Intro To News-writing: Midterm
what is a boiler plate
-at the end of a news release -paragraph summary of the company
soft-news
-news that entertains or informs -emphasis on human interest and novelty -less immediacy
hard-news
-presents the key facts in the first few paragraph -stories of a timely nature (crimes, fires, meetings protests etc.) -approach is basically what happened
common ways to write a contrast lead
1. But-guess-what contrast: lead that revolves around circumstances can be used to explain something unusual 2. then-and-now contrast: time contrast to show how things are different
News hook techniques: 2
1. localize a national story 2. when you nationalize a local story
what are the steps to the inverted pyramid
1. most newsworthy info (WWWWWH) 2. important details 3. other general background info
to determine the focus of a hard-news story that you will write, ask yourself what?
1. what is the story about? 2. how are the readers or viewers affected? 3. how would you tell the story to a friend?
The headline for your story should be fewer than ___ words.
10
clear, compelling headlines should be less than ____ words, or _____ characters
15, 140
who long does research suggest telephone interviews should be limited to
20 mins
how many key words should be used in your google search and blog
3-5
when you write a professional profile how many focus's should you have
3-5
the introduction should be about _______ words
30
lists in the beginnings and middles or stories should be limited to _____ items
5 or fewer
opt-ed piece
Originally appeared opposite the editorial page in newspaper -Today the term is used more widely to represent a column that represents the strong, informed and focused opinion of the writer -concise and exclusives
T/F, social media reporting techniques have received several Pulitzer Prizes?
True
T/F: Brief profiles showing a slice of life or vignettes of people are excellent formats for the web, especially now that many stories are being tailored to small screens.
True
T/F: Fabrication of sources and information has led to journalists' resignations, apologies and even prison terms.
True
broadcast news scripts don't include headlines. T?F
True
a secondary headline is also called
a "deck head", "summary line", or "summary blurb"
the basic news story structure includes?
a headline, a lead, a body and an ending
in a obituary what do you write about
a persons life, not their death
double-barreled question
a question with more than one question embedded in it
what is a direct quote
a quotation that uses a persons exact words and must be put inside quotation marks
backgrounder
additional paper summarizing key things about the company for knowledge (history, customers, leadership team, sales, future)
attribution
an explicit or formal acknowledgement of ownership or authorship
why is a nut graph called a nut graph
because its harder to read
a nut graph is crucial when a story starts with a feature leads why?
because the reader has to wait for a few paragraphs to find the reason for the story
Writing simple sentences in a conversational style—the way you talk—is preferable for all media, but essential for _____________
broadcast
The four coaching method steps in the writing process are
conceive, collect construct, and correct
multimedia is defined as a combination of media and can also be called ________
convergence
once you're done putting together your media plan, one question you need to ask yourself is:
did we accomplish our objectives
if you write a blog or post a tweet that endorses a product on social media you must
disclose whether you received cash or gifts, or are employed by this company
what is the most popular social media site in the world
T/F: An interview is the only source you need for reporting for most stories.
fals, you need human and written sources for differing point of views and accuracy checking
T/F "Pod" is an abbreviation for "Power of demand"
false
T/F "hard news" are those stories that are difficult to write because they require considerable research and fact checking
false
T/F "trends" is not one of the "qualities of news" listen in WRN chapter 1
false
T/F In a basic news story, the facts are never told first
false
T/F Mario Garcia, a world-renowned consultant on newspaper design, said the majority or people who read newspapers are older and developed their reading habits before the advent of television, so graphics are not particularly important in newspapers
false
T/F Pinterest is nothing like a bulletin board
false
T/F Using a summary lead is essential in a news release
false
T/F a "pay wall" i a physical location where customers can pay for their media subscriptions
false
T/F an "aggregator" is a person who continually complains about news items
false
T/F backgrounders are stand alone pieces and never accompany a news release
false
T/F basic news stories for the web do not resemble print formats
false
T/F blogs are limited to news and personal sites
false
T/F chronological storytelling is not a version of the inverted pyramid format
false
T/F considerable technical knowlede is required to create or publish a blog
false
T/F investigative reporters don't use lists
false
T/F is it too early in your career for you to start a list of sources
false
T/F its easy to verify the accuracy of information that social media provide
false
T/F no federal rules or guidelines apply to bloggers and other users of social media
false
T/F readers and viewers receive news: they don't help collect and create it
false
T/F reading a story written in the inverted pyramid form, you have to wait until the end to learn the "who"
false
T/F regardless of the topic, all stories follow the same writing formula
false
T/F separating sections of a story by time frames is not effective
false
T/F the "sections" technique divides a story into sections, like book chapters, but it does not use graphic devices to separate the sections
false
T/F the question/answer format is not useful for mobile media stories
false
T/F the south korean website called OhmyNews international prohibits the use of input from citizen reports
false
T/F the study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism revealed that the speed of producing news has has little or no negative effect on accuracy
false
T/F the traditional qualities of news stories no longer apply to print, broadcast and online media
false
T/F the wall street journal formula is not useful in broadcast news stories
false
T/F using the wall street journal formula, the lead can be anecdotal or descriptive, but not narrative
false
T/F visuals, including photos and graphics, are essential for broadcast media such as TV, but they are not particularly important for print media
false
T/F you must explain your reason for requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act
false
T/F, a good quote or sound bite from a source should rarely be placed high in the story after the lead or nut graph
false
T/F, its essential to use a lead quote in all stories
false
T/F: It's not necessary to video interviews, because they can't be used to produce audio and video to enhance your stories for the web and mobile media.
false
T/F: Most journalists are not opposed to prepublication review by a source.
false
T/F: No U.S. state prohibits recording telephone conversations without the consent of the person being recorded.
false
T/F: None of the reporting principles for traditional journalists apply to mobile media.
false
T/F: Social media networks should never be used as a reporting shortcut when another method like picking up a phone or knocking on a door, would yield more reliable or comprehensive information.
false
T/F: consumers use only one mobile device at a time
false
T/F: its not necessary to research your subjects background
false
T/F: no websites are available that provide links to valuable resources for the media
false
T/F: reporters must describe the "big picture" but don't need details
false
T/F: the idea for a story should never come from a blog
false
T/F: the obituary pages in a newspaper are poorly read
false
T/F: there is a specific way to organize a profile
false
T/F; email is an effective method for interviewing people
false
a backgrounder provides no in-depth information about a specific organization or issue
false
backgrounders are not intended for distribution for reporters or members of the public who inquire a certain topics
false
the only internet social media are blogs, micro blogs, and social networking sites
false
T/F: No U.S. state has laws protecting journalists from revealing their sources.
false, all states except Wyoming
T/F: Your university's police department can be of no help in providing statistics on such things as crimes on the campus.
false, it can be of help. they must document it
T/F: its okay to accept a gift from a news source
false, it effects your credibility and its a conflict of interest
T/F: The summary lead is not a good form for cell phones, tablet computers and other small-screen devices for news reading.
false, its ideal
According to Glen Nowak, Ph.D., "... It's just a matter of knowing the technical elements of creating a Facebook page to know what makes a good one."
false, its not just knowing technical elements but also knowing what makes a good one versus a bad one
T/F: The structure in active voice is object-subject-verb.
false, its subject-verb-object
research is only used in the evaluation in the PR plan
false, its used in every part
T/F: You should always describe your profile subject and give the person's age and physical description.
false, only when relevant
T/F: Close-ended questions are designed to elicit quotes, elaboration or longer responses.
false, open-ended questions are
T/F: To insert background into a story, it's inappropriate to use a phrase such as "The incident began this way."
false, that phrase can be used if you're recounting the story chronologically
T/F: Using anonymous sources is a good way to gather information for your stories.
false, the more you rely on unnamed sources the less credibility your story has
T/F: "Be an aggressive listener" is one of the Listening Tips listed on page 82.
false, the tips are: focus on the hear and now, practice conversational listening, practice critical listening, be quiet, be responsive, listen for what isn't said, listen with your eyes, be polite, block personal intrusions, be flexible
T/F: full quotes are effective for broadcast writing
false, they are difficult in leads and can be awkward
T/F: Impact leads can be written only in a hard-news summary form.
false, they can also be in a soft lead
T/F: Print and broadcast styles are really the same.
false, they differ. Print: past tense. Broadcast: present tense
T/F: Obituary writing follows no basic form.
false, they must contain the same crucial information: name, identification, age, date and place of death, cause of death, address, background, survivors, services, burial, names of services, courtesy titles, and titles for religious leaders
T/F: Writing news for print, broadcast and the web requires the writer to focus only on the story being written.
false, they plan and report for more than one story
basic news stories don't use a story-telling approach at their beginning
false, they tell the end result first
T/F: When collecting information for a story, don't concern yourself with gathering anecdotes; that can be done later in the process.
false, very important
T/F: Writing news today has nothing in common with speed dating.
false, very similar
T/F: To produce a good multimedia website, you need only a smartphone.
false, you also need some tools and skills to create good photos video and audio
T/F: It's not necessary to attribute partial quotes you use in a lead.
false, you still must attribute partial quotes
the most common type of lead on a hard-news story is called a ?
feature lead
The Freedom of Information Act was established by Congress in 1966 to make what
federal records available to the public
to increase the likely hood of your story being published you should...
follow the standardize format for either the organization you're writing for or news release format, you should know and meet the needs of your audience, should be timely
what is pacing
following a complex sentence with a short punchy one. more important in writing for print
qualitative research
giving the details, anecdotes
GOAL stands for
goals, obstacles, achievements, logistics
open-ended question
good to ask, more in-depth answer
a nut graph is always harder or easier to read
harder
news writing needs __________ to make the story more credible and readable
human sources
one of the most important qualities of mobile journalism is ____________ for their employer
immediacy
when is focus-on-a-person lead used
in profile stories about the person or in news stories about issues, where the person is one of many affected by the point of your story
when should a list be used
in summarizing studies, statistical information or the main points in government actions
in the inverted pyramid structure for news, the important information falls
in the first few paragraph
A hard-news story presents the key facts where?
in the first few paragraphs
when should a question be answered if its asked
in the following paragraph
where do commas and periods go in a quotation?
inside the quote
where does the attribution need to be in broadcast writing
it goes first
what is the anecdotal lead
it starts with a story about a person or event
orphan quote
just one or two words the person said to emphasize them
the ending of a story is called a
kicker
who is the backgrounder given to
media, stockholders, board of directors, company leaders, internal and external communication, media and public, advertising, website
"mojos" are what
mobile journalists
what kind of writing uses inverted pyramid
news release and news stories
Do you put a comma before the FANBOY in a list?
no
do you have to write the lead before anything else?
no sometimes its helpful to do it at the end
should you rely on a digital recorder
no, still take notes but they are useful
"vidcast" or "vodcast" is a video podcast that what
now includes video
quantitative research
numbers, surveys
what is the blocking process
organizing your story by using sources in blocks instead of placing them sporadically throughout a story
why is a press release also an inverted pyramid
people people who read those are scanners, they need to get the important info first
what is a "cardinal sin in journalism"
plagiarism, which is copying the words of another person without identifying the source
active voice
preferable in print and broadcast writing. it stresses who is doing the action
What is the main lesson to be learned from Alan Richman's ill-fated interview with Richard De Niro?
prepare interview questions in advance
the most common type of ending is called a
quote kicker
with traditional media, people are ___________, with social media they are ___________
receivers, contributors
when you make an attribution in a story, should you say "says/said" or something exciting like "she screamed"
said/says
T/F: You should begin an interview by asking your most important question.
start with easy questions and ease into it
________ is a way to gather tweets, images and posts to create a story
storify
Summary leads, also called hard-news leads" or "direct leads," do what
summarize what the story is about IN THE FIRST SENTENCE
What are the ways the body of the profile story can be organized
supporting themes, time frames, chronology, point/counterpoint, sections, Q and A
what is a narrative lead
tells a story with enough dramatic action for readers to feel as if they are witnessing the event. It uses all the techniques of fiction
"off the record" means
that information from the source can't be used at all, and the source cannot be identified
"on the record" means
that source agrees that the interviewer can use the information provided in a news story and the source can be identified
"not for attribution" means
that the information provided by the source can be used but the source can't be identified
theme of profile is what
the angle or recurring idea that weaves throughout the story
teaser lead uses
the element of surprise to tease the reader into the story
what factors go into the purpose of a blog
the objective or outcome you want, the audience, and the key message
parallel construction means
the sentences are worded in the same grammatical order
persuasion
the use of appeals to reasons, values, beliefs, and emotions to convict a listener or reader to think or act in a particular way
Out of PRA's survey of 1,000 members, what did they find the top skills needed in PR to be?
to be a strong writer and a great listener
curation techniques can be used for what
to compile a composite website
SWOT analysis is useful in determining an organizations present situation
true
T/F "breaking news" is about an event that occurred the same day as, or the day before, publication of the media outlet
true
T/F "soft news" is news that entertains or informs, with an emphasis on human interest and novelty
true
T/F TV reporters are expected to post blogs to describe breaking news events.
true
T/F a common way to organize sections is by points of view
true
T/F a list is useful as a highlights box within the story or at the end of the story
true
T/F a version of the wall street journal formula works well when you want the lead to focus on a person to explain a larger so, a trend or a study
true
T/F every good story needs a hook
true
T/F getting the data to accompany your story is now a standard part of the reporting process
true
T/F if a news story involved conflict you should always get comments on both sides or all sides of an issue
true
T/F in the last few decades, news stories have contained more analysis to help readers understand the context of stories
true
T/F learning to use data is not a separate skill; its just part of good reporting
true
T/F many of the skills you need to become a journalist are still grounded in basic reporting and writing principles
true
T/F mobile news delivery is the fastest growing trend for the media industry
true
T/F partnerships with university journalism departments are a way news organization are expanding their coverage without expanding their staffs
true
T/F personal communication and publishing, previously separate functions, now shade into one another
true
T/F the Q and A format is commonly used for profiles
true
T/F the days of writing for a single medium have ended at most news, public relations and advertising organizations
true
T/F the disadvantage of the inverted pyramid form is that the reader may not read past the crucial information
true
T/F the hourglass format is useful in crime or disaster stories
true
T/F the inverted pyramid is the most common form used for print, broadcast and online news as well as news releases in public relations
true
T/F the textbook lists 11 factors-qualities- of news
true
T/F the wall street journal formulas idea is to go from the specific to the general, starting with a paragraph or two about a person, place or event that illustrates the main point of the story
true
T/F twitter is used around the world by media, government agencies and corporations as a way to communicate a lot of information in a little amount of space?
true
T/F twitter readers are scanners, so you need to rite tweets like headlines that will grab attention
true
T/F when a story breaks, reporters at many newspaper and broadcast organizations are expected to file the story immediately for the web and update major stories online throughout the day
true
T/F when you prepare for an in depth interview, you start with the general questions then move to more specific ones
true
T/F writing about a historical event is an interesting story
true
T/F, all quotes must be attributed to a speaker?
true
T/F, social networking has changed the nature of journalism
true
T/F: "Blocking sources" means organizing quotations from each of several sources in one paragraph or in consecutive paragraphs.
true
T/F: "Put the attribution at the beginning of the sentence in broadcast writing. In print and web writing, the attribution may come at the end of the sentence"
true
T/F: A machine—such as a recorder—can inhibit a source.
true
T/F: A misspelled name or a factual error is a major problem in any story; in an obituary it is disastrous.
true
T/F: A reporter evaluates information for its accuracy, fairness, newsworthiness and potential to make a readable story
true
T/F: Alan Richman says, "Nobody has lived a totally uneventful life."
true
T/F: Although soft leads are also called "delayed leads," the lead is still first, but the nut graph is delayed.
true
T/F: Dawson said, "Every profile subject has a future, and you need to ask your subject what lies ahead."
true
T/F: Descriptive show-in-action leads, anecdotes, contrast leads and scene-setting leads work particularly well in profiles.
true
T/F: FOIA.gov is one of several websites that provide guides to request information using the Freedom of Information Act.
true
T/F: In broadcast stories, sound bites and video constitute dialogue.
true
T/F: Interview questions that will elicit the most quotes and anecdotes start with what, why and how.
true
T/F: Many government records, such as data from state and local agencies, can be obtained from databases consisting of public records.
true
T/F: Many profiles focus on people in the community who have done something noteworthy but do not have celebrity status.
true
T/F: Many sources, named or unnamed, have their own agenda and want to manipulate reporters so the sources can promote their causes.
true
T/F: Most newspapers have free or paid death notices.
true
T/F: Outlining your profile by planning a facts (highlights) box can help you determine what topics to include in your story.
true
T/F: People typically read less of articles on a small screen cell phone.
true
T/F: Social media applications have become standard features in most news, government and public relations websites.
true
T/F: Soft leads can be as effective in broadcast writing as in print.
true
T/F: Soft leads delay telling the reader what the story is about by teasing the reader with a description or a storytelling approach before the focus is stated in a separate paragraph called the "nut graph."
true
T/F: Some of the most innovative forms of storytelling can be offered with multimedia tools.
true
T/F: Sree Sreenivasan, a social media expert, said to be sure each of your tweets "... has at least one of these qualities: helpful, useful, informative, relevant, practical, actionable, timely, generous, credible, brief, entertaining, fun, occasionally funny."
true
T/F: The lead is crucial in any medium. Studies show that most online readers are scanners who read only headlines.
true
T/F: To provide a smooth transition, a word or phrase from one paragraph can be used in the next paragraph.
true
T/F: Walter Dawson said, "The heart and soul of a profile is making sure the reader understands the twists and turns and intricacies of human life."
true
T/F: Writing the lead and organizing the story are the two most common problems of professing writers.
true
T/F: for an email interview, limit the number of questions to five
true
T/F: it is illegal to secretly record any conversation between two other people when you re not part of the discourse
true
T/F: obituary writers have their own blog
true
T/F; Citizens can provide valuable information, but some people try to fool news organizations with bad information or fake pictures.
true
T/f: For a telephone interview, make two lists of questions: (1) all the questions you want to ask and (2) crucial questions.
true
detail is important in taking notes
true
information from a story is sometimes set off in a fact box, also called a highlights box
true
newspapers still attract educated and affluent readers
true
opinions are not expressed in a backgrounder
true
T/F: If a person has been charged with a crime, you may state that fact without attribution.
true, the word allegedly can be used when the charges have not been proved, but direct attribution to the police is preferable
indirect quotation
use the speakers idea but not hie/her exact words. no quotes
when you write for an organizational blog
use third person (never I, Me, Us, or our)
how similar are professional profiles to a bio or a feature story
very
what is the corner stone in digital diamond
website
digital diamond consists of what
website, social media, email, and blogs
paraphrasing
what the person said but put in your own words. No quote marks
when do you not need to attribute information used in a story?
when its common knowledge
what is a circle kicker
when you return to your lead for an idea to end your story
direct quotation
when you use the speakers exact words. quotes used
"attribution" answers what question?
where did you get the information
a hard-news lead must answer the questions of what?
who, what, when, where, why and how
when do you need more sensitivity with interviewing people
with private individuals because they do not have to deal with the media
close-ended question
worst kind to ask. Yes or no answer
are there sites to help locate blogs that contain specific information
yes
do you put a comma before the FANBOY if the two sentences can stand alone?
yes
does social media have new roles in disasters?
yes
is Facebook used to get news?
yes
is twitter good with getting sources and eyewitness accounts during a disaster, an accident or local event?
yes
should the writer explain how the news affects the reader?
yes, whenever possible
what is a problem with a question lead
you can lose the reader if it does not pertain to them