Chapter 3

lcome to the world of urnalism, where porters have been gging dirt, raking muck, king headlines and adlines for centuries w. It’s a history full of bloid trash, of slimy nsationalists, of runkards, deadbeats and mmers” (as a Harvard iversity president once scribed reporters). But it’s a history full of roes, too: men and men risking their lives tell stories of war and agedy, risking prisonment to defend ee speech. And as you n see here, reports have come beloved characters p culture, too, turning up movies, comics and TV ows as if guided by an cult hand.

Every culture seeks effective ways to spread new information and gossip. In ancient times, news was written on clay tablets. In Caesar’s age, Romans read newsletters compiled by correspondents and handwritten by slaves. Wandering minstrels spread news (and the plague) in the Middle Ages. Them came ink on paper. Voices on airwaves. Newsreels, Web sites, And 24-hour cable news networks. Thus when scholars analyze the rich history of journalism, some view it in terms of technological progress—for example, the dramatic impact of bigger, faster printing presses. Others see journalism as a specialized form literary expression, one that’s

constantly evolving, reflecting and shaping its culture. Others see it as an inspiring quest for free speech, an endless power struggle between Authority (trying to control information) and the People (trying to learn the truth). Which brings to mind the words of A.J. Liefling: “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to htose who own one.” In the pages ahead, we’ll take a quick tour of 600 years of journalism history, from hieroglyphics to hypertext: the media, the message and the politics. Technical advances and brilliant ideas forged a new style of journalism. It was a century of change, and newspapers changed

dramatically. The typi newspaper of 1800 wa undisciplined mishma legislative proceedinglong-winded essays a secondhand gossip. B1900, a new breed of tor had emerged. Jourhad become big busin Reporting was becom disciplined craft. And newspapers were becmore entertaining and essential than ever, wmost of the features w expect today: Snappy headlines, Ads, Comic Sports pages. And an “inverted pyramid” sty writing that made stori tighter and newsier. Radio and television brought an end to newspapers’ media monopoly. Why? Well yourself: Which did yo

Newswriting basics

Inside ReportingTim Harrower

3

Newswriting Basics

2

Just the factsThe five W’sThe inverted pyramidBeyond the basic news LeadLeads that succeedAfter the lead…what next?

(continued)

Newswriting basics

3

(continued) Story structureRewritingEditingNewswriting styleMaking Deadline

Just the Facts

4

Good reporters respect integrity of facts.

Facts tell the story.Readers draw their own

conclusions.

You must try to be objective. Truthful. Fair.

Where do opinions belong in a newspaper?

Most newspaper stories can be placed on a continuum.

Ranges from rigidly objective (breaking news) to rabidly opinionated (movie reviews).

The Five W’s

5

Facts usually fall into

The Five W’s

6

The WHO

Readers love stories that focus on people.WHO keeps it real.

Who’s involved?Who’s affected?Who’s going to benefit?Who’s getting screwed?

The WHAT

WHAT gives news its substance.

Stories become dry and dull if they focus too much on WHAT.Need WHO.

The Five W’s

7

The WHEN

Timeliness essential to every story.

When events happened or will happen.How long they lasted or will last.

The WHERE

The closer the event, the more relevant it is for readers.Many stories require supplements.

MapDiagramPhoto

The Five W’s

8

The WHY

Finding explanations difficult.The WHY is what makes news meaningful.

The HOW

Often requires detailed explanation.Sometimes omitted to save space.Readers love “how-to” stories.

The Inverted Pyramid

9

Newswriting format summarizes most important facts at story’s start

This is the lead, which summarizes the story’s most important facts

This paragraph adds more details or background

This paragraph adds even more details

This adds more details

More details

The Inverted Pyramid

10

Summarize first.Explain later.Resolve everything in the

beginning.Allows editors to trim stories

from bottom.

So should you use this format for every story?

Gets repetitive.Doesn’t always organize story material logically.

The typical news story uses the inverted pyramid

Writing Basic News Leads

11

Collect all your facts.Lead should summarize.The more you know, the easier

it is to summarize.

How to write an effective news lead

• Sum it up. Boil it down.• List who, what, when,

where, why of story.


12

Writing leads often a process of trial and error.Try different approaches.


• Create different leads using the…• Who.• What.• When.• Where. • Why.


13

Prioritize the five W’s.Lead contains the most

important facts.Which of the key facts deserves

to start the first sentence?


• Rethink. Revise. Rewrite.• Is it clear?• Is it active?• Is it wordy?• Is it compelling?


14

Basic news leads can be too dull and dry.

All good reporters spend time searching for the perfect lead.

Not every story begins with a roundup of essential facts

Beyond the Basic News Lead

15

Be accurate. Remember what day it is. Don’t name names. Use strong verbs.

Story checklist

Ask “Why should I care?” Sell the story. Don’t get hung up. Move attributions to the end of

the sentences.

Leads That Succeed

16

Basic news leadsAnecdotal/ narrative leadsScene-setter leadsBlind leadsRoundup leads

A roundup of commonly used options

• Direct address leads• The startling statement• Wordplay leads

Leads That Succeed

17

Basic news leadsSummary lead

Combines five W’s into one sentence.

Delayed identification leadWithholds the name of the

person in question until the second paragraph


• Immediate identification lead • Uses a public figure or

celebrity in the sentence.

Leads That Succeed

18

Anecdotal/ narrative leadsHave a beginning, middle and

end.Will be mini-story with

symbolic resonance for bigger story.


• Scene-setter leads• Lack urgency of hard-news

leads.• Borrowed from fiction.

• Blind leads• Extreme delayed information

lead.• Deliberately teases reader.

Leads That Succeed

19

Roundup leadsRather than focus on one

person, place or thing, impress reader with longer list.

Direct address leadsUse second-person voice.


• The startling statement • Also called a “zinger” or a

“Hey, Martha”• Wordplay leads

• Encompass wide range of amusing leads.

• Watch out. These can be corny.

Leads That Succeed

20

Topic leadsConvey no actual news.

Question leadsAre irritating stalls.

Quote leadsDon’t fairly summarize the story.

…and three lazy leads you should usually reconsider

After the Lead…What Next?

21

Know how long the story should be.

Add another paragraph

Write the nut graf

• Paragraph that condenses the story idea into nutshell.

Briefs and brites:Brief – written using the

inverted pyramid.Brite – written with

more personality than a brief.

Story Structure

22

No one-size-fits-all solution.Every story unfolds in a

different way.

Giving an overall shape to writing

Story Structure

23

The inverted pyramidUse for:

News briefs.Breaking news.

Organizing your story

Most important facts

Additional facts

More facts

Etc., Etc.

Etc.

Story Structure

24

The martini glassUse for:

Crimes.Disasters.Dramatic stories.

The lead

Key facts in inverted- pyramid

form

Chronology of events

Kicker


Story Structure

25

The kabobAlso called Wall Street Journal formula, the

focus lead or the Circle.Use for:

Trends.Events where you want to show

actual people.


Anecdote

Nut graf

Meat

Meat

Meat

Anecdote

Story structure

26

Modern journalist’s job basically boils down toTeaching.Storytelling.

Keeping readers from getting bored

• Use narratives when you can.• Think like a teacher.

Story structure

27

Keep paragraphs short.Write one idea per

paragraph.Add transitions.

Writing tips as you move from paragraph to paragraph

Alternatives to long, gray news stories

Bullet itemsSidebarsSubheadsOther storytelling

alternatives

Story structure

28

Good writers agonize over the kicker as much as the lead.Plan ahead.Don’t end with a summary.Avoid clichés.End with a bang.

The big finish

Rewriting

29

Writing is rewriting.Make things a little better.Few stories arrive fully formed and

perfectly phrased.Most require rethinking, restructuring

and rewording.

Good story. Now make it better.

Rewriting

30

Passive verbsStart sentences with their

subjects.Replace to be with stronger

verbs.Redundancy

Avoid unnecessary modifiers.

Reasons to hit the delete key5Wordy sentencesJargon & journalese

Filter out jargon and officialese.

Clichés Lower the IQ of your writing.

Editing

31

Before you writeAssigning story.Planning angle.Estimating scope.Anticipating packaging.

The role editors play in your stories

While you writeAdding details.Monitoring speed.Fine-tuning.Layout changes.

Editing

32

After you writeEditing content.Copy editing.Cutting or padding.Assigning follow-up stories.

The role editors play in your stories

Newswriting style

33

Every news outlet customizes guidelines.

Copy desk’s job to standardize style.

Know AP and your news outlet’s style.

Who’s right?

AP Style Highlights

34

NumbersTitlesCapitalizationAbbreviationsAddresses

The InternetParenthesesPossessivesPrefixesAnd others…

Making deadline

35

Deadlines are mandatory.Pass the deadline checklist.

Accuracy.Fairness and balance.Writing style.

Live by the clock

lcome to the world of urnalism, where porters have been gging dirt, raking muck, king headlines and adlines for centuries w. It’s a history full of bloid trash, of slimy nsationalists, of runkards, deadbeats and mmers” (as a Harvard iversity president once scribed reporters). But it’s a history full of roes, too: men and men risking their lives tell stories of war and agedy, risking prisonment to defend ee speech. And as you n see here, reports have come beloved characters p culture, too, turning up movies, comics and TV ows as if guided by an cult hand.

Every culture seeks effective ways to spread new information and gossip. In ancient times, news was written on clay tablets. In Caesar’s age, Romans read newsletters compiled by correspondents and handwritten by slaves. Wandering minstrels spread news (and the plague) in the Middle Ages. Them came ink on paper. Voices on airwaves. Newsreels, Web sites, And 24-hour cable news networks. Thus when scholars analyze the rich history of journalism, some view it in terms of technological progress—for example, the dramatic impact of bigger, faster printing presses. Others see journalism as a specialized form literary expression, one that’s

constantly evolving, reflecting and shaping its culture. Others see it as an inspiring quest for free speech, an endless power struggle between Authority (trying to control information) and the People (trying to learn the truth). Which brings to mind the words of A.J. Liefling: “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to htose who own one.” In the pages ahead, we’ll take a quick tour of 600 years of journalism history, from hieroglyphics to hypertext: the media, the message and the politics. Technical advances and brilliant ideas forged a new style of journalism. It was a century of change, and newspapers changed

dramatically. The typi newspaper of 1800 wa undisciplined mishma legislative proceedinglong-winded essays a secondhand gossip. B1900, a new breed of tor had emerged. Jourhad become big busin Reporting was becom disciplined craft. And newspapers were becmore entertaining and essential than ever, wmost of the features w expect today: Snappy headlines, Ads, Comic Sports pages. And an “inverted pyramid” sty writing that made stori tighter and newsier. Radio and television brought an end to newspapers’ media monopoly. Why? Well yourself: Which did yo

Newswriting basics

Inside ReportingTim Harrower

3

News & Politics

Chapter 3