1. Q: What in the world will we be writing about? A: NEWS So … What is News? Ever notice that no matter what happens in one day, it exactly fits in the newspaper?Ever notice that no matter what happens in one day, it exactly fits in the newspaper? – Jerry Seinfeld, comedian

2. Defining News News is all of the following: o Information, especially information you havent heard before, o Something interesting or important to you, o Something that has or will have an impact on you or others, o Stories about interesting people doing interesting things

3. Characteristics of News People, events and information that are newsworthy share common characteristics. The characteristics of news are: o Timeliness o Prominence o Proximity o Conflict o Impact o Human Interest

4. Timeliness Timeliness is a characteristic of a news story about an event that is reported as soon as it happens. o An accident, a fire, the signing of a peace treaty or the result of an election is news when it happens. o Many stories only run, or appear in the media, one day – the day they happen. o Others continue to be timely news as long as there is new information to add and the audience is interested in knowing more about the topic.

5. Prominence Prominence is a characteristic of a news story about someone whose name or job (such as the President of the United States) is well known and easily recognized by the public Every community has prominent persons. The mayor, the police chief, local radio or television personalities, and business leaders are good examples.

6. Conflict Conflict involves opposing forces and the tension and suspense that is created when two sides meet. The extreme and classical conflict is war. A common example of conflict is an election. Stories about contests, debates, peace negotiations between nations, contract negotiations between teachers and board of education, and fights in the school parking lot are all based on conflict.

7. Impact Impact is the effect or consequence a story has on the audience. Readers interests are directly related to the degree of impact the subject of the story will have on their lives.

8. Human Interest Human interest is a characteristic of a news story about people, usually those involved in emotional struggle.

9. Front Page News & News/Academics o Changes in school policy o Special events or activities o Hard news, such as vandalism o School-wide projects o Honors and prizes o Newsworthy topics that have people talking WHAT TYPES OF NEWS STORIES ARE THERE? Features Profiles In depth issues Secondary news that is less timely Centerspread In depth coverage on a single topic with lots of graphical treatments Surveys and Polls Photo stories and montages Fun stuff

10. Sports Schedules Overviews of teams and seasons Profiles of athletes Columns Sidebar sports-related topics Arts & Entertainment TV, Movie, Music, Book, Play Reviews Entertainment profiles Places to go, things to do Opinions Reviews Letters to the editor Advice Updates on club activities Calendar WHAT TYPES OF NEWS STORIES ARE THERE?

11. o Everywhere! o Nose for news o Meet people every day o Ask questions o Be curious o Be aware of whats happening around you o Dont take things for whats on the surface … look deeper! o Bring your ideas to the pitch meeting & fight for them! o Keep a journal of story ideas Inquiring Minds Want to Know! A journalist gets stories from …

12. Clubs Activities Curriculum Codes of Conduct Technology Sports Student Council Awards Policy Changes Educational Standards Counseling Improvements to Facilities Noteworthy Individuals Lunch New Students Past Students Social Events Getting Involved Tips to Success Editorials Seasonal Lockers Attendance Fashion Whats hot Parking Safety Myth vs. Reality Surveys and Polls IDEAS … IDEAS … IDEAS … IDEAS ALSO… Community Laws Community Concerns Entertainment Civic Duty Projects Local Youth Programs Job Opportunities Volunteer Organizations Noteworthy Individuals National/World Issues Close-up coverage of wider concerns as they directly relate to students in our school and our community

13. Whats the most important thing to remember when finding a news story? o Your audience! o Will this story IMPACT MY AUDIENCE! o If so, write about it. If not, keep looking! o Who is your audience? Other students at HPMS and MIS. o If it interests you, it will probably interest them! o Have your eyes and ears open o Be self-aware!

14. Story Journal Lets begin getting in the habit of being self-aware, being curious, having a nose for news Lets do this by looking at what happens around us that is interesting or leaves us with questions, and write those things down Lets keep a journal of these observations - because they can be story ideas This will be your story journal

15. Story Journal Your objective is to keep your story journal through the semester in your binder Write down at least one story idea per week Write a brief paragraph explaining your story idea: o The topic, o Sources o Type of story, o Who it would interest or why it is interesting and newsworthy Turn in your story journal idea each Monday for a completion grade (include your name) You can use these story ideas for your articles in this class HINT: Look for news and features to write about

16. Story Journal Example Mr. CappotelliStory Journal Idea 1Sept. 9 There is a dog on the HPMS campus. He is here every day. His name is Bailey and he works with some of the teachers on campus to try and help with students. He is called a therapy dog. I am interested in finding out how long hes been here, what a therapy dog does, and what the teachers and students who know Bailey have to say about him. I also would like to introduce Bailey by including a photo with my story. Its a cool human interest feature story that the HPMS faculty and student body will find informative.