COMM 231 Final

What is a good word for court cases and not criminal cases?

"alleged"

How fast do broadcast journalists generally read?

150-180 words per minute

Bigger story packages for TV including video clips, on scene reporters might actually last how long?

2-3 minutes

How many lines per sentence should exist in broadcasting?

20-25 words

How long is a TV news story?

30 seconds or less

How many lines of copy are for TV broadcasting?

4-8 seconds per line

What is the difference between an opinion piece and editorial?

An opinion piece is the voice of one person, but an editorial is meant to be the voice of the publication

Why are sources the most important part of beat reporting?

Because you will be going to the same sources again and again and need to cultivate good relationships

True or False: Beat reporting can be done remotely

False...Beat reporting requires being present

How should you format numbers in broadcast?

Format numbers to be read by the anchor. Numbers less than 10 you write as AP Style. Large amounts are written out

What is the difference between journalism and PR?

Journalism focuses on the public, avoids taking sides and the ultimate goal is to inform PR serves organizations and clients; advocates for clients; the ultimate goal is to generate goodwill for client

Name three reader expectations of digital media

News up front Readers want multimedia variety Readers want customizable content

What is service journalism?

News you can use, or refrigerator journalism, "action journalism"-typically prompts the reader to "use" the information in some way

Sports are a kind of beat reporting. Should you be a fan of the team you cover?

No...Journalists should write, not root

What is an example of a public record?

Property records; corporation records; court records; campaign records; loan records; meeting minutes

What is B-roll footage?

Secondary footage used to disguise unwanted content such as zooms

What do radio reporters call the snippets of audio they collect and use in a story?

Sound bites

What influences the specificity of a "beat"?

The size of the publication-the bigger the publication, typically the smaller/more specific a beat becomes

Name one of the criteria for selecting a TV broadcast story:

Timeliness; Information over explanation; visual impact; emphasis on people

What is spinning?

Twisting, bending, toying and exaggerating or playing with the truth to make it sound better

Why is accuracy even MORE important in investigative journalism?

Typically includes accusations of wrongdoing or incompetence

The "focus" structure of a feature article is known as?

Wall Street Journal

What is an alternative story form?

a different way of presenting a story (often more visually)

What is the lower third?

a graphic overlay placed in the title-safe lower area of the screen

What is an obituary?

a notice of a death, especially in a newspaper, typically including a brief biography of the deceased person.

What are anecdotes?

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

What is conflicts of interest?

a situation in which a person is in a position to derive personal benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity

What is public relations?

a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics focuses on information and image

When writing profiles, you should use concrete details to...

add interest; prevent editorializing or adding your own opinion

What is non denial denial?

addressing the criticism rather than the issue

What are the differences between advertising and public relations?

advertising tries to attract attention w/ images & clever phrasing, controls own message, flashy and often exaggerates, expensive and aims for large public audience PR tries to motivate people with facts and details; lowkey and avoids distortion; cheap; targets journalists and other media

What is a crisis?

an act of god (hurricanes/earthquakes) human error mechanical failures

What is effective PR strategy?

analyze the situation-what are you trying to accomplish plan the strategy-how are you going to do it implement the plan evaluate the results

What should you do in investigative reporting?

ask questions that haven't been asked before; look for terms or things you don't understand; find people who want to give info

What is a throwaway?

attention getter... A.K.A "cue in"; followed by the real lead

How should you handle rumor in crisis?

be on the offensive; be upfront; maintain regular communication through multiple channels; look for clarity; establish two way communication

What is one of the most essential parts of a news release?

contact information

What is astroturfing?

creating a movement controlled by a large organization or group designed to look like a citizen-founded, grassroots campaign

Are you more likely to cover "criminal" trials or "civil" trials?

criminal

What is a hard lead?

delivers most important news right away think of it as a summary lead, but shorter

What are 4 ways to shorten stories?

eliminate subject areas; eliminate redundancies; train yourself to value brevity; challenge intensive and qualifying adverbs (instead of saying "very cold", say "frigid"

What is a soft lead?

feature; invites people in to tell that why it's important

How do you make contacts with people?

find out their interests; do they have kids; what do they do when they are not at work bring them a cup of coffee (be aware of limitations of accepting gifts)

What are the main elements for profiles?

focus: main idea theme: angle or recurring idea background: may include age or physical description

What is the wall street journal formula?

focuses on individual -> points out bigger picture-> reports on bigger picture-> returns to opening personal example

What is the focus structure/wall street journal formula?

focuses on individual; points out bigger picture; reports on bigger picture; returns to opening personal example

What is glittering generalities?

focusing on vague emotional appeals

When did sports journalism start growing?

grew in popularity in the 60's; big surge in 90's

What are some of the changes that made sports journalism grow?

growth of sports as a business; increased viewing due to diffusion of cable service; growth in internet/blogging

What is a crisis plan?

identifies individuals who will be responsible for working with different media; some written and rehearsed communication

What is ProPublica?

independent, non-profit newsroom

What type of structure should you use for game stories?

inverted pyramid

What is the story organization for broadcast TV?

inverted pyramid or chronological (most important info first)

What type of story structure would you use for covering crime?

inverted pyramid or martini glass

What is doublespeak?

language deliberately distorting or evading the truth

What should you beware of when covering crime or court cases?

libel

What are common "feature" stories?

lifestyles; travel; entertainment; health; science/technology

What is the umbrella?

links stories with a common thread (use this when talking about an ongoing issue)

When you get to the scene of a fire or accident or even obituary, what should you do?

look for a command post and prioritize who you should talk to authority figures usually get the first word; victims/those affected are up next (get contact info for follow up interviews) eyewitnesses can be unreliable; be sure that anything you take from them you attribute-don't accept as fact

What should you look for when beginning to write an opinion article?

look for issues in the news or issues on campus

What should you focus on when writing for PR?

message, audience, and medium

How do you calculate quotes for SOT?

most people speak roughly 150-180 words per minute which works out to 2.5-3 words per second; if you have a quote thats 12 words long, it will be 4 seconds of SOT

What were investigative journalists from the early 1900's called?

muckrakers

What is still reporting?

must be honest; rely on facts; consider multiple sources of information

In a features article with a non-summary lead, what is it called when you tell the readers the point of the story?

nut graf

What is a nut graph?

often will start in the third, fourth, or fifth paragraph, will explain any additional context for why the story is important summarizes theme and key point

How many points should you make in an opinion article?

one point; sum it up in one or two sentences

What is the tense of hard news?

past tense

What tense do broadcast news writers commonly use?

present tense

What are press kits?

promotional materials; typically include background information

How should you handle crisis?

put the public first (especially anyone directly affected) take responsibility for fixing the problem; be as open as possible with stakeholders (includes government-related agencies, investors and communities impacted) have designated people handling communication establish an information center (usually online presence) respond to all media inquiries kill the rumor mill

What is the inverted pyramid?

puts the most newsworthy information at the top, and then the remaining information follows in order of importance, with the least important at the bottom

What are the readers expectations of digital media?

readers want the news right away; readers want to have their say; readers want multimedia variety; readers want news upfront; readers want to customize content; the international audience; structure is all important

What works in alternative story forms?

recurring events; announcements; reports; "teachable moments"

What is the criteria for literary journalism?

requires journalistic credibility (factual accuracy/ethics) saturation/immersion reporting and field observation artistic merit or literary quality the literary journalist is bound by facts, opinions, observations, and other information obtained through the research

In covering crimes and courts, you may need to work to balance your coverage and the defendant's __________...

right to a fair trial

What is narration?

saying what you saw...without inserting yourself in the story

What is cherry-picking?

selecting only the facts that support your argument

What is the purpose of opinion reporting?

serve the public; provide a forum for ideas; acts as a watch dog; inform and guide readers to cause change

What is it called when a journalist gets an idea for writing a story?

sniff

Features are sometimes also referred to as:

soft news or human interest

What do sports journalists do?

some beat reporting (may be seasonal); combination of reporting/copy editing (paper design/layout)

What are the similarities between broadcasting and journalism?

still focus on news values; still need to be able to write (nearly every story told on the news is posted online and NOT in broadcast form)

What are some alternatives to the inverted pyramid?

summary lead (nut graf of a standard/hard news story); Direct ID Lead; "you" lead; multiple element lead

What kinds of leads/story structures do you expect in fires/accidents?

summary leads and inverted pyramid however, if your story is a few days later (a "follow-up"), you may want to do an anecdotal lead

What is SEO?

the process of increasing the quality and quantity of website traffic, increasing visibility of a website or a web page to users of a web search engine

What is a beat reporter?

the sole journalist handling a major area including cops/courts; education; science and health

What is a news narrative?

the story that combines elements of inverted pyramid and chronology formats, with emphasis on either news or narrative it is useful for stories when timeliness is somewhat important but the hard news element is not prominent

What are the differences between broadcasting and journalism?

thinking of time; coordinating with visuals/supporting video; conversational style/present tense; AVOIDING direct quotations (focus on SOT) (reduce attribution and focus on using lower thirds)

What is the circle kicker also known as?

tie back

What is sports journalism commonly known as?

toy department

What is bridging?

transitioning into a more favorable topic

What is literary journalism?

using in-depth research/reportage and dramatic storytelling techniques to enhance a reader's worldview

What are profiles?

usually highlighting something interesting that happened

What do accidents, fires, and obituaries have in common?

usually involve "going to the scene" usually involve interviewing a variety of people including victims, authority figures and eyewitnesses

Should you avoid big clauses in broadcasting?

usually, if you have multiple commas, it's a sign that it will be shared to read

What was the investigative reporting called during the Nixon scandal?

watergate

What is conciseness?

what you need to say in as few words as possible

When does chronology work?

when there is a resolution/punchline worth waiting for; some form of a complication has occurred

What is word precision?

words should mean exactly what you intend them to mean

Are small, non-famous obituaries usually written by family or mortuary?

yes

Should you attempt to avoid jargon in beat reporting?

yes (easy to get "familiar" with the lingo of the people/area you're covering)

Do sources have a give and take relationship?

yes; don't let them take advantage of you