REPORTING HEADLINES and CAPTIONS REPORTING HOW TO CONDUCT

REPORTING, HEADLINES, and CAPTIONS

REPORTING: HOW TO CONDUCT AN EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW

Good reporters have to be on the scene to OBSERVE firsthand. GOOD REPORTERS LOOK AND LISTEN FOR THEIR READERS. EVERYONE AT AN ACTIVITY OR EVENT IS A POTENTIAL SOURCE. SOME SOURCES OFFER BETTER INSIGHTS THAN OTHERS. INFORMATION GATHERING STARTS WITH THE FIVE W’S AND H. 1 2 3 Reporting

RESEARCH adds depth and details to the story. RESEARCH HELPS REPORTERS UNDERSTAND THEIR STORIES. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED MATERIAL IS A PLACE TO START RESEARCHING A STORY. PRIMARY SOURCES PROVIDE BACKGROUND AND MATERIAL THAT MAY BECOME PART OF A STORY. 1 2 3 Reporting

Thoughtful INTERVIEWS works result in stories with substance. 1 2 3 Reporting THE BETTER THE QUESTION, THE BETTER THE ANSWERS. ACTIVE LISTENING PRODUCES THE BEST RESULTS. GOOD NOTES CONTAIN DIRECT QUOTES AND FACTS.

HEADLINES

With impact words and specific facts, headlines contribute to REPORTING a story. 1 2 3 Headlines HEADLINES PROVIDE A MAJOR ENTRY POINT FOR READERS. COMPONENTS COMBINE FOR STORYTELLING POWER. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY HEADLINE PATTERNS ADD INTEREST.

1 2 3 Headlines The PRIMARY HEADLINE relies on a SECONDARY HEADLINE to provide specific information.

1 2 3 Headlines KICKER: A short, single line secondary headline is placed above the primary headline.

1 2 3 Headlines WICKET: A detailed secondary headline is placed above the primary headline.

1 2 3 Headlines HAMMER: A detailed secondary headline is placed below the primary headline.

1 2 3 Headlines TRIPOD: The secondary headline is placed beside the primary headline.

WRITING effective headlines requires creativity, effort and attention to details. 1 2 3 Headlines A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF CONTENT RESULTS IN BETTER HEADLINES. WORD PLAY AND BRAINSTORMING ARE USEFUL STRATEGIES. GUIDELINES LEAD TO QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY.

STEP ONE: List 10 -15 key words describe and relate to the story. • car • drive • keys • money 1 2 3 • gas • cool • style • wheels • color • wrecks • dates • expensive that • friends • insurance • happy • auto Headlines BRAINSTORMING in teams of two or three makes generating a list of key words much easier.

STEP TWO: Brainstorm rhymes for words with storytelling potential. • car: star, far • drive: alive, strive, five • keys: please • money: honey, bunny, funny • gas: pass, mass • cool: school, pool 1 2 3 • wheels: peals, steals, deals • wrecks: decks, pecks • dates: mates, plates • friends: bends, spends • happy: pappy, sappy • auto: lotto, motto Headlines STORYTELLING words have significance and relate to the topic of the spread.

STEP THREE: Craft words and phrases that creatively capture the story. • car: star, far star wars = car wars once upon a star = once upon a carpe diem = CARpe diem • auto: lotto, motto AUTOmotives • wheels: peals, steals, deals the wheel deal • keys: please pretty please = pretty keys 1 2 3 Headlines More than a cute phrase, headlines employ creative LITERARY TECHNIQUES that relate to the content.

Headlines with VISUAL strong appeal communicate more effectively. 1 2 3 Headlines GRAPHIC DETAILS MAKE PRIMARY HEADS POP AND CREATE HEADLINE PACKAGES. CAPITALIZATION STYLES CREATE VARIETY OF LOOKS. A

1 2 3 Headlines RHYME: The secondary headline provides specifics to support the catchy primary headline.

1 2 3 Headlines PUN: A creative primary headline establishes the angle for the story. The secondary adds specifics.

1 2 3 Headlines An ACRONYM is given a new meaning. Acronyms add specifics to the secondary headline.

CAPTIONS

A caption’s CONTENT combines with a photograph to tell a story. 1 2 3 Captions CAPTIONS SHOULD DO MORE THAN STATE THE OBVIOUS. CAPTIONS ANSWER READERS’ QUESTIONS ABOUT A PHOTO. CAPTION WRITING REQUIRES REPORTING. QUOTES FROM INDIVIDUALS IN THE PHOTO ADD DEPTH.

STEP ONE • who: Junior Travis Wilson, competitive wakeboarder • what: spent a week practicing for competitions while on a family vacation • when: vacation, last week of June, competition in July • why: for fun and to improve on last year’s second place • how: practice paid off with a first place medal at the Junior X Series Wakeboarding Championship. 1 2 3 Captions Gather INFORMATION about the photograph, answering the 5 W’s and H.

STEP TWO During an annual family vacation in June at Lake Powell, junior Travis Wilson practices for the upcoming Junior X Series Wakeboarding Championship. 1 2 3 Captions To write a SUMMARY CAPTION, write a sentence in present tense explaining the photo.

STEP TWO During an annual family vacation in June at Lake Powell, junior Travis Wilson practices for the upcoming Junior X Series Wakeboarding Championship. His efforts were rewarded with a first place medal. “I live for wakeboarding. It’s an awesome way to push yourself to the limit. My favorite trick is called a tantrum, which is a true back flip. ” 1 2 3 Captions For an EXPANDED CAPTION write additional sentences providing relevant information and a quote.

STEP THREE • determination • airborne • in the air • “boardum” • water and air • concentration • up and away • concentration • surf the wake 1 2 3 • flying on water • on the fly • board walk • flip • big air • wakeboarder • air male • splash Captions Brainstorm a list of attention-getting impact words; select the best option for the caption LEAD-IN.

The FORMAT of a caption varies with its function. 1 2 3 Captions CAPTION FORMATS RANGE FROM IDENTIFICATIONS TO MINI-STORIES. SPORTS CAPTIONS REQUIRE SPECIFIC DETAILS AND UNDERSTANDING. ONE TYPE OF CAPTION SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

A caption’s DESIGN works with its content to draw readers. A LEAD-IN SERVES AS A MINI-HEADLINE FOR A CAPTION. THE FIRST SENTENCE INDENTIFIES INDIVIDUALS AND EXPLAINS WHAT IS HAPPENING. A SECOND SENTENCE ADDS INFORMATION AND INSIGHTS. WRITING A CAPTION IS LIKE WRITING A POEM; EACH WORD COUNTS. 1 2 3 Captions

1 2 3 Captions Use TYPOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES to emphasize the caption lead-in.