Newswriting Style Chapter 3

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Newswriting StyleChapter 3

• HOMEWORK FOR FRIDAY
• Read Chapter 3, Newswriting Style
• Do Pages 83-86, Exercise 4, Sections II- VII
  (only do 1-3 for each section). Retype each
  sentence. Do not copy edit. Double space (not
  single spaced) the rewrites.

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Just the facts, mam.--Joe Friday, Dragnet

• Because readers and viewers have different
  educational levels, interests, etc., news
  writers to communicate effectively with a mass
  audience must learn to present information in a
  way that will allow almost everyone to read and
  understand it.
• One of the basic principles of journalism is the
  separation of fact and opinion. Reporters and
  editors strive to keep their own opinions out of
  news stories.
• Beginners may find the newswriting style awkward
  at first however, once it is mastered, students
  will find it can help them be more clear and
  concise in all writing.

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Planning and Prep

• The first step to a well-written story is
  planning and preparation
• Identify the storys central pointdo this by
  writing a one-or-two-sentence summary of what the
  story is about and why it is newsworthy.
• By including the central point, writers clearly
  tell readers (and listeners/viewers) what they
  will learn by reading the entire story.

4
Planning and Prep (p.2)

• Story outlinesReporters review their notes and
  other materials they have gathered before they
  start writing.
• This helps identify the central point and the
  information needed to develop it.
• It also helps them decide what the major sections
  of their stories will be.
• The central point and a brief outline of the
  major sections form the skeleton of the story.
  The reporter needs only to develop each section.
  
• Failure to identify the central point or lose
  sight of that central point risk writing stories
  that are incoherent and incomplete.

5
KISS--Keep it Simple, Stupid!

• Simplify Words, Sentences and Paragraphs
• To simplify stories, avoid long, unfamiliar words
• Also use short sentences and short
  paragraphsresearch has consistently found a
  strong correlation between readability and
  sentence length The longer a sentence is, the
  more difficulty it is to understand.
• One survey found that 75 percent of readers were
  able to understand sentences containing an
  average of 20 words, but understanding dropped
  rapidly as the sentences became longer (see page
  62 graph)

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More KISSing

• But this doesnt mean all sentences should be
  short. This would make the writing seem choppy.
  Have a mix of shorter and longer sentences.
• Newswriters should write for the ear, listening
  to the natural rhythm, or flow, of the words and
  sentences they put on paper. Test your stories
  by reading them aloud to yourself or to a friend,
  or in a tape recorder then play them back.
• Paragraphs should demonstrate relationships
  between ideas. It is a means of making
  complicated material clear. Like the words that
  form sentences, the sentences that form
  paragraphs should flow together, logically
  combining similar thoughts or ideas.

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Eliminate Unnecessary Words

• Newswriters must learn to eliminate unnecessary
  words yet retain enough detail to make their
  stories informative. (see word elimination
  exercise on page 65)
• Brevity makes it easier for readers to grasp the
  main idea of each story.

8
Objectivitya Cornerstone of Journalism

• Remain Objective
• Journalists must strive to be as impartial or
  objective as possible.
• Reporters are neutral observers, not advocates or
  participants
• They provide the facts and details of the stories
  they report, not their own interpretations or
  opinions of the facts and events.
• Journalists express their opinions only in
  editorials and commentaries (and TV/cable
  talking head shows)
• When reporters inject their own opinions into a
  story, they risk offending readers and viewers
  who may not want reporters telling them how to
  think

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Objectivitya core value/ideal

• Newswriters can report the opinions expressed by
  other peoplethe sources for their storiesbut
  must clearly attribute those opinions to the
  source.
• If reporters fail to provide the proper
  attribution, readers may think the reporters are
  expressing their own opinions or agreeing with
  the source.
• A single word expressing an opinion can infuriate
  readers (see example on page 67)

10
Avoid Stereotypical IsmRacism, Sexism, Agism

• Reporters mention a persons race, religion or
  ethnic background only when the fact is clearly
  relevant to the story.
• Be sensitive to sexist stereotypesin the past,
  news stories mentioning women often emphasized
  their roles as wives, mothers, cooks,
  housekeepers and sex objects. Times have
  changed.
• Never assume everyone involved in a story is male
  (firemen, mailmen, etc) or that all people
  holding prestigious jobs are male or that most
  women are full-time homemakers.

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Avoid isms and gender references

• Avoid stereotypes that suggest older Americans
  are all lonely, inactive, unproductive, poor,
  passive, weak and sick.
• Avoid the cumbersome and repetitive he/she
  references by working/writing around them.
  Example A postal carrier has his regular mail
  route. Better A postal carrier has a regular
  mail route. Or make plural Postal carriers
  have regular mail routes.

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More on Avoiding Stereotypes

• Be careful to avoid other stereotypes
• Individuals with physical and mental disabilities
  as helpless, deficient or unable to contribute to
  society
• Some Vietnam War veterans feel theyve been
  stereotyped by the media as violent and unstable
• Religious groups- Muslims, for example, as
  terrorists or inherently violent, or some
  Christian denominations as strange, different or
  extremist in their beliefs.
• Reporters must be careful when covering members
  or different faiths. Be careful that you do not
  stereotype all members of a particular faith
  because of the actions of a branch of that
  faithIslam, for example.