Assoc. Professor & SFNS News Director JOU 3117: Briefs & Quoting Assoc. Professor & SFNS News Director Dan Evans email: daevans@fiu.edu 213.321.3661 (m) | @EditorDanEvans

What we’re covering POWN: Chapter Three > Discussion and reactions Story forms > How a piece starts to come together Writing briefs > It’s like a lede, but different Quoting human beings > Because dogs only listen well Wo(man) on the Street Assignment > Getting out into the world. Get yer helmet

POWN: Chapter Three General thoughts?

Review: Lede Basics A straight news lede is a single sentence. It is 35 words or fewer. It is sourced BUT does not use names Information is presented in order of importance, not chronologically

Review: Sourcing All statements of fact that you did not personally witness must be sourced. If you personally see a building on fire, you can say so. Otherwise, you must attribute it to either a witness or public safety official.

News Writing Dos/Don’ts DO: Source everything you did not personally witness DO: Check AP style on (especially) titles, numbers, entities and addresses DON’T: Use the first or second person DON’T: Put your opinions or feelings into the news article. DON’T: Forget you’re writing about real people.

Story Building Blocks The lede. The top of the  story, usually the first sentence. The lede focuses on the story’s importance for the audience. The nut graf. A summary, shortly after the lede, giving background and context for the story. The narrative. The logic organizing the story. Fiction often proceeds chronologically; news stories usually are organized by the importance of the information.

Story Building Blocks Transitions. “Road maps” that show the  audience where the story is going next. Quotes. Verbatim representations of what people involved in the story say. Quotes ensure that stories are about people involved in events and issues, not just about the events and issues. The kicker. The end of the story. The kicker is frequently structured to remind audiences that, while our story is ending, the people we are writing about must continue to deal with the event or issue.

The Inverted Pyramid The inverted pyramid puts heavy emphasis on the lede and the first few paragraphs, cramming every bit of important information into the top of the story. It is called the inverted pyramid because it is so top heavy: BAGHDAD – A U.S. Army solider was killed today and two were injured when the armored vehicle they were riding in was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents just north of the city, the U.S. Central Command reported.

The Hourglass Like the inverted pyramid, the hourglass story takes its name from its shape. It too is  top-heavy, beginning with a heavy emphasis on facts high in the story so audiences can see how the story will affect them.  It then “narrows” to what is usually a brief chronological narrative of an event or how an issue developed. BAGHDAD – A U.S. Army solider died today when Iraqi insurgents attacked his armored vehicle just north of the city. A Central Command spokeswoman identified the victim as Specialist First Class Homer Dempsey, 20, of Loafer’s Glory, N.C. She said two other soldiers were injured in the attack but are expected to recover. She did not release their names but confirmed they were members of Dempsey’s unit. The spokeswoman gave this account of the incident: . . .

The Anecdotal The anecdotal or Wall Street Journal form is often used when a journalist is trying to explain a large or complex issue in human terms. Often, he or she will begin the story with an example, or anecdote, hence the form’s name. The anecdote is intended to illustrate how one person or family has been affected by an event or issue — a change in the law or public policy, for example, or a natural disaster. BAGHDAD – The death of Specialist First Class Homer Dempsey sent a shock wave through his buddies in Charlie Company. When a rocket-propelled grenade, the weapon of choice of many Iraqi insurgents, took out the Bradley Fighting Vehicle the 20-year-old Dempsey was riding in last week, the boredom of weeks of patrol was shattered by the sudden realization of what’s at stake in the U.S.-led occupation. “Homer was a terrific kid,” said his squad leader, Staff Sgt. Billy Kimball of Moultrie, La. “He understood that we need to win these people’s hearts and minds.” Kimball paused. “Their hearts, their minds. Our blood. I’m beginning to wonder how much it will take.”

How to Use… As always, look for the impact, then find the elements that show that impact. They will help you check your focus and organization. Before you write, familiarize yourself with your reporting — facts, quotes and details. When you are working from a news release, remember to keep your audience in mind. That might mean you will decide on a different focus than is in the news release. You might need to do additional reporting as a result.

How to Use… Match the story form you choose to your reporting. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of each form. Make your story form work for you. It should enable rather than hinder you in writing a story your audience will understand. Choose your words carefully. They will show your audience what your story is about.

How to Use… Use transitions to link sentences and paragraphs. Create road maps for your audience. Your narrative, including your nut graf, transitions, quotes and kicker, should move your story along with clarity.  Keep sentences, words and paragraphs short. Focus on nouns and verbs. Stay with one thought per sentence, one idea per paragraph. Show your audiences where information came from by attributing carefully and often.

How to Use… Identify your sources. Unnamed sources arouse suspicion in audiences, with good reason. Remember to use descriptive identifications in your lede when appropriate. They often convey more impact to your audience than simply using a name. Stick to the facts, and place them in their appropriate context.  Read your story aloud. Even if it is written for a newspaper or the Web, it should sound right

Writing Briefs I didn’t have time to write you a short letter so I wrote you a long one…

General Structure Straight lede 2nd graf: Explicit sourcing and full names, secondary information 3rd graf: Less important detail or quote 4th graf: Future looking information

A Hialeah man spent more than four years in prison for a slew of insurance-fraud charges. He was released on Thursday, but his freedom was short-lived. Vladimir Sanchez, 45, is back behind bars after his ride home ended with a police chase, a shooting and a school lockdown at St. Michael’s Catholic School in Little Havana. Miami police said it all started on Thursday when Sanchez’s 16-year-old son, Alexander, stole his mother’s 2013 Nissan Altima to pick his father up from jail. The next day, police spotted the car on Northwest 27th Avenue and pulled it over. Father and son were charged with possession of a controlled substance, grand theft in the third degree, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. Alexander was also charged with resisting an officer and trespassing.

Quoting You gotta quote people here, friend

Use of Quotes Only use quotes when your source forwards the story. If your source only makes a statement of fact, or you can say it better yourself, paraphrase. Quote opinions.

Boring quote “Baldwin Park has become a hot spot for high-end car break-ins, due to the increase in gang activity in the immediate area,” said Doral Police Sgt. John McDullington.

Awesome quote “We are going to scare these putrid drug dealers out of town by throwing rotten eggs and garbage on all of their ill-gotten BMWs until they cry for their mommies,” said Doral Police Sgt. Brock Testosterone

Quotes are for Awesome not Boring

Wo(man) on the Street Ready to try this out? No? Well, whatever.

Your Mission… Go to your city and talk to 10 people to get their opinion about President Donald Trump (State of the Union is Jan. 30) Get their name, city of residence, age and occupation. Also get their contact information (email and/or phone)

Your Mission… Take the FIVE most interesting and submit it — along with a photo from your phone — by the end of class a week from now. In your Google drive as a single document (text and photos) formatted like this:

Homework Reading: Miami Herald and New York Times (daily). Practice: Review (Wo)man on the Street assignment. Due Feb. 1 at 7 pm. You will be in the field on Feb. 1 — no formal class meeting.

Assoc. Professor & SFNS News Director Dan Evans email: daevans@fiu.edu 213.321.3661 (m) | @EditorDanEvans