T HE REST OF THE STORY What follows the lead

Q UICK REVIEW : T HE LEAD Keep it under 25 words. Should be direct and simple. Keep the most important info near the front of the sentence. Should include specific information – concrete facts – about the story. Should use a strong verb to describe the action. Should not begin with the “when” – that is rarely the most important piece of information. Most importantly – accuracy.

N OW WHAT ? The lead does not, and should not, try to contain ALL the story’s who, what, where, when, why, how information. In a typical inverted pyramid structure, after the lead, we move on to: - the second most important piece of information. - the third most important piece of information. And so on. Do not use a chronological approach.

T HE SECOND PARAGRAPH Where you expand or develop on the information in the lead. Don’t repeat information from the lead. Like the lead, it should emphasize the news. It should provide a smooth, logical transition from the lead to the following paragraphs. Continue this process throughout the story.

W HAT ELSE SHOULD GO IN MY STORY ? The rest of the story should try to answer any questions related to the topic of the story. Organize the information from most important to least. Also, make sure you move clearly and smoothly from one point to the next.

A TYPICAL STRUCTURE Let’s imagine for a second that we have a story about a two-car accident. In the accident, one person goes to the hospital with injuries. Possible lead: A 32-year-old Mt. Pleasant man was injured in a two-car accident on Broadway Street in Mt. Pleasant on Tuesday. Why didn’t we use the person’s name in the lead?

T HE REST OF THE STORY Our lead was on the previous slide. The second paragraph can identify the injured person. Normally, reporters emphasize people in their stories, and the consequences the developments that are being reported on have on the people involved. Third paragraph – explains how the accident occurred. The recent action and the main point of the story.

T HE REST OF THE STORY, CONTINUED Fourth paragraph – reports any charges filed against the driver who caused the accident. Fifth, sixth, seventh paragraphs – quote drivers, police officers, witnesses to the accident. Eighth paragraph – unusual damage to the cars. Ninth paragraph – describes any traffic problems or delays caused by the accident. Tenth and subsequent paragraphs – other details related to the story.

H OW DOES MY STORY END ? In the basic structure, the story ends when we are done answering all the questions. It does not – and should not – end with any sort of conclusion or summary statement. When you are done with the facts, stop.

Q UOTATIONS A good news story normally includes quotations, which are pieces of information obtained from a source. Direct quotation – the exact words a speaker uses. Those words are packaged between quotation marks. Indirect quotation – a summary of what the speaker said. Does not require quotation marks, but does require that you give attribution to the person who gave you the information.

D IRECT QUOTATIONS Use the speaker’s exact words. Use direct quotations for interesting insights, opinions, points of view or colorful comments. There is no need to use direct quotations to present simple factual information. For example, the time, date and place of a school play. Or the fact that three people were involved in an accident. Or the score of a football game. Direct quotations can give life to a story and increase its readability. Lets the reader “talk” with the subject quoted.

I NDIRECT QUOTATIONS Maintain the meaning of what the speaker said. Do not misrepresent what is said. Used to paraphrase what the speaker has said, so it can be presented to readers in a more coherent and efficient fashion. Again, make sure you attribute information gathered in indirect quotations to your source.

S AID ? E MPHASIZED ? E XPLAINED ? When you use quotations, simply use the word “said.” There’s no need to use any other words that carry a similar meaning. Use the person’s name, and then the word said. For example: Two people in the accident were taken to the hospital, Jones said. If there is a long title, you can use the word said before the name. - No bunnies were injured in the fire, said Jones, director of the state office of arson investigation.

I NVERTED PYRAMID STORY, A CHECKLIST Leads – one sentence, 25 words or less. Should contain the most important information. Second paragraph – expand or develop on the lead. Should not start down a path to a chronological structure. AP style – make sure to check numbers, dates, locations, etc. so that they are used in the correct AP style.

C ONTINUED Attribution – all major information should be attributed unless it is commonly known, the information strongly implies the source, or it is the observation of the reporter. - Don’t dump a string of direct quotations on the reader. - Direct quotations should be in this sequence – quote, speaker, verb.

C ONTINUED Are your pronouns correct? It, its, it’s. Also make sure we have plurals and singular references correct – its and they. Use the past tense, not the present. Name, title – when you put a title before the name, do not separate with commas. Game warden Brad Fisher arrested the trespassers. - after the title, it is set off by commas – Brad Fisher, the game warden, arrested the trespassers.

C ONTINUED Short paragraphs – any paragraph more than three sentences long is too long. One or two sentences at the most. Make each direct quote its own paragraph. Wordiness – check to make sure you are not using too much verbiage, redundancies, unnecessary repetitions, etc. Names and facts – double check the spelling of names, and double check your facts to make sure they are accurate.

L OOK FOR EXAMPLES As you read stories for your news journal exercises and for your general knowledge, take note of the structure. Note how the leads are constructed. Note how the rest of the story is organized. How quotes are used, both direct and indirect. Pay attention to the word choices and phrasing. When you notice particularly interesting approaches, break them down, analyze, emulate.

Q UESTIONS ?