ABM Year of the Editor Northwestern University Medill

ABM “Year of the Editor” Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism Sept. 17, 2003 Panel Session: How To Win An Editorial Award --panelist Brian Ward 1

Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards (FER results 1997 -2003) • 2002 Finalist—Suiting Up For The Energy Battle (best subject-related series) • 2000 Finalist— 1999 Chain Construction Forecast (best single article) • 1999 Finalist—Tech Reports (best subject-related series) • 1998 Semi-Finalist—September 1997 issue (best issue) • 1998 Certificate—Kitchen/Unit Design (best department) 2

Who Are You Writing For, Anyway? • Readers or Judges? – Different editors will give different answers to this one. You can produce good stories for readers that judges won’t score highly. You can write award-winning stories that forsake the reader. But why would you? – In our case, we believe that if we build it for the reader, the judges will come, too (at least part of the time). 3

Why This Topic, This Way? • “Actionable” vs. General Information 4

Get Attention! • Lively Language, Lively Visuals – You’re competing with other trade magazines, your reader’s favorite newsstand items, other media and all kinds of other distractions. You’re fighting for attention. So fight. • Move Quickly To Specifics – Readers are busy; so are judges. 5

Service To The Reader • Facts & Analysis – Don’t just deliver facts; do some analysis. Deliver a context; show relationships between facts. • Info The Reader Can Apply To His Job – Is this info that can change how the reader does his job? Or is it just interesting background? • Tell The Reader How To Use It – Come right out and tell the reader—early on--why he should care about what you’re about to teach him. (This works for judges, too. ) 6

Journalistic Enterprise • Knowing Where To Dig – Are you delivering a specialized package of info that cannot be found elsewhere? • Digging Deeply – Did you really get at the core, and did you analyze it? • Original Research – Always good 7

Editorial Craft • Story Structure – The Importance Of Thesis • Whatever your point is, say it directly—ideally in one sentence, high up in the story. The reader’s time-pressed. – Logical Flow: Macro To Micro, Chronological Or… • Don’t jump around. Your reader’s too busy to sniff out the trail. So are the judges. 8

Editorial Craft • Writing Style – Short Sentences, Long Sentences • An unbroken rhythm puts people to sleep. Keep ‘em awake. – Verbs That DO Something • If you’re using a state-of-being verb, you’re likely wasting a whole sentence. Don’t do that. – A Tone Of Familiarity • Outside of lawyers and doctors, who actually prefers stuffiness? Your readers like their jobs well enough to do them for a living. Have fun with the subject material. 9

A Closing Note On The Entry Form • Rule One—Think like a judge when writing your entry description blurb. You don’t get points for all-around wonderfulness. You get points for the stated judging criteria. So keep those criteria in mind while fashioning your explanation of significance-to-reader. • Rule Two—Sell—but don’t oversell—the story in your entry description. If your story fails to deliver on any part of your promise, the judges will catch it. 10

• As Forrest Gump might say, “Ay-und thay-ut’s awl Ah have tuh say uh-bout thay-ut. ” • Thank You. 11