Hayward Fault under the Hayward Hills, according to Penny Gertz, a scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park.

The shaking triggered the partial collapse of McHenry’s Auto Supply at 2342 Plum St., killing two people and injuring six others, according to Jennifer Vu, a public information officer from the Hayward Fire Department. Names of the dead are being withheld pending notification of families, Vu said.

Three of those six were hurt seriously enough to require hospitalization and were transported to Hayward General Hospital, according to Vu. She added that no other serious injuries have been reported in Hayward.

Mike Beamer, whose apartment is across the street from McHenry’s, said he felt a rolling motion that lasted for about 30 seconds, with a big jolt coming in the middle. “I was eating my breakfast and the room started rolling. I dove under the table just as I heard an explosion outside and a chunk of cement flew through my kitchen window. That’s when the screaming started across the street.”

Twenty-one fire personnel, 12 police and five American Red Cross workers responded to the incident, with some arriving at the scene within four minutes of the collapse, Vu said.

Hayward firefighters used ropes to stabilize the auto supply shop, conducted a search of the building and capped a gas line after detecting a gas leak at the site.

Much stronger. Notice that the death, injuries and building collapse are in the lead, followed by details suggesting the magnitude of the quake in the second paragraph. From there the story moves into a more detailed look at McHenry’s, the main site of destruction, fleshing out the details on the most significant elements of the story, always organized from most important to least important. The dramatic quote from Beamer comes soon after we’ve finished with the essentials, with the lesser technicalities coming at the bottom. If an editor needed to cut this story to fit, starting from the bottom would be a surefire way to make sure nothing important was cut.

3.3

4.11. Passive

Active voice rewrite: Police arrested him as he climbed into the mansion’s window.

2. PassiveActive voice rewrite: Understudy Jenny Baker will replace retiring treasurer Bill Habib.

3. Active

4. PassiveActive voice rewrite: The employees see the manager as benevolent but demanding.

PassiveActive voice rewrite: How she said it angered me more than what she said.

4.3 1. This year’s $20 to $25 tickets were $5 more expensive than last year’s.2. She must make her college years productive.3. Marcel’s Café is not one of Seattle’s finest French restaurants.4. The film’s opening scene offers insight into Gollum’s split personality.

5.Wildlife commissioners worry that building seven salamander tunnels under the road from the lake to Percy Park will bust the project’s budget.

6.Students pack campus buildings on rainy days.7.Avoid food coloring by buying purple tubers for the

potato salad.8.Some anxious students try to impress their professors

with wordy exam answers.9. Most readers said the article, “In Praise of Brevity,” was biased.10.The president’s decision not to declare war was surprising.

4.4 1. The scientists at the World Health Organization subjected the data to intense scrutiny scrutinized the data

before issuing the alert.2. If not contained with speed, they warned, the virus could spread exponentially and achieve plague status.3. The president huddled met with his advisers and then acted with a speed that left shocked his political

opponents and the media world shell-shocked.4. In a surprise move, the president went on the offense and called Congress back into session.

5.Heightening the drama was the fact that he had called them back from midterm holidays amid adverse weather conditions during a storm in Washington.

6.Amid allegations of political opportunism and claims that he had overstepped his authority, the president launched an offensive worked to convince Congress of the urgent need for action.

7.An important part of implementing his strategy was to nullify the impact of decisions enacted by counteracting political operators with hidden agendas.

8.If he didn’t act immediately to empower his allies and forestall his opponents, he knew he later might have to put down a bloody uprising a rebellion by militant members of his own party.

4.5 1. The protest, reportedly organized by pacifists from out of town, began with a rally at the courthouse steps,

where speakers of all spots and stripes lambasted the U.S. government for its role in the Iraq War.2. By 8 p.m. the crowd of 200 or so had warmed to a boil become rowdy and began to show its true colors.3. Cool as cucumbers, Police waited calmly at the corner of 6th and Broadway, where the two forces eventually

met.4. When one group of demonstrators tried to topple a police car, they discovered they had been playing with a

powder keg underestimating the efficiency of the police response.

5.The officers, who were armed to the teeth well-armed, swung into high gear and quickly responded with truncheons and tear gas.

6.Needless to say, The protesters beat a hasty retreat retreated, took to their heels and dispersed, mostly just in the nick of time, with police in hot pursuit.

7.“I’ve never seen so many people run so fast in so many directions,” said Lt. Miguel Cruz, who didn’t seem not worse for the wear for his part in the incident.

8.City officials say they will leave no stone unturned in exploring explore ways to make the demonstrators foot the bill pay for the police response.

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Ch. 4 eWorkbook - Attributions (p.84-5)

1. “I saw people running. Then a big guy in a yellow hat swerved and smashed into me and I didn’t see anything else,” Szelensky said.

2. “A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant and the crazy crazier,” H.L. Mencken, one of the most famous journalists of his time, said.

3. “Don’t think of him as a Republican,” said Maria Shriver, who is married to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar. “Think of him as the man I love, and if that doesn’t work, think of him as the man who can crush you.”

4. “I don’t like ketchup on my eggs one bit,” Dorfman said.“I’m still waiting to hear something that you do like,” Holland said.

5. Michal Smythe, press representative for the company, said the cyclone had wiped out the corporate headquarters.

6. For instance, former CNN reporter Peter Arnett said: “I’m still in shock and awe at being fired.”

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Ch. 4 eWorkbook exercises answers The attribution should go after the first sentence.2. Avoid separating the source from “said.” This is one of those awkward attributions that would work better

inverted, as in: said H.L. Mencken, one of the most famous journalists of his time.3. Well-placed and structured attribution.

4. Put the attribution at the beginning of the second quote to avoid suggesting to the reader that Dorfman is still speaking.

5. Correct.6. It’s acceptable to set up a long quote by putting a colon

after the attribution, but this quote is too short to qualify.

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Quotes: Punctuation & Attribution

p. 92, Test Yourself Exercise #3 a, b, c only

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AP style practice 1. Joe Java Junior joined the American Automobile Association, just like his father, Joe Java Senior. (3) 2. The reporter said he would meet with the source at the American Broadcasting Company on November 12. (2)3. The Pres. Of the U.S. lives in the white house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. (4)

4.The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official said the U.S. could launch ABM missiles at a moment’s notice. (2)

5.Dr. Andrew Jones, Ph.D in psychology, is a pro-life advocate. (3)

6. The fire department was dispatched to Nine Morningside Boulevard to fight a blaze set by accused arsonist Vern Embers. (3)

7.The Chief of Staff in the President’s Administration admitted he was a homosexual. (3)

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AP style practice answers Joe Java Jr. joined the AAA, just like his father, Joe Java Sr.

The reporter said he would meet with the source at ABC on Nov. 12.

The president of the United States lives in the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The CIA official said the United States could launch ABMs at a moment’s notice.

Andrew Jones, who has a doctorate in psychology, is an anti-abortion advocate.

The fire department was dispatched to 9 Morningside Blvd. to fight a blaze.

The chief of staff in the president’s administration said he was a homosexual.

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Beat Story #1 feedback

Refer to page 59 Lead;Nut graph or second paragraph Check for personal pronouns, passive

voice, grammar and punctuation problems.

Attribution and Quotes Check for accuracy, fairness and

balance, redundancy, cliches etc. AP stylebook

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Grammar: Plurals and Possessives

4 Instructions: Please correct the errors in the sentences below. Do not try to avoid the grammar issue by rewriting a sentence. Instead, try to keep the words in the same basic order, but correct the punctuation.

1. The car is the students’. 2. I saw your father at Ricks house.3. The teacher’s asked the girl’s and boy’s to be quiet.4. The Detroit Tiger’s baseball team dropped a

doubleheader yesterday. 5. The mans son shoveled the walk.

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Grammar answers: Plurals and Possessives The car is the student’s. I saw your father at Rick’s house.The teachers asked the girls and boys to be quiet.The Detroit Tigers baseball team dropped a

doubleheader yesterday.The man’s son shoveled the walk.

Week 8 Assignments

Read Ch. 6 Only if you received lower than a 70

on the 2nd draft of Beat story #1, you may resubmit it. Deadline: Monday, May 6 at 8a.m.

1st draft of Beat story #2 Deadline: Wednesday, May 15 at 8a.m.

Some business When you submit assignments using

the form, please provide your email address, not mine.

Don’t forget to include source’s contact info: email or phone.

Bring your textbook and AP stylebook to class every week.

Be mindful of deadlines! Reminder: I have office hours every

Thu, Fri from 2-4 p.m. in I-304.

Week 8 News Writing. News Quiz #4 English name, class number (1 or 2) and student number In the...

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