News Writing for Readers News Writing News Writing

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News Writing for Readers News Writing

News Writing for Readers News Writing

News Writing for Readers The essence: Treat facts with respect. Waste no words. Engage,

News Writing for Readers The essence: Treat facts with respect. Waste no words. Engage, don’t bore. Make sense. *

Good writing is any piece of writing that makes the reader want to keep

Good writing is any piece of writing that makes the reader want to keep reading. *

What makes you keep reading? *

What makes you keep reading? *

DOES THIS MAKE YOU WANT TO READ THE STORY? Seaside High has new extracurricular

DOES THIS MAKE YOU WANT TO READ THE STORY? Seaside High has new extracurricular clubs to cater to the interests and educational pursuits of its students. Or this? WCHS Radio has a new and upcoming project created by Mr. Pichardo. *

But what about this? Cookie bakers, green thumbs and thrillseekers can share their secrets

But what about this? Cookie bakers, green thumbs and thrillseekers can share their secrets through new clubs this year. Listening to WCHS radio is about to get weird. Students created their own “sound poems” to tell stories without words, and each day, listeners will be asked to guess and tweet what they just heard. *

What’s the difference? Be specific. Don’t write generalizations. ■ Ask lots of questions to

What’s the difference? Be specific. Don’t write generalizations. ■ Ask lots of questions to get the details. ■ Listen for vignettes, anecdotes, the telling details. ■ Never fill in the blanks in your reporting. Ask more questions. ■ *

Think Who will read this? What will I tell them? *

Think Who will read this? What will I tell them? *

Get to the point. Stick to the point. Don’t make your readers work to

Get to the point. Stick to the point. Don’t make your readers work to figure out what the story is about. Use the summary lead. Focus. Know what you are writing about. Don’t start writing until you can tell someone the basics of the story in a sentence or two. *

News shouldn’t be boring Be sure what you write is something people will read.

News shouldn’t be boring Be sure what you write is something people will read. Use the “Rule of Eight” news values. ■Insist that your story reveals something new. ■Surprise your reader. ■ Follow these basic rules for good news writing … *

The 6 C’s of news writing Correct 2. Complete 3. Consistent 4. Concise 5.

The 6 C’s of news writing Correct 2. Complete 3. Consistent 4. Concise 5. Clear 6. Coherent 1. Adapted from the Missouri Group: Professors George Kennedy, Daryl Moen and Don Ranly *

Be correct ■Sloppiness is your enemy. ■Get people’s names right, spelled correctly. ■Dates, times,

Be correct ■Sloppiness is your enemy. ■Get people’s names right, spelled correctly. ■Dates, times, places are simple, and you’ll look stupid if you’re wrong about them. ■Get events in the right order. ■Say it right, too. Incorrect grammar is an embarrassment. *

For instance THIS NOT THIS Britney Spears looked like any other dedicated mother dressed

For instance THIS NOT THIS Britney Spears looked like any other dedicated mother dressed in a track suit to cheer on her son Jayden during an early morning soccer game on Saturday, Nov. 2. Brittany Speers looked like any other dedicated mother dressed in sweatpants to cheer on her son Jaden during an early morning soccer game on Saturday, Nov. 1. *

Be complete ■Remember the 5 W’s and H and make sure you know them

Be complete ■Remember the 5 W’s and H and make sure you know them all for each story. ■Cover all sides or perspectives. ■If an editor or peer reader asks you a question about your story that you can’t answer, go find out. *

Be consistent (tone, style, voice) ■Start and stay in third person (he, she, it,

Be consistent (tone, style, voice) ■Start and stay in third person (he, she, it, they). ■Use active voice (who did what to whom). ■Match your style to the subject. Don’t be funny or informal about a serious topic and don’t be too serious about something fun. ■Use AP Style. *

For instance … THIS NOT THIS The class president spoke. The graduates fidgeted. But

For instance … THIS NOT THIS The class president spoke. The graduates fidgeted. But finally the principal stepped up to call names and award diplomas. The class president spoke and graduates were fidgeting. But finally our names were called and the principal awarded our diplomas. *

Be concise Wordiness is your enemy. Say it in as few words as possible.

Be concise Wordiness is your enemy. Say it in as few words as possible. ■Use short sentences. Avoid run-ons. Use the period. ■Short words, too. (Use, not utilize. Buy, not purchase. School or office, not facility. ) ■Don’t repeat yourself. ■ *

For instance THIS NOT THIS Now Soon At the present time In the immediate

For instance THIS NOT THIS Now Soon At the present time In the immediate future Due to Accommodations Commence They reached a decision. Because Rooms Start They decided. *

Be clear Understanding comes first. Explain what you are writing to your mom or

Be clear Understanding comes first. Explain what you are writing to your mom or your best friend. You can’t write a clear news story if your thinking and understanding of the story is not crystal clear. ■Be precise. Mark Twain said: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is … the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning. ” ■ *

Be clear Be specific. Know what kind of flower, which book, exactly what the

Be clear Be specific. Know what kind of flower, which book, exactly what the smell is. ■Attribute quotes after the first sentence of the quote. ■Use “said, ” not any of the other words that mean someone uttered some words. ■Don’t use too many numbers in a sentence. Any more than three confuses readers. ■ *

Be coherent Write it the way you would tell it. ■Express one idea per

Be coherent Write it the way you would tell it. ■Express one idea per sentence. ■Keep the subject and verb close together. ■Move logically from thought to thought, using transitions to connect. ■Keep it simple. ■ *

For instance THIS NOT THIS People living near coal mines may see damaged land

For instance THIS NOT THIS People living near coal mines may see damaged land restored to forest and field if new regulations proposed on Tuesday are approved. The U. S. Department of the Interior, seeking to curb environmental damage in the nation’s coal fields, on Tuesday proposed new mining regulations designed to halt allegedly widespread misuse of a controversial exemption in a landmark mine reclamation law. *

And now A few more writing tips from the pros, compiled from many, many

And now A few more writing tips from the pros, compiled from many, many years of news writing. *

Find and destroy adverbs Adverbs take the energy out of writing. ■Adverbs create judgments.

Find and destroy adverbs Adverbs take the energy out of writing. ■Adverbs create judgments. They introduce bias. Journalism should strive for balance, not bias. ■ Apparently … Probably … Likely … Obviously … Evidently … Possibly … Clearly … Completely … Use a stronger verb instead. Absolutely. *

Make a vow: no more cliches Chalked up. Stormy relationship. Out of the box.

Make a vow: no more cliches Chalked up. Stormy relationship. Out of the box. Sound the alarm. Wipe off the map. Level the playing field. Stumbling block Every parent’s worst nightmare. ‘Tis the season. Ace in the hole. Needless to say …(then don’t. ) What can you add to the list? *

Use quotes wisely Just because you interviewed someone doesn’t mean you have to quote

Use quotes wisely Just because you interviewed someone doesn’t mean you have to quote them. You’re the writer. You can paraphrase or use a partial quote instead. Just remember to attribute information and opinions. ■ ■ Use quotes to advance the story. Avoid “stutter” quotes, in which the quote repeats the transition before it. ■ *

Don’t do this Catcher Jane Jones is crazy for softball. “I just love playing

Don’t do this Catcher Jane Jones is crazy for softball. “I just love playing softball, ” she said. *

About the lead Keep it short (about 15 words). No lead should be more

About the lead Keep it short (about 15 words). No lead should be more than 30 words. ■Use no more than two pieces of punctuation in the lead. One of them is the period at the end of the sentence. ■Avoid numbers. Numbers numb. The exception: If a number is the story because it is so shocking or surprising, by all means, use it! ■ *

No-no for news stories ▪Using the name of your school or town. Your readers

No-no for news stories ▪Using the name of your school or town. Your readers know where they are. ▪ Starting with “The School Board …” or some other boring “who. ” ▪Adding facts for which you have no source or making things up because you think that’s correct. DO NOT DO THIS!News must be factual and accurate. *

No-no for news stories ▪ Don’t miss the news peg. Get the newest, most

No-no for news stories ▪ Don’t miss the news peg. Get the newest, most important and most interesting information into the first two paragraphs. ▪ Don’t miss important information and people. Make sure you have covered all of the various perspectives or sides of an issue. ▪ Don’t stack quotes. Use transitions between each quote. ▪ Don’t end with your own summary. Use a kicker quote. *

Banish passive sentences Passive uses the verb “to be” in various forms, such as:

Banish passive sentences Passive uses the verb “to be” in various forms, such as: “there were, ” “was taken, ” “was done. ” ■ Find the subject and the verb. Who did what to whom? ■ Good reporting is key. If you don’t know who did the action, then you can’t write an active sentence. ■ *

An activity • Choose one student-written article in your paper or another school paper.

An activity • Choose one student-written article in your paper or another school paper. • Find and highlight every are, is, were and was in the story. • Then rewrite one sentence from the article using a strong verb and active voice instead. *

Last words Brevity. ■Simplicity. ■Clarity. ■Specificity. ■Accuracy. ■ Remember your reader. *

Last words Brevity. ■Simplicity. ■Clarity. ■Specificity. ■Accuracy. ■ Remember your reader. *