Writing and Editing Online

1
CHAPTER 7

• Writing and Editing Online

2
Overview

• Introduction to writing for online readers
• Concept of scanning
• Presentation of online journalism stories
• Online story forms
• How to update online stories

3
Introduction to Writing for Online Media

• The written word is the heart of online
  journalism
• Old rules of journalism still apply
• Some unique considerations exist

4
Scanning

• Online readers scan rather than read
• Reading material from a computer screen takes
  longer and is more tiring
• People will read online information if it is
  written and presented well

5
Writing for the Online Reader

• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Subheads and bolding
• Bullet points and lists
• Voice

6
Story Structures

• Inverted pyramid
• Chronological
• Narrative
• Thematic

7
Text-Based Online Story Forms

• Print plusa print story with some Web-exclusive
  features added
• Layered stories by detail
• Layered stories by topic

8
Layering Stories

• By detail
• Headline
• Summary deck
• Main story
• Advanced elements
• By topic
• Chunking
• Linear or nonlinear story flow

9
A Story Layered by Detail
10
A Story Layered by Topic
11
Updating Online Stories

• Online readers expect updated information,
  especially in breaking stories.
• Inverted pyramid story style can be modified or
  restructured easily.
• Key is to integrate new information smoothly into
  storykeep most important information near the
  beginning.