Exam 1 - True/False
How does the textbook say to organize the body of a profile?
-Supporting Themes -Time Frames, Chronology -Point/Counterpoint -Sections, Q and A
To determine the focus of a hard-news story that you will write, ask yourself
-What is the story about? -How are readers or viewers affected? -How would you tell the story to a friend? All of these, not "What does my boss want?"
The headline for your story should be fewer than ___ words.
10
Lists in the beginnings and middles of stories should be limited to ___ items.
5 or fewer
Which of the following is written in active voice?
A pet iguana started a fire in a split-level house in Lake Shores by knocking over a heat lamp with its tail, fire officials said. NOT: A fire in a split-level house in Lake Shores was started by a pet iguana that knocked over a heat lamp with its tail, fire officials said.)
The four coaching method steps in the writing process are conceive, collect, construct and _______
Correct
"Be an aggressive listener" is one of the Listening Tips listed on page 82
FALSE
"Pod" is an abbreviation for "Power on demand"
FALSE
"Trends" is not one of the "qualities of news" listed in WRN Chapter 1
FALSE
A good quote or sound bite from a source should rarely be placed high in the story after the lead or nut graph.
FALSE
A hard-news lead must answer the questions of who, what, when, where, why and how
FALSE
A list should be used only to itemize a group of statistics or any other cumbersome information.
FALSE
A narrative lead tells a story with enough dramatic action for readers to feel as if they are witnessing the event, but narrative writing doesn't use techniques of fiction.
FALSE
A nut graph is always harder to read, thus the name, "nut graph."
FALSE
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
Basic news stories don't use a story-telling approach at their beginning
FALSE
Basic news stories for the web do not resemble print formats.
FALSE
Blogs are limited to news and personal sites.
FALSE
Chronological storytelling is not a version of the inverted pyramid format.
FALSE
Clear, compelling headlines should be less than 15 words, or 200 characters.
FALSE
Considerable technical knowledge is required to create or publish a blog
FALSE
Consumers use only one mobile device at a time.
FALSE
Full quotes are effective for broadcast writing.
FALSE
Impact leads can be written only in a hard-news summary form.
FALSE
In a quotation, commas and periods always go outside the quotation mark at the end of the quote.
FALSE
In an obituary, you write about a person's death not the person's life
FALSE
In broadcast writing, you need to put the attribution last.
FALSE
In planning an order for your story, the blocking process involves eliminating unimportant information.
FALSE
In the inverted pyramid structure for news, the most important information falls after the first few paragraphs.
FALSE
Interview questions that will elicit the most quotes and anecdotes start with what, why, and how.
FALSE
Investigative reporters don't use lists.
FALSE
It's easy to verify the accuracy of information that social media provide
FALSE
It's essential to use a lead quote in all stories.
FALSE
It's important to write a strong lead before continuing with writing the story.
FALSE
It's not necessary to attribute partial quotes you use in a lead.
FALSE
It's not necessary to research your subject's background
FALSE
No federal rules or guidelines apply to bloggers and other users of social media.
FALSE
No sites exist to help locate blogs that contain specific information.
FALSE
No websites are available that provide links to valuable resources for the media
FALSE
None of the reporting principles for traditional journalists apply to mobile media.
FALSE
Obituary writing follows no basic form
FALSE
One of the most important qualities of mobile journalism is "inexpensive" for their employer.
FALSE
Pacing—that is, following a complex sentence with a short, punchy one—is less important in broadcast writing than in writing for print.
FALSE
Pinterest is nothing like a bulletin board
FALSE
Print and broadcast styles are really the same.
FALSE
Readers and viewers receive news, they don't help collect and create it
FALSE
Reading a story written in the inverted pyramid form, you have to wait until the end to learn the "who."
FALSE
Regardless of the topic, all stories follow the same writing formula
FALSE
Separating sections of a story by time frames is not effective.
FALSE
Social media have no news roles in disasters.
FALSE
The "sections" technique divides a story into sections, like book chapters, but it does not use graphic devices to separate the sections.
FALSE
The Wall Street Journal formula is not useful in broadcast news stories.
FALSE
The focus-on-a-person lead can be used in profile stories about the person, but that type of lead cannot be used in news stories.
FALSE
The idea for a story should never come from a blog.
FALSE
The most common type of ending is called a "final kicker."
FALSE
The most common type of lead on a hard-news story is called a "feature lead
FALSE
The most common way to write a contrast lead emphasizes a crisis situation.
FALSE
The obituary pages in the newspaper are poorly read
FALSE
The question/answer format is not useful for mobile media stories.
FALSE
The structure in active voice is object-subject-verb.
FALSE
The summary lead is not a good form for cell phones, tablet computers and other small-screen devices for news reading.
FALSE
There is a specific way to organize a profile
FALSE
There's no problem losing the reader when you use a question lead.
FALSE
To insert background into a story, it's inappropriate to use a phrase such as "The incident began this way."
FALSE
To produce a good multimedia website, you need only a smartphone.
FALSE
Twitter is of no use in getting sources and eyewitness accounts during a disaster, an accident or a local event.
FALSE
Unfortunately, Facebook can't be used to get news
FALSE
Using The Wall Street Journal formula, the lead can be anecdotal or descriptive, but not narrative.
FALSE
When a question is asked, it should be answered in the same paragraph.
FALSE
When collecting information for a story, don't concern yourself with gathering anecdotes; that can be done later in the process.
FALSE
Writing news for print, broadcast and the web requires the writer to focus only on the story being written.
FALSE
Writing news today has nothing in common with speed dating.
FALSE
You must attribute information used in a story even if the information is common knowledge.
FALSE
You must explain your reason for requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act.
FALSE
You should always describe your profile subject and give the person's age and physical description
FALSE
Email is an affective method for interviewing people
FALSE -"Although e-mail is an effective tool for contacting sources, it is not the best method for interviewing people...Use it as a last resort if you can't interview a source in person or by telephone,"
An interview is the only source you need for reporting for most stories
FALSE -"An interview with one source is just the beginning of reporting for most stories. For credibility and fairness, you need other sources - human and written - for differing points of view and accuracy checks,"
Close-ended questions are designed to elicit quotes, elaboration, or longer responses
FALSE -"Close ended questions are designed to elicit brief, specific answers that are factual,"
Detail is not important in taking notes
FALSE -"Detail is what makes the difference between good and bad notes...Detailed notes give you this advantage: When you begin writing your story, you may need more information than you anticipated during the reporting process,"
You should begin an interview by asking your most important question
FALSE -"Start you interview with basic introductions and some opening conversation,"
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 -"These days it is even more essential to videotape interviews so you can produce audio and video that will enhance your stories for the Web and mobile media,"
Reporters must describe the "big picture" but don't need details
FALSE -"What a reporter needs is detail, detail, detail. If a man is shot for playing the same song on the jukebox too many times, I've got to name that tune," (Edna Buchanan)
Mario Garcia, a world-renowned consultant on newspaper design, said the majority of 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 -He said,"the majority of readers today do not remember life without television, so visual elements are crucial in newspaper. The marriage of visuals and words has to begin early"
Visuals, including photos and graphics, are essential for broadcast media such as TV, but they are not particularly important for print media.
FALSE -Studies by The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, show an increased emphasis on graphic devices and color in print media," (16). The results of another study showed that "readers are drawn to color photographs first, then headlines, cutlines (captions), briefs, and a number of other graphic devices called points of entry,"
It's okay to accept a gift from a news source
FALSE -The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, says journalists "should refuse gifts and favors
They study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism revealed that the speed of producing news has had little or no negative effect on accuracy
FALSE -The study revealed that "more than 62 percent of executives from print and 67 percent from broadcast media think accuracy is declining due in part to the speed of producing news and to social media,"
No U.S. state prohibits recording telephone conversations without the consent of the person being recorded.
FALSE -Twelve states prohibit recorded conversations without the consent of the person being taped
Using anonymous sources is a good way to gather information for your stories
FALSE -it doesn't seem reliable
It's too early in your career for you to start a list of sources
FALSE -its never too early
Most journalists are not opposed to prepublication review by a source
FALSE -many are scared to pre-publish
Most print and broadcast newsrooms maintain only paper information on stories the newspapers or television station has done
FALSE -not only paper
A "pay wall" is a physical location where customers can pay for their media subscriptions.
FALSE -paywalls "wall off, or block access to, certain content,"
No U.S. state has laws protecting journalists from revealing their sources
FALSE -several states do
The traditional qualities of news stories no longer apply to print, broadcast, and online media.
FALSE -some traditional qualities of news stories still apply to print, broadcast, and online media
Your university's police department can be of no help in providing statistics on such things as crimes on campus
FALSE -you should reach out to them first
The South Korean website called OhmyNews International prohibits the use of input from citizen reporters
FALSE -"Oh Yeon-ho, creator of the site, said his motto is 'Every citizen is a reporter all over the world," ...The focus of the organization has changed to report more about citizen journalism than world news,"
An "aggregator" is a person who continually complains about news items
FALSE -an aggregator "is software that compiles or collects certain websites that you want delivered to you regularly and pushes them to you via email or automatically downloads them for you into a portable media player,"
"Hard news" are those stories that are difficult to write because they require considerable research and fact checking
False -"Hard news includes stories of a timely nature about events or conflicts that have just happened or are about to happen, such as crimes, fires, meetings, protest rallies, speeches, and testimony in court cases. The hard-news approach is basically an account of what happened, why it happened, and how readers will react. These stories have immediacy,"
What is the main lesson to be learned from Alan Rickman's ill-fated interview with Richard De Niro?
Prepare interview questions in advance
"Attribution" answers the question, "Where did you get the information?"
TRUE
"Blocking sources" means organizing quotations from each of several sources in one paragraph or in consecutive paragraphs.
TRUE
"Breaking news" is about an event that occurred the same day as, or the day before, publication of the media outlet
TRUE
"Mojos" are mobile journalists.
TRUE
"Not for attribution" means that the information provided by the source can be used but the source cannot be identified.
TRUE
"Off the record" means that information from the source cannot be used at all, and the source cannot be identified.
TRUE
"On the record" means that the source agrees that the interviewer can use the information provided in a news story and the source can be identified.
TRUE
"Soft news" is news that entertains or informs, with an emphasis on human interest and novelty.
TRUE
A common way to organize sections is by points of view.
TRUE
A direct quote is a quotation that uses a person's exact words and must be put inside quotation marks.
TRUE
A list is useful as a highlights box within the story or at the end of the story
TRUE
A machine - such as a recorder - can inhibit a source
TRUE
A misspelled name or a factual error is a major problem in any story; in an obituary it is disastrous
TRUE
A nut graph is crucial when a story starts with a feature lead because the reader has to wait for a few paragraphs to find the reason for the story.
TRUE
A reporter evaluates information for its accuracy, fairness, newsworthiness, and potential to make a readable story
TRUE
A secondary headline is called a "deck head," "summary line" or "summary blurb
TRUE
A version of The Wall Street Journal formula works well when you want the lead to focus on a person to explain a larger issue, a trend or a study.
TRUE
Alan Richman says, "Nobody has lived a totally uneventful life
TRUE
All quotes must be attributed to a speaker.
TRUE
Although soft leads are also called "delayed leads," the lead is still first, but the nut graph is delayed.
TRUE
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 screen
TRUE
Broadcast news scripts don't include headlines
TRUE
Citizens can provide valuable information, but some people try to fool news organizations with bad information or fake pictures.
TRUE
Dawson said, "Every profile subject has a future, and you need to ask your subject what could lie ahead."
TRUE
Descriptive show-in-action leads, anecdotes, contrast leads, and scene-setting leads work particularly well in profiles
TRUE
FOIA.gov is one of several websites that provide guides to request information using the Freedom of Information Act.
TRUE
Fabrication of sources and information has led to journalists' resignations and apologies
TRUE
For a telephone interview, make two lists of questions: (1) all the questions you want to ask (2) crucial questions.
TRUE
For an email interview, limit the number of questions to five
TRUE
Getting the data to accompany your story is now a standard part of the reporting process
TRUE
If a person has been charged with a crime, you may state that fact without attribution.
TRUE
In broadcast stories, sound bites and video constitute dialogue.
TRUE
In the last few decades, news stories have contained more analysis to help readers understand the context of stories
TRUE
It is illegal to secretly record and conversation between two people when you are not a part of the discourse
TRUE
Learning to use data is not a separate skill - it is just part of good reporting
TRUE
Many government records, such as data from state and local agencies, can be obtained from databases consisting of public records.
TRUE
Many of the skills you need to become a journalist are still grounded in basic reporting and writing principles.
TRUE
Many profiles focus on people in the community who have done something noteworthy but do not have celebrity status
TRUE
Many sources, named or unnamed, have their own agenda and want to manipulate reporters so the sources can promote their causes
TRUE
Mobile news delivery is the fastest growing trend for the media industry
TRUE
Most newspapers have free or paid death notices
TRUE
Multimedia is defined as a combination of media and also can be called "convergence."
TRUE
Newswriting needs human sources to make the story credible and readable
TRUE
Obituary writers have their own blog
TRUE
Outlining your profile by planning a facts (highlights) box can help you determine what topics to include in your story.
TRUE
Parallel construction means the sentences are worded in the same grammatical order.
TRUE
Partnerships with university journalism departments are a way news organizations are expanding their coverage without expanding their staffs.
TRUE
People typically read less of articles on a small screen cell phone.
TRUE
Personal communication and publishing, previously separate functions, now shade into one another.
TRUE
Plagiarism is copying the words of another person without identifying the source. It is "a cardinal sin in journalism."
TRUE
Podcasts now can include video. A video podcast is called a "vidcast" or "vodcast."
TRUE
Private individuals do not have to deal with the media, so you need to use more sensitivity when interviewing them
TRUE
Reading your story aloud is useful in correcting your story.
TRUE
Researchers suggest telephone interviews are limited to 20 minutes
TRUE
Social media "curation" techniques can be used to compile a composite website
TRUE
Social media applications have become standard features in most news, government and public relations websites.
TRUE
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
TRUE
Social media reporting techniques have received several Pulitzer Prizes
TRUE
Social networking has changed the nature of journalism.
TRUE
Soft leads can be as effective in broadcast writing as in print.
TRUE
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
Some of the most innovative forms of storytelling can be offered with multimedia tools.
TRUE
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
Storify is a way to gather tweets, images and posts to create a story.
TRUE
Summary leads, also called hard-news leads" or "direct leads," summarize what the story is about in the first sentence.
TRUE
TV reporters may be expected to post blogs to describe breaking news events
TRUE
The "sections" technique lends itself to cliffhanger endings for each section or each day's installment.
TRUE
The Freedom of Information Act was established by Congress in 1966 to make federal records available to the public
TRUE
The Q and A format is commonly used for profiles.
TRUE
The Wall Street Journal formula's 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
The anecdotal lead starts with a story about a person or event.
TRUE
The basic news story structure includes a headline, a lead, a body and an ending
TRUE
The days of writing for a single medium have ended at most news, public relations, and advertising organizations
TRUE
The disadvantage of the inverted pyramid form is that the reader may not read past the crucial information.
TRUE
The ending of a story is called the "kicker."
TRUE
The focus-on-a-person lead is an effective technique for broadcast news, especially when the person or people used in the lead exemplify a problem shared by many other people in the community.
TRUE
The hourglass format is useful in crime or disaster stories.
TRUE
The inverted pyramid is the most common form used for print, broadcast and online news as well as news releases in public relations.
TRUE
The lead is crucial in any medium. Studies show that most online readers are scanners who read only headlines.
TRUE
The teaser lead uses the element of surprise to tease the reader into the story.
TRUE
The textbook lists 11 factors - qualities - of news
TRUE
The textbook says that Facebook is the most popular social media site in the world.
TRUE
The theme of a profile is an angle or recurring idea that weaves throughout the story
TRUE
To provide a smooth transition, a word or phrase from one paragraph can be used in the next paragraph.
TRUE
Twitter is used around the world be media, government agencies and corporations as a way to communicate a lot of information in a little amount of space
TRUE
Twitter readers are scanners, so you need to write tweets like headlines that will grab attention
TRUE
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
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
When you return to your lead for an idea to end your story, it's called a "circle kicker."
TRUE
Whenever possible, the writer should explain how the news affects readers.
TRUE
With traditional media, people are receivers; with social media they are contributors.
TRUE
Writing simple sentences in a conversational style—the way you talk—is preferable for all media, but essential for broadcast.
TRUE
Writing the lead and organizing the story are the two most common problems of professional writers.
TRUE
the textbook says, "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
A digital recorder is helpful, but don't rely on it without taking some notes
TRUE -"When you conduct an interview, it helps to capture images with your cell phone or record audio and video that you can use on the Web or on TV. But electronic devices are not substitutes for good notes. Machines can fail you when you need them most,"
Which of the following sentences is appropriate for broadcast?
The Fire Department says the blaze broke out about 8 a.m. in a child's bedroom at 80 Northview Ave. NOT: The first firefighters arrived on the scene about three minutes later, at 7:43 a.m., the Fire Department said
Which of the following sentences is appropriate for print?
The blaze started in the basement, fire officials say NOT: Fire officials say the blaze started in the bedroom
The time element can be confusing in a lead. Which of the following is better?
University officials agreed Monday to raise tuition by $100. (NOT: University officials agreed to raise tuition by $100 Monday.)
A hard-news story presents the key facts ________
in the first few paragraphs