Writing for TV News A truthful witness does not deceive

WRITING TO PICTURES The trick is to “talk to be understood by the truck driver while not insulting the professor’s intelligence” (Ed Murrow) This is easier said than done! A truthful witness does not deceive

The most difficult art in TV News is the art of writing silence (Martin Bell) Pictures and sound will often tell the story far more eloquently than the reporter’s script. The skill is to know when to step back (Robert Moore) It’s about pictures and it’s about people (Vin Ray) A truthful witness does not deceive

 Know Your Story Before shooting it's vital that you know the whole story and how your sequence fits into it.  Story summaries are one tool you can use to ensure you don't lose the plot. If you have time, pictures and storyboards can help to visualise your ideas A truthful witness does not deceive

What’s the story?  'Does the Indian tiger have a future? Meet a tigress called Machli and her two cubs to find out.' 'Machli returns from a successful night's hunt, but is very nervous. What's bothering her? Will she be able to protect her cubs, the key to the future?' A truthful witness does not deceive

Good television news should deliver the answer to three questions What’s happened? What are the latest developments? What are the issues I need to understand in order to make sense of these developments? Tell me why it matters, why should I care? A truthful witness does not deceive

Six Fundamental Principles of TV News Story Telling REMEMBER:   Short active sentences   Natural sound   Script the pictures   Singularity - Focus on the story you are telling   Simplicity and clarity are key   Stream, make it all flow

In radio you need an ability to write descriptively. You clearly describe events, places and people in words. In writing to pictures you have to look for more economical ways of writing something. In writing to pictures remember less equals more

DO NOT have wall to wall commentary. DO HAVE breaks for natural sound. The viewer NEEDS space to absorb the images. DO be bold in the way you write without straying into bias or hype. A truthful witness does not deceive

The Carer