What is the inverted pyramid?
Starts with the most important details and work your way dwon to the least important details.
What's a delayed lede? What other names does it go by?
Also known as a feature or soft leads. Do no flash the major facts of a story to the reader but instead try to catch the readers attention in a more creative manner.
What's a nut graf? Where does it come in the story?
Essentially tells the reader "This is what they stor is all about.", clear focuss of the story, between the lead and the body of the story
Where does the when element go?
after the who and what.
What's a summary/chronology story?
summary of what is to happen, SVO, chronology is in the order in which events happen, typically following a summary lead.
What special handling does a crime story require when it comes to naming suspects?
until a person is formally charged with a crime, it is safest to not report the person's name.
What is a multiple element story?
Two or three distincly different ideas compete for the spotlight.
What is a second day story?
complete rewrite, lead must reflect what has happened since the initial report was published and the stroy must provide new details and also summarize the original report for those who might have missed it.
What is the difference between correlation and causation? What special handling does this require in story writing?
Correlation-events happening at the same time, Causation- one event causes another. A journalist needs to be careful about making such assumptions about causation, removing any that are not supported by facts.
What kinds of facts should be double checked?
Names, dates, places, corporate names, titles, numbers, graphics
What are the rules for working with quotes?
make sure the quote adds to the story, make sure the quoted words are the person's exact words, paraphrase when necessary, don't put words in a speakers mouth, place attribution carefully, avoid inverted attribution, make sure it is clear who's speaking and choose verbs carefully.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Lede writing 4, 5
4. A state representative is sponsoring a bill that will establish a web site that increases penalties for identify theft and raises crime for a misdemeanor to a felony.
5. The Maryland Department of Education is awarding more than $30 million in federal grant money to 53 school districts to help innovative programs.
5. The Maryland Department of Education is awarding more than $30 million in federal grant money to 53 school districts to help innovative programs.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Lede Practice
1. The mayor's husband suffered broken bones in a three-vehicle collision Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Warren and Davidson avenues.
2. City council members are pursuing to create a local board to oversee changes in the downtown historic district.
3. The Head of the Department of Energy said the Las Vegas desert will act as a "safe haven" to store 77,000 tons of radioactive waste.
2. City council members are pursuing to create a local board to oversee changes in the downtown historic district.
3. The Head of the Department of Energy said the Las Vegas desert will act as a "safe haven" to store 77,000 tons of radioactive waste.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Extra Credit Post
Rules:
1. Use commas in compound sentences when clauses are separated by a conjunction such as "and," "but," "for," "nor," or "yet."
EX: I needed the pencil, but I wanted the pen.
I needed the pencil; I wanted the pen.
2. Use commas to separate elements in a series. Such elements usually are adjectives, verbs, or nouns.
EX: The big, crazy man stole my lunch money.
The dog could eat, sleep, run and even jump well.
3. Use commas when attributing from quoted material. Commas set off words of attribution from the words of a one-sentence quotation unless a question mark or exclamation mark is preferred.
EX: As I left the room she said, "Don't forget your key!"
I can't believe she said, "damnit" in front of the teacher.
4. Commas follow introductory matter, such as after an introductory adverbial clause.
EX: When I went to the store, I had to first make a list.
I went to sleep, I knew I had to get up soon.
5. Commas follow the salutation of a friendly letter and the complimentary close of any letter. Commas also follow capitalized elements, such as the complimentary close (e.g., Sincerely, Very truly yours), and a colon follows the salutation of a business letter.
EX: To whom it may concern,
Dear Alice,
6. Commas follow all items in a date or full address.
EX: I used to live in Frederick, Maryland.
Today is March 12, 2006.
7. Commas surround nonessential words or phrases.
EX: The newsreporter actually, went crazy after the show.
His mom for once, decided to drive.
8. Commas surround words of direct address.
EX: Doctor, I need your help.
Sarah, can you get me my drink.
9. Commas indicate omitted verbs, usually expressed in another part of the sentence.
EX: My computer is broken, yeah your right.
I will be on television, maybe, one day.
10. Semicolons connect two complete sentences if sentences have a related though. Use of a semicolon usually creates a sense of drama.
EX: My mom had to get tons of groceries at the store; banannas, salad, pizza bites and hot dogs.
I needed to start studying; english, writing and history.
11. Semicolons are used in a list separating items that require significant internal punctuation.
EX: I needed to buy clothes; a shirt, pair of jeans and socks but didn't have enough money.
Last year I lived in Canada; then in Towson and finally now I live in Virginia.
12. Colons preced formal lists, illustrations, multisentence quotes, and enumerations.
EX: My friends are kelly, steve, sarah, jennifer and micheal.
I want to travel to London, Hollywood, Paris and Texas.
1. Use commas in compound sentences when clauses are separated by a conjunction such as "and," "but," "for," "nor," or "yet."
EX: I needed the pencil, but I wanted the pen.
I needed the pencil; I wanted the pen.
2. Use commas to separate elements in a series. Such elements usually are adjectives, verbs, or nouns.
EX: The big, crazy man stole my lunch money.
The dog could eat, sleep, run and even jump well.
3. Use commas when attributing from quoted material. Commas set off words of attribution from the words of a one-sentence quotation unless a question mark or exclamation mark is preferred.
EX: As I left the room she said, "Don't forget your key!"
I can't believe she said, "damnit" in front of the teacher.
4. Commas follow introductory matter, such as after an introductory adverbial clause.
EX: When I went to the store, I had to first make a list.
I went to sleep, I knew I had to get up soon.
5. Commas follow the salutation of a friendly letter and the complimentary close of any letter. Commas also follow capitalized elements, such as the complimentary close (e.g., Sincerely, Very truly yours), and a colon follows the salutation of a business letter.
EX: To whom it may concern,
Dear Alice,
6. Commas follow all items in a date or full address.
EX: I used to live in Frederick, Maryland.
Today is March 12, 2006.
7. Commas surround nonessential words or phrases.
EX: The newsreporter actually, went crazy after the show.
His mom for once, decided to drive.
8. Commas surround words of direct address.
EX: Doctor, I need your help.
Sarah, can you get me my drink.
9. Commas indicate omitted verbs, usually expressed in another part of the sentence.
EX: My computer is broken, yeah your right.
I will be on television, maybe, one day.
10. Semicolons connect two complete sentences if sentences have a related though. Use of a semicolon usually creates a sense of drama.
EX: My mom had to get tons of groceries at the store; banannas, salad, pizza bites and hot dogs.
I needed to start studying; english, writing and history.
11. Semicolons are used in a list separating items that require significant internal punctuation.
EX: I needed to buy clothes; a shirt, pair of jeans and socks but didn't have enough money.
Last year I lived in Canada; then in Towson and finally now I live in Virginia.
12. Colons preced formal lists, illustrations, multisentence quotes, and enumerations.
EX: My friends are kelly, steve, sarah, jennifer and micheal.
I want to travel to London, Hollywood, Paris and Texas.
Monday, February 9, 2009
five most common grammar errors
1.Punctuation – Not a lot of people actually know the rules of correct punctuation use. Do not use the “feel good” method of punctuation, the method where is just sounds right to use the punctuation, know when to use it.
EX: She is a wonderful, smart, talkative girl, with emotions that seem to get her into trouble.
2.Subject and Verb Agreement - People tend to confuse the subject and verb agreement by using the wrong verb type (singular or plural) for a noun.
EX: The tennis club is a wonderful after school program.
3.Pronouns - Pronouns help in avoiding needless repetition in language.
EX: The fire was out of control. It (the fire) needed a lot of firefighters to put it out.
4.Sentence Structure - Along with fragments and run-on sentences, faulty parallelism and modifier placement cause problems with sentence structure.
EX: The art class needed many materials: pencils, large paper, paint brushes and tons of tracing paper.
5.Word Usage - Subtle word usage errors can cause misunderstandings. Also correct usage leads to credibility; readers have confidence in error-free reading.
EX: than, then
The teacher then showed the students how to write the story.
The student yelled at the teacher rather than talked quietly.
EX: She is a wonderful, smart, talkative girl, with emotions that seem to get her into trouble.
2.Subject and Verb Agreement - People tend to confuse the subject and verb agreement by using the wrong verb type (singular or plural) for a noun.
EX: The tennis club is a wonderful after school program.
3.Pronouns - Pronouns help in avoiding needless repetition in language.
EX: The fire was out of control. It (the fire) needed a lot of firefighters to put it out.
4.Sentence Structure - Along with fragments and run-on sentences, faulty parallelism and modifier placement cause problems with sentence structure.
EX: The art class needed many materials: pencils, large paper, paint brushes and tons of tracing paper.
5.Word Usage - Subtle word usage errors can cause misunderstandings. Also correct usage leads to credibility; readers have confidence in error-free reading.
EX: than, then
The teacher then showed the students how to write the story.
The student yelled at the teacher rather than talked quietly.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Summary Lead
Summary lead- It's the opening paragraph that summarizes the article by giving the most important of the 5W's. It is usually one sentence in length and focuses on giving the end result of the story. Specific as possible! Be concise!
New York Times Examples of Summary Leads
1."AT 9 o’clock on a recent morning Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were already half an hour into a rehearsal at the rock club Terminal 5 in Manhattan. As N.F.L. executives and a television production team watched, they were tightening their miniset of four songs — dropping verses, streamlining segues — to fit their 12-minute slot as the halftime entertainment Sunday at Super Bowl XLIII, expected to reach tens of millions of viewers. " -New York Times
-offers who, what, when, why and where.
-good lead because it flows well
-back to back eye-catching words that bring people to the action.
2."PEANUT butter has long been the salvation of the harried parent and the budget-minded. A spoonful straight from the jar has gotten many a student through a long study session. A peanut butter sandwich is one of the first snacks a young person can make, and it is the rare baker who doesn’t have a peanut butter cookie in repertory." -New York Times
-specific, lets the read know what the subject is; Peanut Butter
-grabs people attentions
-I think though it could show the importance of this article better in the lead, how peanut butter is in a downfall right now, show that better.
2. "WASHINGTON — The House gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, and President Obama signed it this afternoon, in the first of what he hopes will be many steps to guarantee coverage for all Americans."
-Short, simple and to the point
-Who, what, when, why and where clearly stated
-Interesting to the reader because who doesn't want to know what the President has done for our Country.
New York Times Examples of Summary Leads
1."AT 9 o’clock on a recent morning Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were already half an hour into a rehearsal at the rock club Terminal 5 in Manhattan. As N.F.L. executives and a television production team watched, they were tightening their miniset of four songs — dropping verses, streamlining segues — to fit their 12-minute slot as the halftime entertainment Sunday at Super Bowl XLIII, expected to reach tens of millions of viewers. " -New York Times
-offers who, what, when, why and where.
-good lead because it flows well
-back to back eye-catching words that bring people to the action.
2."PEANUT butter has long been the salvation of the harried parent and the budget-minded. A spoonful straight from the jar has gotten many a student through a long study session. A peanut butter sandwich is one of the first snacks a young person can make, and it is the rare baker who doesn’t have a peanut butter cookie in repertory." -New York Times
-specific, lets the read know what the subject is; Peanut Butter
-grabs people attentions
-I think though it could show the importance of this article better in the lead, how peanut butter is in a downfall right now, show that better.
2. "WASHINGTON — The House gave final approval on Wednesday to a bill extending health insurance to millions of low-income children, and President Obama signed it this afternoon, in the first of what he hopes will be many steps to guarantee coverage for all Americans."
-Short, simple and to the point
-Who, what, when, why and where clearly stated
-Interesting to the reader because who doesn't want to know what the President has done for our Country.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Ch.14 Questions
Objectivity: Forget the truth, keep to the facts. Journalists are to get the facts of the story no matter if the understatement of the issue is hard. Unbiased and it is said that the truth is just to messy at times.
Example: Interview of someone that just witnessed a fire..the reporter will ask the questions about the fire and only get the information said out of this person's mouth. If they over hear something they may not subject the interviewer into saying something they don't believe.
Presidential debate- The journalist needs to writing what the candidates said and not make up anything that puts their opinion in it. What they see and hear is what needs to be publish. The truth may be that the candidates were both very mean to the press yet the audience is going to just want the facts of what the candidates said, nothing more.
Interviewing a person of dislike- The journalist needs to not but any form of opinion in the article and just write what is said. Needs to be passive.
Thoroughness: Time to talk to the best sources, find best documentary evidence and overall give the audience as much information as possible to understand the issues and to make their own decision's.
Ex: Doing a story on a recent accident- get first on the spot, talk to reliable witnesses, take pictures, get audio...get all the information so that people will know when, what, who, why and where..if possible.
Local Band awareness article- needs to go to any unknown band in the local area, ask interesting and appreciate questions, talk to the manager(s), listen to the music, offer places on where to check them out if interested, the more the better.
Underage drinking- interview people that drink of age and people that drink underage. Compare and contrast. Don't show any form of opinion and include audio, pictures and statistics. Get information that people don't know already. Make it interesting with as much media as possible.
Accuracy: needs to be accurate or it has no value. Everything being written on paper needs to be correct information.
Ex: Reporting forest fire- information needs to be accurate with location of the fire, anyone involved and when it happened. If reported a wrong time or location it is not of any value and shouldn't be published. Don't rearrange the information either.
Pageant Winners- Accurate people of who won, No misspellings of they're names.
Book review- Don't make up things that never happened in the book to spark people's attention. It won't be valued information and it makes the journalist look poorly. Get quotes, make sure it's what they said.
Fairness: An attempt to make sure all the bases are covered.
Ex: Interview for football issue- get both sides of the opposing teams. Listen to the different viewpoints but don't put your opinion.
New teacher spot light- highlight what needs to be highlighted about the teacher. get quotes from people that may not think the teacher is fair and then people who like the teacher.
Abortion Article- get both sides of the story. No opinion but just listen to the people and their viewpoints.
Transparency: gain and maintain public trust. Be as open as possible, let them know how they get their information and how they make their decisions on reporting issues.
Death of a celebrity-being open about everything the reporter knows. Tell where they got their information and the importance. Let the audience in of what happened. Don't go by rumors.
Weather Warning- Let the audience know..Be honest and truthful. Don't say something isn't as bad as it is.
Diet problems- Tell the audience everything, don't sugar coat anything. If the audience and or interviewer doesn't trust the journalist, the information won't be at it's best.
Example: Interview of someone that just witnessed a fire..the reporter will ask the questions about the fire and only get the information said out of this person's mouth. If they over hear something they may not subject the interviewer into saying something they don't believe.
Presidential debate- The journalist needs to writing what the candidates said and not make up anything that puts their opinion in it. What they see and hear is what needs to be publish. The truth may be that the candidates were both very mean to the press yet the audience is going to just want the facts of what the candidates said, nothing more.
Interviewing a person of dislike- The journalist needs to not but any form of opinion in the article and just write what is said. Needs to be passive.
Thoroughness: Time to talk to the best sources, find best documentary evidence and overall give the audience as much information as possible to understand the issues and to make their own decision's.
Ex: Doing a story on a recent accident- get first on the spot, talk to reliable witnesses, take pictures, get audio...get all the information so that people will know when, what, who, why and where..if possible.
Local Band awareness article- needs to go to any unknown band in the local area, ask interesting and appreciate questions, talk to the manager(s), listen to the music, offer places on where to check them out if interested, the more the better.
Underage drinking- interview people that drink of age and people that drink underage. Compare and contrast. Don't show any form of opinion and include audio, pictures and statistics. Get information that people don't know already. Make it interesting with as much media as possible.
Accuracy: needs to be accurate or it has no value. Everything being written on paper needs to be correct information.
Ex: Reporting forest fire- information needs to be accurate with location of the fire, anyone involved and when it happened. If reported a wrong time or location it is not of any value and shouldn't be published. Don't rearrange the information either.
Pageant Winners- Accurate people of who won, No misspellings of they're names.
Book review- Don't make up things that never happened in the book to spark people's attention. It won't be valued information and it makes the journalist look poorly. Get quotes, make sure it's what they said.
Fairness: An attempt to make sure all the bases are covered.
Ex: Interview for football issue- get both sides of the opposing teams. Listen to the different viewpoints but don't put your opinion.
New teacher spot light- highlight what needs to be highlighted about the teacher. get quotes from people that may not think the teacher is fair and then people who like the teacher.
Abortion Article- get both sides of the story. No opinion but just listen to the people and their viewpoints.
Transparency: gain and maintain public trust. Be as open as possible, let them know how they get their information and how they make their decisions on reporting issues.
Death of a celebrity-being open about everything the reporter knows. Tell where they got their information and the importance. Let the audience in of what happened. Don't go by rumors.
Weather Warning- Let the audience know..Be honest and truthful. Don't say something isn't as bad as it is.
Diet problems- Tell the audience everything, don't sugar coat anything. If the audience and or interviewer doesn't trust the journalist, the information won't be at it's best.
Just Me
To start off, a little about me. I am currently living at my first apartment in Towson. It's my third year at Towson University and the stress is only increasing. My major is Mass Communications with a track in Public relations. Just like everyone else, I want to be very successful in school and eventually in a job of my liking. I have wonderful parents and a brother that I seem to always get along with. My pets that I couldn't see life without are my two dogs, Breena and Sierra.
I try to be artistic and creative whether that be in my writing or drawing or even by playing the drums, because it helps me show the real me. I'm very open to trying new things and meeting new people. Without experimenting, life would be a drag. I tend to be addicted to sleep so I usually plan my classes for college during the night. Though, usually a cup of coffee is really all I need to really start paying attention.
You only have one life to live and that saying is always in the back of my mind. I don't want life to pass me by and I cherish the people that help stabilize my life.
I try to be artistic and creative whether that be in my writing or drawing or even by playing the drums, because it helps me show the real me. I'm very open to trying new things and meeting new people. Without experimenting, life would be a drag. I tend to be addicted to sleep so I usually plan my classes for college during the night. Though, usually a cup of coffee is really all I need to really start paying attention.
You only have one life to live and that saying is always in the back of my mind. I don't want life to pass me by and I cherish the people that help stabilize my life.
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