IntroductionTo

Journalism

- An account of an event, or afact, or an opinion thatinterests people.

- A presentation of current events.- Anything that enough

people want to read is news, provided it meets the standards of “good taste” and isn’t libelous.

I. What is News?

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1. Proximity: Location. Location. Location.

If the event is happening close by, it will have a greater impact on your readers.

2. Timeliness: If something is happening NOW, it has more impact on the reader.

What Makes News “News”?Six Elements of

News

3. Prominence: If the people in the story are well known, the story will have more impact on the reader. Most people are not as impacted if the story involves people they do not know.

Six Elements of News

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4. Conflict: Readers are interested in rivalries, arguments, fights, and disagreements.

5. Consequence: Refers to the importance of an event.

The greater the consequence, the greater the news value.6. Human Interest: If the story evokes(inspires) emotion in the reader such asanger, sadness, or happiness, the reader willhave a greater connection with the story andthe story will have a greater impact.

Six Elements of News

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Find an article written between May and August and analyze it for the six elements of news.

Print out the article or copy & paste it into a Word document and cite the website. Either write your answer to the following directly on the printed article or type your answer below the pasted article in Word. Either way, answers should be reflective and detailed!

Comment on each element of news. How does each element apply to the article? (i.e., How is proximity relevant to the article? Prominence: is the article about famous individuals or an “average person”?)

ASSIGNMENT 1ASSIGNMENT 1

Hard News vs. Soft News

II. Types of News & Stories

Hard NewsHard News – coverage of an event immediately after it takes place; it is serious and urgent

Includes Two Concepts:- Seriousness: Politics, economics, crime, war, and disasters are considered serious topics, as are certain aspects of law, science, and technology. - Timeliness: Stories that cover current events— the progress of a war, the results of a vote, the breaking out of a fire, a significant public statement, the freeing of a prisoner, an economic report of note, etc.

Soft NewsSoft News – entertains, educates, or advises the reader; the least serious subjects: arts and entertainment, sports, lifestyles, "human interest", and celebrities.

- Not timely: There is no precipitating event triggering the story, other than a reporter's curiosity.- The news and reporter’s agenda are driven by the interests of the audience

- Feature stories are human-interest articles that focus on particular people, places, and events. - Feature stories are journalistic, researched, descriptive, colorful, thoughtful, reflective, thorough writing about original ideas. - Feature stories cover topics in depth, going further than mere hard news coverage by amplifying and explaining the most interesting and important elements of a situation or occurrence.

Feature

- Less urgent, attemptsto engage reader; often includes pictures

- Narrative structure (beginning, middle, end),expands on details; has an ending that neatly wraps up story

Feature cont.

There are many kinds of feature stories. For almost any topic you can adopt any of the below common types and come up with a good story.Profile: Reveals an individual’s character and lifestyle. Exposes different facets of the subject so readers will feel they know the person.Human Interest: Discusses issues through experiences of another.How-To: Help people learn by telling them how to do something. Writer learns about the topic through education, experience, research, or interviews with experts.Historical: Commemorate important dates or turning points in social, political, and cultural development. Revisits an event and issues surrounding it.Seasonal: Life milestones, social, political, and cultural cycles. Address matters at specific times of a year.Behind the Scenes: Inside views of unusual occupations, issues, and events; readers like feeling privy to unusual details and well kept secrets they might not ordinarily be exposed to.

Types of Features

- Need to reflect tension, color, excitement of the event; demands colorful, lively writing- Don’t use trite expressions (split the uprights); only disguises action- Sports “slanguage” is language that boarders trite expressions (biscuit for hockey puck) should not to be confused with legitimate sports terms (birdie for golf) & used sparingly- You have to know about the sport you’re writing about or you won’t sound like a credible journalist- The good and the bad – the wins and losses – get covered- Pregame or Postgame

Sports

SportsPregame Story

- Typically opens with summary lead- Last year’s/last game’s scores between schools- Condition of athletes- Key athletes- Comparisons of team records- Comments on style of play- Significance of event in terms of records/future events- Any history of rivalries- Interviews from players and fans with their predictions

Postgame Story- Typically opens with more vivid and colorful lead- Takes a feature approach- Description of spectators’ actions during the event- Reviews important moments from the game (key athletes, scores, penalties, injuries)- Update scoring records- Interviews from players, coaches, and fans

Editorial – “voice of the paper”; expresses opinions; doesn’t have a byline (byline = line under the headline with the writer’s name)Column – bylined article expressing the opinions of the writing (you will a column when you want to express yourpersonal opinion)Editorials and Columnscan: Explain, Persuade, Answer, Warn, Criticize, Entertain

Editorials & Columns

1. Determine a Purpose: What is the purpose of your column? (Explain, Persuade, Answer, Warn, Criticize, Entertain)2. Introduction: give a brief statement of background concerning the topic

Editorial/Column Structure

3. Reaction: explain the position of the column4. Details: provide support for the position you’re taking5. Conclusion: comment on recommended solutions, alternatives, and direction, and restate the position

Types: Movies, theater, restaurants, web sites, books, music, computer software, games…

Three Approaches:- Make comparisons (determining the best local pizza, you might focus on comparing the quality, flavor, and texture of the products)- Evaluate the fulfillment of intended purpose (writing about a new video game? Evaluate it on how well it fulfills its purpose: excitement in the action, level of difficulty and challenges, etc.)- Itemize strengths and weaknesses (writing about a new album? Write about the good and not-so-good tracks, with reasons; write about the lyrics, musical arrangements, production quality, etc.)

Reviews

Reviewing Performances

Film, TV show, PlayActing (were the actors believable?)Sets (were the sets appropriate to the production?)Dialogue (did the dialogue sound realistic?)Lighting (did lighting techniques add to the action, character development, determine mood?)Sound (were lines spoken clearly? Did background music add/detract from story?)Direction (was it clear the director knew the story he wanted to tell?)

Find an article written within May and August to complete one of the following:

Option 1: Feature – Find a feature that interests you. Explain how the feature is descriptive, colorful, thoughtful, and/or reflective. How are the most interesting and important elements explained and amplified?Option 2: Sports – Find a sports article and determine if it is a pregame or postgame story. How does the article reflect the tension, color, excitement of the event? Analyze the use – or omission – of trite expressions and “slanguage.”Option 3: Column – Find a column and determine its purpose. How is the topic introduced? What is the writer’s position and what details support it? How does the column conclude?Option 4: Review– Find a review and determine the approach used (it can be a mix of all 3, keep in mind). How does the review explain some of the basics of the “item” – menu (restaurant), plot (movie/book), rules (game)? How does the review discuss strengths/ weaknesses? Does the review make any recommendations?

Print out the article or copy & paste it into a Word document and cite the website. Either write your answer to the above directly on the printed article or type your answer below the pasted article in Word. Responses should be analytical and detailed; a few sentences will not be enough for full credit!

ASSIGNMENT 2ASSIGNMENT 2

III. Writing News Stories, Leads, & Headlines

For readers or listeners to get a full and complete understanding of the news, you have to make sure your news report answers the following 5W and 1H questions: 

Who or Whom is it about or has happened toWhat is happening or happenedWhere is it happening or did it happen When is it happening or did it happen Why is it happening or did it happen How is it happening or did it happen

The 5Ws and H questions are the main ingredients for all news reports as they contain all the facts that you will need for your news article.Therefore, these are the key questions you must ask if you are gathering information for a news article.

Basic News ReportingThe 5Ws and 1H of News Writing

Avoid offensive language regarding race, age, gender, sexual orientation, philosophy of life

Be Succinct: Develop a clear, simple, concise way of expressing yourself; eliminate excess verbiage

Use Clear, Simple Words Write Straightforward Sentences; use short

sentences Avoid the following:

Redundancy. Don’t say the same thing twice. Clichés. They’re lazy writing. Be more witty and

creative. Fear of Repetition. Avoid silly synonyms. Passive Voice. The subject does the action. Always!

Basic News Writing

- To understand what the "inverted pyramid" name means, picture an upside-down triangle - one with the narrow tip pointing downward and the broad base pointing upward.

- The broad base represents the most newsworthy information in the news story, and the narrow point represents the least newsworthy information in the news story. - The inverted pyramid is used for hard news.

Article Organization: The Inverted Pyramid

Most Newsworthy

Least Newsworthy

QQ: Why does this format lend itself well to journalism, especially news reporting?

AA: 1. It gets the point of the story to the reader in the fastest way possible.2. It provides the facts without all of the “fluff” of normal writing.3. It lends itself to quick editing of story length.

- Even if you cut off the last few sentences of a story in this format to fit in a column on a page, the story is still complete. It only lacks some of the specifics.

Inverted Pyramid

- Storytelling Style – it is what it is; this writer tells the drama of the event by telling it as a story. The writer sets the scene, introduces characters, and narrates the events, weaving in facts and opinions from sources.

- You can write the story chronologically, or move around from one event to another, gradually revealing the information that fleshes out the story

- Combination Style – uses the inverted pyramid + chronological storytelling. The writer summarizes in the first paragraph (5WH) and then tells the rest of the story in the order in which it occurred

Other Organizational Patterns

Lead: the first paragraph of a news story; it is often just one sentence with only 30-35 words

- Essence of journalism- Similar to a first impression; you want to make sure they’re good- Beginning to writing any story- Gives reader broadest sense of what your story will cover- Uses specific, interesting words to set

the tone

- What does a lead do?- Gives readers main points of the story- Gets readers interested in reading the story- Does both in as few words as possible

The Lead

Summary/AP (Hard news)Summarizes 5W’s and HGives the gist of the story

Narrative (Soft news)Tells a storyDraws reader in & can identify with

characters/situation

Descriptive (Soft news)Mental pictureHelps portray mood and setting

Exclamatory (Soft news)Short exclamatory sentenceStriking or startling statement demanding attention

Allusion (Soft news)Referring to someone/something well knownReference is suitable to the subject

Types of Leads

So what type of lead is this?

*Important!* No matter which type of lead you choose to use, the lead should answer as many of the 5WH as possible. Pieces left out are written in the next paragraph.

What do headlines do?Communicate story importanceConcisely convey essence of storyGrab AttentionConvey tone of publicationDraw reader in by being creative and catchy

Crafting Great HeadlinesIdentify key subject, key action, and essence (main point)Include distinctive detailKey words are key (use 2-3 that you would search for)

Great story that you can’t explain in a headline = crappy story

Headlines

Sum up main point of story; don’t copy lead Write in present tense Use active voice (subject does the action) Usually 5-10 words long Must be complete thought Avoid slang and clichés Eliminate articles: a, an, the Don’t split names or infinitives on two lines No periods! Comma, semicolon, quotation

mark ONLY

Headline Rules

Good vs. Bad HeadlinesWhat makes these headlines incorrect?

Miners refuse to work after deathGrandmother of eight makes hole in oneEditor’s wife rented to 2 suspects, FBI saysMilk drinkers turning to powderJuvenile court to try shooting defendant

What makes these headlines effective?

Police stop suicidal man from setting himself on fireDriver pried from flipped car on I-95Child hit by school bus in BaltimoreBaltimore man tased, caught with cocaine after freeway chase

Find an article written within May and August to complete the following:

Print out the article or copy & paste it into a Word document and cite the website.

Highlight and label the following: headline, lead, each piece of the 5WH.

Answer the following by either writing your answers on the back of the article or typing them underneath the article if you copied it into a Word document:

1. Go back to the headline rules. Does the article break any of the rules? If so, list and explain

how the particular rule is not followed. Choose a rule that the article DID follow and list it.

2. What type of lead is used? How do you know?3. What organizational pattern is used? How do

you know?

ASSIGNMENT 3ASSIGNMENT 3

Questions prepared & approved before interview

What do you want to find out? Who do you ask? Go to a primary

source: the person who has the best and most reliable information

Need to do research to get background

IV. Questions & Interviewing

Open-ended Use 5WH to start questions; require more

than yes/no answers with details Strive to write all open-ended questions

-est questions Proudest, saddest, biggest Use sparingly; can limit answers

Stock questions All purpose; usable in any situation Goals, Obstacles, Solutions, Start

Embarrassing questions Don’t pry, snoop, or ask hostile questions Ask politely to get the truth; ask again

Types of Questions

As the interviewer… Be courteous and well mannered Stamp out personal biases Record interview for accuracy Ask for clarification if necessary LISTEN to the response and HOW it

is answered; observe the subject Before you leave, ask if you should

know anything else

Interviewing

Direct Quote: “These are the exact words.” Don’t quote profanity of bad grammar

Paraphrase: put speaker’s ideas in your own words; add he said at beginning or end of sentence; use for facts (Chief Jones said…) Avoid repetition

Partial Quote: quote part of a sentence directly & paraphrase the rest (Jones said he was “ready to do cartwheels” after scoring the winning touchdown.) No unnecessary quoting (Lee said he was

“happy” after scoring the goal.)

How to Integrate Quotes into Your Article

Giving the reader the name of thesource

Verbs: said, stated, declared, noted,pointed out

Verb you use must indicate speechformations (frowned doesn’t work)

When in doubt, attribute Common knowledge and noncontroversial =

little attribution Controversy = attribution

Can attribute at the end or in the middle of a sentence

Did research and used outside sources? Cite sources within the article

Attribution

Three things a journalist must be: Credible – Credibility is the ability to be

believed and trusted. Ethical standards – good taste, fairness, devotion to truth – guide your work.

Accurate – Close doesn’t count. There is no such thing as a small error. The smallest mistake reduces credibility. Verify or confirm your information.

Objective – The state of mind that journalists acquire to make them fair, neutral observers of events and issues. Do not permit your personal feelings, likes or dislikes, to color news stories.

V. Journalism Laws & Ethics

Laws: What we have to do Ethics: Subjective standards that relate to moral elements of

journalistic behavior

Legal Restrictions of the Press Libel: the publication of a false statement that injures

someone’s reputation Slander: spoken false statements

How to avoid libel: Edit carefully, Avoid confidential content, Behave professionally, Keep a log of your efforts, Check your sources, Quoting doesn’t shift blame

Libel Defenses: Truth (it can be harder to prove than you think, though), Privilege (fully, fairly, and accurately quote), Fair Comment/Opinion (journalist has right to criticize public events/commercial; material is *clearly* labeled as opinion)

Journalism Laws & Ethics

Plagiarism – lifting material from elsewhere without credit

Fairness – equal treatment of the various sides of a story Photojournalism – truth or misrepresentation is seen in

an image Attribution – use primary-source information and identify

where it came from

To keep yourself out of trouble: Seek the truth and report it as fully as possible Act independently Minimize harm

Journalism Laws & Ethics

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment

Conduct research on both the Hazelwood vs Kuhlmeier and Tinker vs Des Moines court cases.

NOTE: Wikipedia IS NOT a valid source. Actually put some effort into your research and consider the domains of the sites (.com, .gov, .net, .org, .edu).

1. Write a 6 sentence summary with 1 sentence for each piece of the 5WH for each case for a total of two paragraphs. Cite the websites you use.2. Explain the element of the First Amendment that was being challenged in each case.3. Do you agree with the ruling in each case? Why or why not?**Remember your responses should be detailed in order to receive full credit.**

ASSIGNMENT 4ASSIGNMENT 4