Chapter 6 Notes A. Writing News Story Leads - The lead is the most important paragraph in the story.

It has to get the readers attention. It has to inform the reader quickly. It has to be honest but colorful. It should have lively verbs. It should be brief, concise, and above all, accurate. !hould contain the five "s and the #. $%ho, %hat, %here, %hen, %hy, ho%& ' ( ) * The lead is the first paragraph of the ne%s story. The do-or-die paragraph. Its the place %here you either grab the readers attention or lose their interest. +ead has to have an impact and should come to a point quickly.

B. The Inverted Pyramid - The broad part at the top is %here the main facts go. $the lead& and as the pyramid narro%s, less important information follo%s. - The natural %ay to tell a story - The inverted pyramid style enables a reader in a hurry to get the essential information %ithout reading the entire story. - It is an aid for the headline %riter - ,ost important facts should be in the first graph - ,akes it easy to trim a story - To decide %hich facts go first, it is based on your ne%s -udgment C. The AP, or S!mmary, Lead - The .ssociated /ress is famous among -ournalists for its straightfor%ard, no-nonsense %riting

0 2 4

1sually short to the point 3illed %ith information 5onvey information quickly

- !ummary +eads can be bright and attractive but easy to %rite. - 6very -ournalist should be able to construct a quick, clean lead under deadline pressure. ". Writing the Lead 7e 5reative ' ( 7e 8b-ective 3ind the 9ight +ead

- 6ncourage imagination and creativity : - ,ake the lead %ork for you - "riting is re%riting -The #est $ead is the one that te$$s the story #est. %. &ood Leads - ,akes the reader %ant to read the rest of the story. - 1sing creative devices e;.& /oetry - Tease leads $coa;ing the reader into the story by making the reader %ant to kno% %hat the lead is referring to& - . good lead can be any length as long as it %orks '. Leads with Pro#$ems - you can learn from bad leads +ength ' <rammar and 5ontent

The =uote +ead and the =uestion +ead

- .n effective lead typically uses short sentences - !hort leads can capture the readers attention because it is easier to read - .void e;clamation points - !entence fragments are only acceptable %hen used correctly - =uote leads can lead to distortion - 1se only a compelling interesting quote - =uestion leads are used rarely %va$!ation Che()$ist* News Story Lead - >oes the lead summari?e the main facts of the story in one or t%o sentences@ - Is it %ritten in a succinct and direct, yet interesting, %ay@ - >oes the lead avoid e;pressing the %riters opinion@ - #as the %riter avoided beginning %ith a question or a quote@ - Is the lead correctly punctuated and free from capitali?ation and spelling errors@

Chapter + Notes A. Writing News Stories and ,ead$ines - It is important to %rite clear, %ell-crafted leads - .ll %riters are -ust readers - kno% a good sentence from a bad sentence B. B!i$ding on the Lead -the sound of the human voice -quotes add a personal touch - the lead paragraph is the most important in the story - %hat immediately follo%s is certainly ne;t of the terms of interest C. .sing Transitions - take readers sub-ect to sub-ect %ithout confusing them - but, also, therefore, ho%ever -helps aid the reader to tie the story logically - shouldnt stick out ". The Body o/ the Story - +ead and the back up quote-the story told in skeletal fashion in the end -elaborate -retell the story in more detail - inverted pyramid style -The story telling style - 5ombination style - !idebars

%. Appropriate Newspaper Sty$e - avoid offensive language - 1se of short %ords and short sentences can aid busy readers - !tray a%ay from -argon, redundancies, and clichAs, and the passive voice - have no fear of repeating %ords - 1se clear, simple %ords - 7e succinct - "rite !traightfor%ard !entences '. ,ead$ines - hammer head, the %icket, the kicker are %idely used -telegraphic style -mostly present tense verbs -limited punctuation -determined on the storys importance on the page &. Copyediting - %atches out for mistakes - no such thing as a small mistake - undetermined the credibility of the publication - copy editors trim stories and edit stories - use traditional copyediting symbols

Chapter 0 Notes "oing In-"epth 1eporting A. Stories with S!#stan(e - present important information that %ill affect peoples lives - investigative B. The 1o$e o/ the S(ho$asti( Press - reporters >I< - more emphasis on the why C. 2a)ing Spa(e /or In "epth Stories - condense minor stories -packages stories creatively -using the list format to save space -main bar, t%o sidebars, and a chart ". Writing the In-"epth Story - <ood beginning $scene or an anecdote& - Incorporate a local angle - !trong 6ndings - story becomes a full circle - careful %riting and organi?ation %. %ssentia$ %$ements - research -organi?ation - time

-good %riting

Chapter 33 Notes A. Chara(teristi(s o/ 'eat!re Stories* B. Time$essness - lighter in tone - usually timeless, or evergreen unless theyre ne%s features and are related to a specific, timely ne%s story - e;ercise more creativity in language than do regular ne%s stories -rules about ob-ectivity and opinion still apply C. Creative Sty$e - 3ree of regard to the use of the language -opinion and speculation are not allo%ed - feature stories provide a better chance than straight ne%s for literary ingenuity - truly clever bright story -could be funny, cute, or even somber ". .n$imited S!#4e(t Possi#i$ities - sub-ect matter isnt limited -occasionally %ritten in first person - may rely heavily on the use of anecdotes - concentrates on the mood of the event %. Persona$ity Pro/i$es

- a background of every human being is an incident, idea, problem ,thought, relative, instructor, etc -some people make better stories than others - "ho is this person any%ay@ "hat does he or she do on %eekends@ "hat are his or her opinions on politics@ environment@ !ports@ "hat are his or her goals for your school@ - If you ask enough questions, youre bound to get an ans%er that %ill lead you do%n the road to a personality profile '. 'eat!res and S(hoo$ Papers -does not permit opinion - features are an important role -on the %atch for feature stories -pay special attention and devote more space to events that are going to happen rather than to those that have already taken place -emotional tone -!chool ne%spapers are frequent so they have to rely on features to hold the interest of their audience