Improving news writing Lessons 10-13

Lesson 10: Clear and Concise Specific, not vague or wordy Few words Eliminate all unnecessary words Avoid repetition Get to the point fast Easy-to-understand Understood by any age/educational level Present facts, not personal opinions Not emotional Practice Sheet p. 45

Lesson 11: Using Names/Titles Identify newsmakers quickly and accurately Identify a person by his or her full name the first time the person is mentioned. If person has a special title (District Administrator) the title precedes the name. When mentioned again, simply identify the person by last name, including the title AP stylebook; use just last name second time, even women. HS publications usually use title each time for both.

Lesson 12: Summary Leads Use inverted pyramid style: Most important facts to least. Most crucial part of the story. MUST CATCH READER’S ATTENTION! Begin with most important for your readers AND MOST NEWS WORTHY for the paper. Additional info on each questions will be handled in subsequent paragraphs Most essential facts in the FEWEST WORDS!

Best Summary Lead? See handout. Base your selection on the amount of the information given, conciseness, and lead-in detail.

Lesson 13: Writing the Body Which facts are more important than others? Factors: Proximity/Timeliness/Prominence/Conflict/Drama/ Oddity/Community-State Impact Lead? Most important…1-6,7,8? Subsequent Paragraphs? 9-….. Also look for an additional paragraph (quote?) that helps reader better understand the fact.

Remember…even the least important fact to the story as a whole is still important to someone. Give as much effort to the last detail as you did to your lead. Make the reader happy he or she read the whole article.