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