Subject, Layout, and Format

 Who?  What?  When?  Where?  Why?  How?

 Title  Headline  Lead  Introduction  Main body  Conclusion

 Should be the largest font  Draw attention, be catchy, but be accurate

 A one-sentence “attention-grabber”  Basically a “hook sentence” ◦ Grabs the attention of the reader ◦ Creates interest and makes people want to read on

 “The lead, or opening paragraph, is the most important part of a news story. With so many sources of information – newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and the Internet – audiences simply are not willing to read beyond the first paragraph (and even sentence) of a story unless it grabs their interest. A good lead does just that. It gives readers the most important information in a clear, concise and interesting manner. It also establishes the voice and direction of an article.”

 Summary  Anecdotal  Quotation  Question

 A short paragraph that summarizes what the article is about.  Provides some, or all, of the “5 W’s and the H”  Uses simple and succinct/specific language to tell the reader what the article will be about ◦ No deep details in the lead

 County administrator faces ouster By Tony Cook for The Cincinnati Post, Jan. 14, 2005  Two Hamilton County Commissioners plan to force the county’s top administrator out of office today.

 A short, interesting story that is somehow related to the topic of the article. ◦ May be about one interesting detail from your interview. ◦ Doesn’t provide the “5 W’s and the H” but will lead the readers into the story through an interesting, personal story.

 Tri-staters tell stories of the devastating tsunami By Tony Cook for The Cincinnati Post, Jan. 8, 2005  From Dan Ralescu’s sun-warmed beach chair in Thailand, the Indian Ocean began to look, oddly, not so much like waves but bread dough. /

 Uses an interesting and related quote or question that leads the reader in. ◦ Not very popular approach for leads because it is not as effective.

 Same lobbyist for courts, shorter term, more money By Tony Cook for the Las Vegas Sun, June 29, 2008  What’s increasing faster than the price of gasoline? Apparently, the cost of court lobbyists.  District and Justice Court Judges want to hire lobbyist Rick Loop for $150,000 to represent the court system in Carson City through the 2009 legislative session. During the past session, Loop’s price tag was $80, /

 Introduces the reader to the factors of the article ◦ This is where “The 5 W’s and the H” must be covered (by the end of the paragraph). ◦ Purely information… not a lot of “fluffy and/or poetic language”

 Where the author explains, summarizes, describes, teaches, etc. ◦ The longest part of the article ◦ This is where most of the interviewee’s responses to the questions will be covered ◦ DON’T MAKE IT A LIST

 Provide a summary of the whole article. ◦ Should be about the same length as the introduction.

 Readers are LAZY. ◦ Articles are written to capture attention ◦ Even if an article captures attention, people will most likely not read every word of it ◦ By placing the important info, in short, at the beginning and the end people are more likely to read the main points of the article.

 Adding a quotation from your interviewee will help make your article memorable. ◦ A direct quote also allows readers to connect with the interviewee.  Make sure it’s a “worth while” quote though.

 "Purdue OWL: Journalism and Journalistic Writing." Welcome to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL). Purdue University, n.d. Web. 8 Mar < 01/  S, Charlie. "Article Writing Format."Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Version 1. Buzzle, n.d. Web. 7 Mar