WVU Extension Service - Reporter’s Handbook€¦ · Follow-up story leads Poor: The boys of the...
12
Reporter’s Handbook P 419-09 Name ______________________________ Club _______________________________ County _____________________________ Address ____________________________ Age ______ Years in 4-H ______________ Date project completed ________________ Year 20__ __
Transcript of WVU Extension Service - Reporter’s Handbook€¦ · Follow-up story leads Poor: The boys of the...
Reporter’sHandbook
P 419-09
Name ______________________________ Club _______________________________
County _____________________________ Address ____________________________
Age ______ Years in 4-H ______________ Date project completed ________________
Year 20__ __
Revised in 2009 by Joyce Bower, Publications Specialist, WVU Extension Service.
Objectives
●Toexplainthebasicsofnewswritingto4-Hreporters.
● Tohelpclubreporterslearnhowtopreparestoriesfortheirlocalnewspapers.
●ReadingLevel:Seventhgrade
4-H Youth Development
Contents
Congratulations!.....................................................................................................................................................ii
TheCaseoftheUpside-DownPyramid................................................................................................................. 1
TheBigSixQuestions........................................................................................ .............................................1
KnowYourNewspaperandItsStyle................................................................................................................ 1
KnowYourAudiences........................................................................................... ..........................................2
TheABCsofNewsWriting.............................................................................................................................. 2
WhatIsNews?.................................................................................................................................................. 2
SomeJournalismRules.......................................................................................................................................... 2
KindsofStories.................................................................................................................. ....................................3
TheShapeofaNewspaperStory............................... .............................................................................................4
TheLead.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
AdvanceStoryLeads................................................................................................................................. 5
Follow-UpStoryLeads.............................................................................................................................. 5
TheBody.......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Photographs............................................................................................................................................................ 6
CorrectNewsStoryFormat................................................................................................................................... 6
Quiz........................................................................................................................................................................ 7
West Virginia University Extension Service
Congratulations!Youhavebeenchosentodoaveryimportantjob.Youaretheclubreporter.Youhaveabigjobaheadofyou.
Muchofwhatpeoplethinkabout4-Hinyourcommunitydependsonyouandhowwellyoudoyourjob.
Youwonderjustwhatyourjobis?Well,ithasthreeparts:
1.Keepingpeopleinterestedinwhatyourclubdoes.
2.Explaininghowyourclubhelpsyourcommunity.
3.Inspiringotheryouthswithhow4-Hcanhelp“MaketheBestBetter.”
Butfirst,youhavetolearnwhatgoodnewsis–andthenlearnhowtowritegoodnewsstories.
So–let’sgetgoing.
Goodluck,
Your 4-H Editor
ii
4-H Youth Development
The Case of the Upside-Down PyramidRandyisa4-H’erjustlikeyou.He’sjustbeenappointedclubreporter,averyimportantassignment.
He’spleasedwiththehonor,buthe’salsoalittlebitworriedabouthisduties.
“Howtobegin?CanIdoit?WhatdoIknowaboutfindingandwritingnews,preparingcopyandcontactingthepress?”
Randyknowsnewspaperpublicityisimportantinhiscommunity.
Buthowcouldhegethisclub’sideasandprogramsintothenewspaperandtothepeopleregularly?What’smore,howcouldhemakeitinterestingsotheywouldREADit?
The Big Six Questions
SoRandyworriedthatnightaboutWHATtowrite,WHEREtowriteit,WHENtowriteit,WHOtowriteabout,WHYtowrite,andHOWtowrite.
“It’shopeless,Ican’t...hemumbledintohispillow.”
Washedreamingthathewasn’talone?
“Areyougroaningorareyoucallingmyname?”boomedavoice.
“Who...Who’sthere?”Randystammered.
“Why,it’sme,‘ConcisenessSam.’Didn’tyoucall?”
“Call?Whyno!IguessIwasjustworryingaboutmyjobasa4-Hclubreporter.Iwanttodoit,butIknowIcan’t.”
“Can’t!Thatworddoesn’tbelongina4-Hmember’svocabulary.”
Thevisitorpaused.“ItjustsohappensI’monmywaytosolvethecaseoftheupside-downpyramid.Believeitornot,thebuilderismissing.”
“Whydon’tyoucomealong,”Samurged,“andseewhatyoucanlearnaboutcoveringandreportingastory.”
Quickerthanawink,RandyscrambledintohisclothesandflewoutthewindowwithConcisenessSamtheSleuthinhisnews-trackingCluecopter.
Know Your Newspaper and Its Style
ThefirststopwasatthenewspapertoseewheneditorFranticFredwantedthestoryofthesolvedmysteryforhispaper.
1
West Virginia University Extension Service
“You’vegottosolvethemysteryandfindmetheupside-downpyramidbuilderbeforeMonday’sdeadline,”FranticFredpleaded.
“Hmmmm,”Randymused.“What’stheconnectionbetweenthemysteryandtheeditor,andwhoIStheupside-downpyramidbuilder?”Beforeheknewit,RandywasbeginningtothinklikeareporterandaskingtheBigSixQuestions–who,what,when,where,whyandhow–andlookingfortheanswersjustlikeConcisenessSamtheSleuth.“We’vegottoworkfast,”saidSam.Theyracedoutoverhomes,hillsandvalleys.
Know Your Audiences
“Look!”saidSam.“Herearetheaudiencesyour4-Hwritingmustreach.Someare4-H’ersandleaders.Othersareyoungpeopleyoumightpersuadetojoin4-H.Stillothersknownothingatallabout4-H.”
The ABCs of News Writing
“ItwillbeuptoyoutogivethemanAccurate,Brief,andClearpictureof4-Hwithyournewswriting,”Samcommented.
What Is News?
“StoriesaboutNEW,UNUSUALandIMPORTANThappenings,fairs,exhibits,tours,picnics,camps,communityprojects,programsandmanyotherthingscanbenews.Alltheseideas,events,situations,anddevelopmentscanbegoodnewsifyoucanmakethemINTERESTINGtonewspaperreaders,”heemphasized.
Remember,namesofpersonsandcommunitiesmakenews,butsecretary’sminutesdoNOT.
Remember,also,thatyoualwayshavetoconsidertheage,education,interestsandawarenessofyouraudiencewhenyouwrite.
Some Journalism Rules1.Avoidbigwords.Don’tsay“purchase”when“buy”issomuchshorter.
2.Keepyoursentencesbrief.Limitparagraphstothreetypewrittenlinesifpossible.
3.Goeasyonpunctuationandalwayscheckit.
4.Newsreportingmeansgivingonlythefacts.There’snoplaceforyouropinioninanewsstory.Ifyouuse opinion,besuretogivecredittosomeone.Alwayscheckwiththepersonyouarequoting.“Agoodtime washadbyall”ispureopinionanddoesn’tbelonginanewsstory.Herearesomeexpressionsthatwill helpyoucreditastatement:
2
●Hesaid● Sheobserved●Accordingto● Shedeclared
●Heasserted●Hepointedout●Hesays● Shebelieves
● Shenotedthat● Sheagreed●Hestated●Hesuggested
●Headvised● Shecommented● Sheemphasized
4-H Youth Development
5.Neverwriterumors.
6.Usefullnames.
7.Usecolorfulandpunchyverbs.
8.Planthestoriesyouwanttocover.Keepacalendarofcomingevents.
9.Avoidsuchoverworkedphrasesas“enjoyableevening”and“deliciousrefreshments.”
Kinds of Stories“ButwhatkindsofstoriesshouldIwrite?”Randyasked.
“First,takeacluefromthecalendar.Articlesaboutholidaysandseasonsarealwaystimelyandpopular.How-to-do-itarticles(tellinghowtomakealamporpreparepicnicfoods,forexamples)areappreciatedbythereader.Successstoriesalwaysappeal.Andofcourse,therearetheADVANCESTORYandtheFOLLOW-UPSTORY.
“Theadvancestoryiswrittenbeforeaneventtakesplace,tellingwhyit’sgoingtohappen,whoistobethereandwhat’stobedone.Thefollow-upiswrittenafteraneventandtellswhathappened,whowasthereandwhatactionwastaken,”Samexplained.
Suddenly,theCluecopterswoopeddownandlandedonafieldcoveredwithhundredsofupside-downpyramids.Offinthedistance,Danny,thebuilder,wasworkingawayatanotherone.
Samgrabbedhim.
“Sir,”Samyelledpolitelytothebuilder.“You’vegottostopthisatonceandcomebackwithus.Weneedyou.”
“Iwon’tgoback,”insistedDanny.“You’reallmurderers.Icouldn’tstandtopickupanewspaperandseeallthoseburiedleadsthatkilledreaderinterest.SoIlefttodevotemylifetobuildingupside-downpyramids–thecorrectwaytowriteanewspaperstory.”
“Buriedleads?Killedreaderinterest?Upsidedownpyramids?What’sthisallabout?”Randyasked.
“Youmeanyoudon’tknow?”
“No!”
“Well,it’slikethis!”
3
Cluecopter
West Virginia University Extension Service
The Shape of a Newspaper StoryTheupside-downpyramidstyleisthebasicnewspaperstoryform.Itmeansthatthemostimportantfactscomefirst,followedbyminorfactsanddetails.Thepurposeofthisstyleistogiveasummaryofthenewsquicklyandtohelptheeditor.Ifastoryistoolong,theeditorcanedititbytakingoffthebottomofthestorywithoutdisturbingtheimportantfacts.
The Lead
Thefirstsentenceinanewsstoryisthelead.Itgivesthemostimportantandmostinterestingfactsandrevealstheangleandsubjectofthestory.Theleadisthemostimportantsentencebecauseitattractsattention,sellsthestorytothereader,andsummarizesandemphasizesthemainpointofthestory.Theleadmayansweroneormoreofjournalism’sBigSixQuestions:Who,What,When,Where,WhyandHow.
Examples of leads answering the Big Six Questions:
WHO lead–JimJonesofTylerCountybrokeallrecordsattheState4-HDaywhenhewon10blueribbonsforhislivestock.
WHAT lead–Regulartractorcareisa“must.”ThatwasthemessagepointedoutinafarmsafetydemonstrationattheDec.3meetingoftheMountaineer4-HClub.
WHERE lead–AttheState4-HDay,4004-Hmemberswillparticipateincontestsandactivities.
WHEN lead–August30isthedeadlineforapplicantsintheInternational4-HYouthExchangeprogram.
WHY lead–Topromotecitizenship,theX-L-All4-HClubissponsoringanessaycontestcalled“WhatItMeanstoBeanAmerican.”
HOW lead–BysewingaDior-designeddress,CarolHall,17-year-old4-Hmember,wontheNationalMakeItWithWoolcontestandatriptoNewYork.
The lead can also be a:
Question:Didyoueverbakecookiesintherefrigerator?
Quote:“Astitchintimesavesnine.”
Summary Statement:WestVirginia4-H’ershavecollectedmorehonorsthisyearthaneverbefore.Sosaid...
Striking statement:Morethan300peoplewilldieonthehighwaysthisweekend.”
You Approach:You,too,canlearntowirealampinoneeasylesson.
4
4-H Youth Development
Becausethefollowingphrasesdon’tsayanythingimportantorinteresting,goodreportersdon’tbegintheirnewsstorieswiththem:
Atnineo’clock...
Thelastmeetingoftheyear...
Thepurposeofthemeeting...
TheBeacon4-HClub...
Atameeting...
AccordingtoJohnJones...
Atarecentmeeting...
Advance story leads
Poor:InconjunctionwiththeInstituteofAmericanPoultryIndustries’FactFindingConferenceforBusiness,Feb.8-11,theNinthJuniorPoultryandEggConferencewillbeheldinKansasCity,Mo.,etc.Kills reader interest.
Better:SeekingthelatesteggandpoultryproductioninformationFeb.8-11willbe4-H’erThomasKingofLewisCounty.ThomaswillbeWestVirginia’srepresentativeattheNinthJuniorPoultryandEggFactFindingConferenceinKansasCity,Mo.,etc.
Follow-up story leads
Poor:TheboysoftheHappyHills4-HClubmetattheFishandGameClubonFriday,Jan.15.Themeetingwascalledtoorderat8:15byPresidentTomHall.Intheabsenceofthesecretary,DickGrant,Vice-presidentHarryMillerwrotetheminutesofthemeeting.Therewereeightmembersandthreevisitorspresent.Theclubwelcomedonenewmember,KennethBrown,etc.Thesearesecretary’sminutes,notnews.
Better:“WelcometoHappyHills”signswillbeerectedonHighway309,Route2andHardingRoad,asaresultoftheJan.15HappyHills4-HClubmeeting,etc.
The Body
Thebody,ortheremainderofthestory,supportstheleadandgoesontoexplainit.Writeyourstorystartingwiththemoreimportantfacts,thenputtheleastimportantfactsanddetailsattheend.
The Right Newspaper Story Form
LEAD:Mostarresting,attractive,tantalizing,captivating,unusualfactorfacts.Theleadrevealstheslantorangle
oftheentirenewsstory
BODY:Discussesleadfacts
Moredetailsandadditionalfacts
Minordetails
5
West Virginia University Extension Service
PhotographsSometimesyou’llwanttosubmitaphotographtoyournewspaper.Eachpictureshouldtellastory.Catchpeopleinaction,notjustlookingstraightatthecamera.Standclosetoyoursubject.Don’tfeelyoumustshootpeoplefromheadtotoe.Focusonwhat’simportant.
Don’twriteoneithersideofthepicturebuttapeorpasteidentificationoracaptiononthebackorwriteitonaseparatepieceofpaper.Donotfold.Donotexpectthephotographtobereturned.
“Speakingofreturning,”remindedSam,“we’dbetterbegettingbacktotown.We’vegotadeadlinetomeet,andFranticFredisdesperateforDanny’stalentsasanupside-downpyramidbuilder.”
BackintheCluecopter,theydiscussedtheacceptedformfornewsarticles.
Correct News Story FormatUse8½-by-11-inchtypingpaper(notonionskin).
Leaveabout1½-inchmarginsonleftandrightsides.
Putimportantinformationaboutyouintheupperleft-handcorner.Intheright-handcorner,givethereleasedate.Wheneverpossible,thestoryshouldgototheeditorthreeorfourdaysbeforethereleasedate.
Ifpossible,typeanddoublespacethecopyforeasyreadingandcorrections.(Editorsmuchprefereasy-to-readtypedstoriesandfrownonhandwrittenones.)Beginyourstoryhalfwaydownthefirstpage.Indentparagraphsfivespaces.Ifthestoryismorethanonepage,type“more”atthebottomofthefirstpage;beginthenextpagewithanidentifyinghead(example:Smithtown4-HClubElections)intheupperleft-handcorner.Onelinebelowthat,write“AddOne”andonthenextpagewrite“AddTwo”andsoon.Attheendofstorywrite“End”or“30”–anewspapersymbolfor“finish.”
AfterSam,RandyandDannyfinisheddiscussingtheaccceptednewsstoryform,theCluecopterlandedinfrontofFranticFred.
“Isthatreallyyou,Danny?Thankgoodnessyou’vereturned.Blessyou,SamandRandy,forbringingbacktheupside-downpyramidbuilder.Nomorekilledreaderinterest.Nomoreleadburials.Getinthereandgetgoing,”Fredsaid.
“Thanksforgivingmethisopportunity,Fred,”Randyrepliedhappily.
“Andthankyou,ConcisenessSam,forshowingmehowtofindthenews,”saidRandy.“Thankyou,Danny,theupside-downpyramidbuilder,forshowingmehowtowritenews.Thankyou,Fred,theeditor,forhelpingmegetthenewspublished.”
Name ReleaseDateAddressPhone
IdentifyingHead
Lead_______________________________________________________________________________
Body________________________________________________________________________________
More
IdentifyingHeadAddOne
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
30
6
4-H Youth Development
“Nonsense,Randy.Itwasallinaday’s‘makingyourbestbetter,’”thethreechantedinunison.“Nowyou’rereadytobeatopnotch4-Hreporter.”
AndsoareYOU!
Happynewswriting!
QuizAndnow–here’sasurprisequizonyournewswritingcourse!It’sacinch,though;theanswersareonthebackcover.
1.Nametwokindsofstoriesyoucanwriteaboutmeetings.
2.What’sthefirststepinwritinganewsstory?
3.WhataretheABCsofnewswriting?
4.What’sthefirstthingyoutellaboutinanewsstory?
5.Tellagoodwaytobeginanadvancestory.
6.Whatdoyouplayupwhenwritingafollow-upstory?
7.Givetheruleforbuildinganewsstory.
8.Listsomestylerulesinwritingnews.
9.Doyougiveanopinioninanewsstory?
10.Accuracyisimportant.Tellsomepointsyoushouldcheckcarefully.
11.Howcanyouhelptheeditor?
7
Answers 1.Advancestoriestoannouncemeetings;andfollow-upstories,whichtellwhathappened.
2.Getalltheinformation–theBigSix:Who,What,When,Where,HowandWhy.
3.Beaccurate,briefandclear.
4.Themostimportantandinterestingfactyoulearned.
5.Startwiththepurposeofthemeeting.
6.Themostimportanthappeningatthemeeting.
7.Buildwithimportantdetailsnearthetopandleavetheleastimportantpointsforlast.
8.Usesimplelanguage.Avoidbigwords.Beclear.
9.Onlywhenit’screditedtosomeone.
10.People’snamesandinitials.Mentionwhostrangersare.Giveplaces,datesandtimes.Usethedictionary.
11. Bytypingorwritingclearlyononlyonesideofeachsheet.Bywritingshortsentencesandshortparagraphs. Byusingtheupside-downpyramidstyle.
Programs and activities offered by the West Virginia University Extension Service are available to all persons without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, political beliefs, sexual orientation,
national origin, and marital or family status. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Director,
Cooperative Extension Service, West Virginia University.
West Virginia University is governed by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the WVU Board of Governors. 4H09-137
