Writing and reporting news! Chapters 1-8

Ch. 6 How does The Radio Television Digital News Association explains convergence?

"Communications and electronic journalism have changed dramatically in recent years and promise to change even more in years to come. The familiar lines that once marked the boundaries between radio, television, print, computers, telephones and other media are blurring. News in the future will be a fully digital broadband mix of audio, video, print, graphics and databases. In the coming years, new technology and changing market forces will completely transform the news industry."

Ch. 2 "In a hard-news story with a direct summary lead,...."

"The lead contains the focus, so you don't need a separate nut graph."

Ch. 2 "the nut graph is crucial when a story starts with a feature lead because..."

"the reader has to wait for a few paragraphs to find out the reason for the story."

Ch. 2 What are the different types of Lead

- "Summary" Leads - "Hard News" Leads - "Feature" Leads

Ch. 3 Steve Buttry's Verifying Tips

- Develop Twitter sources that you know are reliable. - Check the profile of a contributor to Twitter. - Check whom the person follows and who follows him, as well as who can vouch for this person; and check the person's previous tweets. - Check the time of a tweet during breaking news to determine whether the person could be an eyewitness, and try to determine the person's location. - Check for photos, especially during a breaking news event. - Check whether you can corroborate this account with other users.

Ch. 4 What are the different ways to find Human Sources

- News releases - Up and down the ladder - Names in the news - Administrative assistants - Community and campus leaders - Self-sponsorship - Matchmaking - Fairness - Primary and secondary sources - Blogs

Ch. 3 Some guidelines for reporting with social media:

- Research the topic by finding tweets or blogs - During the reporting process, post tweets to seek sources and update information. - Connect with eyewitnesses, and post questions such as these on Twitter or Facebook: Did you witness the event? How do you know that? - Ask permission before you use any photo or video submitted by users.

Ch. 7 Elements of a Summary Lead

- Subject-Verb-Object Order - Order of Information - Point of Emphasis - Active Versus Passive Voice - Where to Say When - Delayed Identification

Ch. 5 Common Interviewing Problems

- The source says something is "off the record" during an interview. - The source tells you not to use their name after the interview. - The source terminates the interview abruptly before you have the information you need. - The source gives you information that is inaccurate or false.

Ch. 1 What are some examples of Hard News

-crimes -fires -meetings -protest rallies -speeches -testimony in court cases.

Ch. 3 The Hartford (Connecticut) Courant Social Media Reporting Techniques

A Pulitzer finalist for breaking news in 2013, explained how it used social media to cover a tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut: - Aggressively updated the online story - Sent out text messages and emails - Posted powerful images - Engaged their readers on Facebook and through Twitter.

Ch. 2 Feature Lead

A lead that starts with a story or description about a person, place, or incident. Many begin with a description of a person who is a key source in the story, and the focus of the story is explained in another paragraph.

Ch. 2 Nut Graph

A sentence or paragraph that states the focus — the main point — of the story. It should tell in a nutshell what the story is about and why it is newsworthy. Should be placed high in the story, generally by the third to fifth paragraph. But if the lead is very compelling, it can come later. The term was coined more than 50 years ago by The Wall Street Journal in a memo to its staff.

Ch. 7 Active Versus Passive Voice

Active Voice: - Is generally preferable to passive in print and always preferred in broadcast writing. - Stresses who is doing the action. Passive Voice: - stresses those to whom the action is done. - You may need to use passive voice when the emphasis is on what happened instead of who caused it to happen, especially in police or court stories.

Ch. 2 Quote or Sound Bite

After the lead, the body of the story should support the focus with information from sources, quotes, or facts that explain the main idea. If you have a good quote or sound bite from a source, it should be placed high in the story after the lead or nut graph.

Ch. 4 News Releases

All news releases list a contact person, usually a public information officer or public relations contact. Whenever possible, ask to speak to the people mentioned in the news release.

Ch. 7 Summary Leads

Also called "hard-news leads," or "direct leads," these types of leads summarize what the story is about in the first sentence, getting directly to the point. Useful in any type of media. Public relations practitioners use summary leads in news releases, which need to be brief and newsworthy.

Ch. 6 Multimedia

As a combination of media — usually print, audio, video, photos, graphics, and the Web. It can also be called "convergence," which often refers to a story or project that merges a combination of media. The terms can be interchangeable.

Ch. 5 What do you do if the source terminates the interview abruptly before you have the information you need?

Ask if you may contact the source again for further questions.

Ch.5 What do you do if the source says something is "off the record" during an interview?

Ask the source why the information should be off the record (meaning you can't use it), and try to convince the source that the information is not harmful. Ask the question another way during the course of the inter- view to see whether you can get the information on the record.

Ch. 2 Lead

At the beginning of the story, the hook that tells the reader what the story is about. Entices the reader to continue reading. In a hard-news story, it's usually is written in one sentence — the first sentence of the story — and gives the most important information about the event.

Ch. 8 Correct the Story

Before you turn in your story, revise and correct your work. These tips apply to all types of media. ■■ Read your story aloud: If you are writing for broadcast, reading the copy aloud is essential. This is also one of the best self-editing steps you can use for print or online publication. ■■ Basics: Have you covered the basics — who, what, when, where, why, how and so what (impact)? ■■ Context: Have you included background or context to help the readers and viewers understand the significance of the story? ■■ Check accuracy: Double-check the spelling and titles of names and accuracy of facts. ■■ Avoid adjectives: Show, don't tell. Let your video tell the story if you are writing for broadcast. Use observation and details to describe actions and feelings. ■■ Use vigorous verbs: Have you used strong, active verbs? Can you rearrange sentences that start with "There is" or "There are" and substitute active verbs? ■■ Purge any parroting: If your transitions repeat a quote or sound bite, rewrite or cut them. Let the quotes and sound bites move the story naturally. ■■ Cut useless or excess words: If you had to cut your story, what words, sentences or paragraphs could you eliminate? ■■ Edit the pace: Do you have a good mix of short and long sentences — most of them short? Does your story flow? ■■ Check grammar: Do your subjects, verbs and pronouns agree? Is your grammar correct? ■■ Cut jargon: Eliminate bureaucratic language and jargon (such as "hot topic") or other clichés.

Ch. 1 Convergence Pt.2

Can also be considered the merger of print, audio, video, and interactive elements in an online form

Ch. 1 Feature Story (soft news)

Can be based on a news event. Instead of being just a factual account, it focuses on a particular angle of the story. Such as human-interest reactions.

Ch. 5 What do you do if the source gives you information that is inaccurate or false?

Check your facts, and if you discover inaccuracies or falsehoods, contact the source again and confront him with the problems. Ask for an explanation.

Ch. 3 Verifying Social Media

Checking the accuracy of tweets or posts during breaking news is more difficult, but just as essential as for any other news story. Try to contact the person who sends a tweet, or get an email address or phone number so you can confirm information.

Ch. 8 Collect the Information

Consider the focus as you do the reporting. What stands out in your mind as the most important or newsworthy idea? ■■ Get the basics: who, what, when, where, why, and how. ■■ Take notes on your observations as well as quotes, facts, and comments from your sources. ■■ Tape interviews for audio and video to include on the Web, but don't rely on technology to substitute for note-taking. ■■ Note the information and background you will need to get after your interviews. ■■ Highlight or underline your notes for important points and good quotes to include in your story. ■■ Gather anecdotes — brief stories from sources about their experiences. ■■ Think ahead. Gather information for the next step in the action or an updated version for the next broadcast, online or print publication. ■■ Collect documents or complete information for the Web. ■■ Verify names and spelling.

Ch. 1 Soft News

Defined as news that entertains or informs, with an emphasis on human interest and novelty, and LESS IMMEDIACY than hard news. These types of stories are called "feature stories." It isn't less important than hard news, but it is NOT something that happened overnight.

Ch. 4 Community and Campus Leaders

Find out who are the leaders of groups in your community and campus.

Ch. 4 Administrative Assistants

Get to know officials' administrative assistants, sometimes still called "secretaries."

Ch. 1 What are the two basic categories that news falls into?

Hard News and Soft News

Ch. 8 Plan an Order

Highlight or underline your notes for important points, good quotes, or sound bites. Then jot down a preliminary order in your notes or at the top of your story document. Here are some ways to organize your story: ■■ Topics: List all the main points you want to cover. Decide which are the most important and which point naturally follows another. Arrange information from the most important to the least important points. Then insert the quotes and other information related to those topics when you write the story. ■■ Highlights: If you were writing a highlights box, what would your main points be? Use the highlights as a guide to organizing your story. ■■ Time Sequence: Does the story have distinct time elements? Can it be arranged in a chronology? For example, start with the present (what is happening now); go to the past (background or how the situation developed); return to the present, and end with the future. ■■ Block Sources: If you have several sources, you might organize the story with a blocking technique. Place all the comments from one source in one part of the story, and then place the next source's comments in another block, and so on, instead of going back and forth among sources. ■■ Question-and-Answer: What question does one topic or paragraph raise that needs to be answered in the next paragraph? ■■ Images and Sound Bites: For broadcast writing, arrange your story around your images and sound bites. Let the video images tell the story. ■■ Free-writing: If you can't figure out an order, put away your notes and just write what you remember. Then review your draft, and arrange it in an order that seems logical. Plugin quotes and facts later. ■■ Ending: Decide how you want to end the story. Do you have a strong quote for an ending or information about a future action? What lasting impression do you want to leave?

Ch. 8 Transition Techniques

How do you get from one point to another smoothly? The best transition is no transition — a story so well organized that one thought follows another naturally. But if you are changing speakers or topics, you may need some of these transition techniques: ■■ Use cause and effect: If one paragraph raises a question, answer it in the next paragraph, or elaborate with an example or quote. Try to anticipate questions the reader might have. ■■ To make a transition from one source to another, introduce the new source. Don't string several quotes from different sources together.

Ch. 1 Breaking News

If the action or event occurred the same day as or the day before publication of the newspaper.

Ch. 2 You don't have to attribute...

If the information is common knowledge or indisputable, you do not have to attribute it.

Ch. 4 Fairness

If you are writing a story involving conflict, find sources that have the opposing points of view. Do not report any accusations about a person without contacting the target of those comments.

Ch. 4 Self Sponsorship

If you have reported and written a previous news story about a subject of interest to the source you are trying to contact, you can sponsor yourself. When you contact the source, introduce yourself by referring to the relevant article or newscast you reported.

Ch. 4 Names in the news

If you read or view a news story from a newspaper, telecast, website, or social media site, don't just quote the news story. Contact the primary source — the person involved.

Ch. 1 Dolph C. Simmons

In 2001, Owner and publisher of Lawerence Journal-Wolrd, converted a vacant post office on the National Register of Historic Places into a newsroom featuring a circular multimedia desk where editors coordi- nate information from print, broadcast and online media reporters.

Ch. 1 Media Convergence

Learning how to communicate news through the different mediums of print, broadcast, and online media. Is also called "multimedia" and "integrated media."

Ch. 8 Organizational Techniques

Many writers insist that they can't write the rest of the story until they find their lead. That is a luxury you can't afford when you need to file the story quickly for online delivery. To find your lead, ask yourself these questions: ■■ What will hook the reader's or viewer's attention? ■■ What does the reader or viewer need to know first or most to understand the story? ■■ What is the story about? Write a lead that will follow with your strongest quote. Start with the focus graph, and write the lead later.

Ch. 7 Point of Emphasis

Most of the time when you write a hard-news lead, you put the most important information first.

Ch.4 Human Sources

News writing needs human sources to make the story credible and readable. Information from eyewitnesses and participants lends immediacy to a story, and direct quotes and sound bites make a story interesting. You can find human sources in a number of ways.

Ch. 4 Matchmaking

Once you have contacted a source and want to find others, use the matchmaking technique, which is related to the sponsorship method. Ask the source who else you might contact about the situation.

Ch. 4 Blogs

Postings on the Internet from people who have written blogs about an issue can be good sources for you to contact. Don't consider information from blogs as accurate news. Blogs are usually opinion columns and personal reflections, but they can be valuable for finding human sources.

Ch. 8 Stages of the Writing Process

STAGES OF THE WRITING PROCESS Here are four coaching method steps in the writing process: ■■ Conceive ■■ Collect ■■ Construct ■■ Correct

Ch. 7 Tips for Summary Leads

Should answer several, but not all, of the basic questions: - who, what, when, where, why -plus how and so what. If you cram all of them into the lead, it could be cumbersome. Choose the most important factors for the lead. Save the others for the second or third paragraph.

Ch. 1 Hard News

Stories have element of IMMEDIACY! Includes stories of a timely nature about events or conflicts that have just happened or are about to happen.

Ch. 7 Subject-Verb-Object Order

Summary leads are most effective when they follow this order (who did what or what happened). This order is also favored for broadcast writing.

Ch. 7 How do you decide whether to use a direct or indirect lead?

The choice depends on several factors: - The significance of the news - The timing, - The proximity (interest to your local readers or viewers) - Subject matter. (If the subject is serious — death, disaster, a major change in the law — consider a summary-lead approach.) - Breaking news that happened yesterday or today also lends itself to a hard-news lead.

Ch. 2 Lead Quote

The first quote that backs up the lead. Also known as the "Augmenting Quote." It is usually the strongest quote you have, and it supports the concept in the lead without repeating the same information or wording.

Ch. 8 Conceive the Idea

The idea for a story may start with information from blogs, an assignment from an editor, a breaking news event, or a topic you proposed. Although you may have an initial focus, that can change after you gather the information. These questions will help you determine a focus before, during, and after the reporting and writing process. - What struck you as most interesting or important? - What is most newsworthy? - What is the main point of the story that readers or viewers need to know or would want to know?

Ch.2 Ending

The most common types of this include one of these elements: - future action - a statement or quote that summarizes but does not repeat the previous information - more elaboration. Avoid summary endings. In a basic news story, end when you have no more new information to reveal.

Ch. 7 Where to say When

The time element can be confusing in a lead. In breaking news: when something happened yesterday, the time element usually does not come first in the sentence. But you need to place it where it is accurate, even if it sounds awkward.

Ch. 2 Hard News Lead

This Lead does not have to answer all 5 W's in the first sentence because it would make the lead long and difficult to read. Shorter leads of fewer than 35 words are preferable, but that number is only a guideline. The writer has to decide which elements are most important to stress in the first sentence.

Ch. 2 Summary Lead

This is the most common type of lead on a hard-news story because it summarizes the main points about what happened. It answers the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Ch. 5 What do you do if the source tells you not to use their name after the interview?

Try to prevent this by making sure you identify yourself and your purpose clearly at the start of the interview. If you suspect that this might happen, set ground rules at the beginning of the interview by explaining that you cannot use anonymous sources. Try to convince the source to be identified. If the source still refuses, ask if you can identify the source by a vague title or position such as "a source in the administration."

Ch. 2 What are Secondary Headlines?

Used by online news sites and many newspapers today. Also called "deck heads," "summary lines" or "summary blurbs." The two headlines together give the reader a quick overview of the story's content.

Ch. 1 Lawerence Journal-World

Was one of the first news organizations in the U.S. to converge its print, broadcast, and online operations.

Ch. 7 Delayed Identification

When the who in your lead is not a well-known person in your community or in the nation, in the first paragraph, you can identify the person by: - Age - Location - Occupation - Or another modifier. Then in the second paragraph identify the person by - Name. Even if your story involves several people, the first name you use should be the one you referred to in your lead. All states have laws restricting the release of juvenile offenders' names, and several states prohibit the release of names of rape victims. In addition, many newspapers and television news organizations have policies to withhold names of criminal suspects until they are formally charged with crimes. Therefore, you need to use alternative forms of identification in these situations as well.

Ch. 4 Primary and Secondary Sources

When you are conducting an interview, if your source says something about another person, particularly if it is derogatory or controversial, make sure that you check with that other person. The first source's statements not only could be wrong; they could also be libelous. You should even check out written information about sources, especially online information, to make sure it is accurate.

Ch. 7 Order of Information

When you write a summary lead, how do you decide which basics to include and in what order? The points of emphasis should be the FIRST OR LAST words in the lead. Decide which elements are the most important — who, what, where, when, why, how or so what. Usually, it is safe to use a subject-verb-object format: - who did the action, what happened, to whom. But sometimes the how or why is most important.

Ch. 2 Impact

Whenever possible, the writer should explain how the news affects readers. The "impact" sentence or paragraph should answer these questions: - What is the significance of this story? - What in the story makes the reader care? Can be in the Lead or Nut Graph or later in the story.

Ch. 2 Attribution

Where did you get the information? Who told you these facts? How can the reader be sure what you say is true? Attribution, which identifies the source of the information, can provide those answers.

Ch. 4 Up and Down the Ladder

Who's in charge of the organization or department? You could start at the top by contacting the department head. On many other stories, you should also go down the ladder and try to contact the person closest to the incident. If you are writing about a study, contact the professor or researcher who did the study.

Ch. 3 The Tuscaloosa (Alabama) News Social Media Reporting Techniques

Winner for breaking news in 2012, was cited by the Pulitzer Prize Board "for its enterprising coverage of a deadly tornado." - Used social media as well as traditional reporting to provide real-time updates - Help locate missing people - Produce in-depth print accounts - Used social media to provide information on emergency resources.

Ch. 7 Why is the Summary Lead the Ideal Form?

With the increasing use of cell phones, tablet computers and other small-screen devices for news reading, the one sentence direct form of the summary lead makes it easier and ideal for mobile readers.

Ch. 3 Denver Post Social Media Reporting Techniques

Won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for its coverage of a mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. "The entire first day of the massacre was published on our digital platforms with updates virtually by the minute. Social Media Coverage included: - Tweets - Photos - Videos -Interactive Elements - A live blog featuring conversations with reporters and community members on Facebook.

Ch. 8 Construct the Story

Write a focus sentence on top of your story as a tool to help you select pertinent information. Here are some other ways to determine your focus: ■■ Write a headline for your story in fewer than 10 words. ■■ Express your focus as a tweet (Twitter post). ■■ Determine the most newsworthy, important or current information. ■■ Decide what main point would elicit responses if you were asking readers or viewers to comment on a blog, Twitter or another interactive site.

Ch.2 What to Attribute

You need to attribute all quotes — exact wording of statements that people made — and much information that you did not witness. You need to attribute any statements that express opinions.

Ch. 1 What is the basic approach of hard news?

an account of... -what happened? -why it happened? -how will the reader be affected?

Ch. 2 The basic news story structure

includes a... -Headline -A Beginning called the "lead" -A Middle called the "body" -An Ending.

Ch. 2 Headline

is the line on top of the story that identifies the main idea of the story so the reader can decide whether to access the full story.

Ch. 1 Examples of Soft News

stories that focus on... -people -places -issues that affect readers' lives. -book example: "a profile about a man who designs model airplanes or a story about the effectiveness of diets."

"inverted pyramid" form.

when a story is organized in an "inverted pyramid" form, it is giving the most important information first and the rest in descending order of importance.