Steps for Writting a news story

Writing a News Story
1. What can I write about? What is news?

On the surface,
-defining news is a simple task.
-News is an account of what is happening around us.
-It may involve current events, new initiatives or ongoing projects or issues.
-But a newspaper does not only print news of the day.
-It also prints background analysis, opinions, and human interest stories.

Choosing what's news can be harder.(what is news worthy...)

-importance
-emotion
-impact
-timeliness
-interest
. Note: all these factors do NOT have to coincide in each and every story!

2. Identify what kind of a story it is

-HARD NEWS (+/- 600 words):
-This is how journalists refer to news of the day.
-It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the FRONT PAGE of your typical newspaper.
-It starts with a summary lead(lead has all 5 Ws slam the facts at you in first paragraph)
What happened?
Where?
When?
To/by whom?
Why? (The journalist's 5 W's)
-It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.

-Keep the writing clean and uncluttered. Most important, give the readers the information they need. If the federal government announced a new major youth initiative yesterday, that's today's hard news.

SOFT NEWS (+/-600 words):
-This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive.
-Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations.
-As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary. Most of YPP's news content is soft news

FEATURE (+/-1500 words):
-Longer realy explores an issue
-A news feature takes one step back from the headlines.
-It explores an issue.
-News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy.
-They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item.
*Street kids are a perfect example. The stories of their individual lives are full of complexities which can be reflected in a longer piece.

Features are the best.
-They're full of
--interesting people,
--ideas,
--color,
--lights,
--action
--and energy.
Storytelling at its height! A good feature is about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a certain angle (i.e. Black youth returning to church) and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusions from that information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through comments from people involved in the story.

EDITORIAL:
-The editorial expresses an opinion.
-The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news. --All editorials are personal but the topics must still be relevant to the reader.


3. Structure for your article

The structure of a news story (hard & soft news & features) is simple:
-a lead
-the body

The lead
-One of the most important elements of news writing is the opening paragraph or two of the story.
-Journalists refer to this as the "lead," and its function is:
--to summarize
--the story and/or to draw the reader in
(depending on whether it is a "hard" or "soft" news story - See below for the difference between these two genres of news stories).

In a hard news story
-the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow.
-It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible.
*(e.g. "Homeless youth marched down Yonge St. in downtown Toronto Wednesday afternoon demanding the municipal government provide emergency shelter during the winter months." - Can you identify the 5 W's in this lead?)

In a soft news story:
-the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion.
-This type of opening is somewhat literary.
-Like a novelist, the role of the writer is to grab the attention of the reader.
*(e.g. "Until four years ago, Jason W. slept in alleyways...") Once the reader is drawn in, the 5 "W's" should be incorporated into the body of the story, but not necessarily at the very top.

The body
The body of the story involves combining:
-the opinions of the people you interview,
-some factual data
-a narrative which helps the story flow.
-A word of caution,
*CANNOT PUT OPINIONS INTO HARD NEWS STORIES*

Remember:

The role of a reporter is to:
-find out what people are thinking of an issue
-to report the opinions of different stakeholders of an issue.
*use 5 senses!
These comments make up the bulk of the story.
-The narrative helps to weave the comments into a coherent whole.
*Hint: Stick to one particular theme throughout the story. You can put in different details but they all have to relate to the original idea of the piece. (e.g. If your story is about black youth and their relationship with the police you DO NOT want to go into details about the life of any one particular youth).

*FIVE SENSES As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the readers. You should try to provide some visual details to bring the story to life (this is difficult if you have conducted only phone interviews, which is why face-to-face is best). You should also try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel means getting some understanding of the emotional background of the piece and the people involved in it. Try to get a sense of the characters involved and why they feel the way they do.

Okay, got it? Let's look at two examples as a way of summarizing the essentials:

Youth are banding together to start an organization. You want to show why are they doing that and the changes are they trying to make in the world. You want to say who they are and the strategies they are using.

An artist is having her first show. Why? What is it that she believes about her art? Is her artistic process rational or from the soul? What does the work look like?

4. Further tips for news writing

-Finding story ideas

-Keep your eyes and ears open
--listen to what your friends are talking about.


-Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.


-Think of a youth angle to a current news story.


-Research a subject that interests you ask yourself what you would like to know more about.


-Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is important to them.
Newsgathering

-Begin collecting articles on your subject.


-Talk to friends and associates about the subject.


-Contact any agencies or associations with interest or professional knowledge in the area.


-Create a list of people you want to interview;
*cover both sides of the story by interviewing people on both sides of the issue.


-Collect government statistics and reports on the subject get old press releases or reports to use as background.
Interviewing do's and don'ts

-Be polite.


Explain the ground rules of the interview to people unfamiliar with how the media works - this means that you tell them the information they give you can and will be published. If they do not want any part of what they say published, they need to tell you it is "off the record."


-Tape the interview (so if anyone comes back at you, you have the proof of what was said).


-Build a relationship with the person being interviewed.


-Start with easy questions; end with difficult questions.


Read the body language of the person you're interviewing and if they get defensive, back away from the question you are asking and return later.


Don't attack the source.


Keep control of the interview; don't let the subject ramble or stray from the subject.


On the other hand, don't let your "opinion" of what the story should be colour the interview. Always remember that the person you are talking with knows more about the subject than you do.
Organizing the information

Gather your notes, interviews and research into a file.


Review your notes.


Look for a common theme.


Search your notes for good quotes or interesting facts.


Develop a focus.


Write the focus of the article down in two or three sentences.
Writing and editing

Remember you are the narrator, the story teller.


Don't be afraid to rewrite.


Be as clear and concise in the writing as possible.


Avoid run-on sentences.


Be direct.


Tell a good story.


Tell the reader what you think they want to know.


Always ask yourself what the story is about.


Read the story out loud; listen carefully.

STEPS FOR WRITTING:
1. Find a topic
2. Find an angle
3. Collect information
4. Gather interviwes
5. Write the story
6. Edit the story

Law and Ethics Notes

First amendment rights
-Speech
-Religion
-Assembly
-Press
-Petition

Students in public schools dont have the same first amendment rights as outside of schools.

1969-THE TINKER STANDARD!
- students wore black armbands to protest the war and got expelled-went to the supreme court-court sided with students.
-Students speech CANNNOT be censored as long as it does not "materially disrupt class work or involve substantial disorde or invasion of the rights of others."

1986-THE FRASER STANDARD!
-Bethel School District vs. Fraser
-Inapporopriate speech for class president(school suspends student goes to supreme court)-sided with school and decided that:
-Because school officials have an "interest in teaching students the boundaries of spcially appropraite behavior" they can censor students speech that is vulgar or indecent even if it does not cuse a "material or substantial disruption"


1988-THE HAZELWOOD STANDARD!
-High school newspaper aarticle about teen pregnancy and divorce.
-Supreme court ruled:
"Censorpship of school-sponsored student expression is permissible when school offials can show that it if "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns."
-schools can censor student newspapers if the students do something against what the schools teach-teen pregnancy, drinking, drugs, piercings.

2002-THE FREDERICK STANDARD!
-Olympic torch travels through town
-Principal cancels school so that students can go see the olympic tourch-school feild trip- like going to a state sports game or college fair
-Senior Frederick holds up a sign that says "Bong hits for Jesus"
-Students are suspended for 10 days
-School wins Trial

-No legal justification for censoring a students expression in the privacy of his home!!

LIBEL
-a defamatory statement(hurting someones character)
-PUBLISHED to at least one other person
-has to be a False statement!(opinions are not libel)

SLANDER
-spoken statement
--same as libel but spoken.

1
What is the company?
PlayStation2
Who is the target audience:
Men, 18-30, gamers
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor, action
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
bad editing. man in a different place in the next scene
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"live in your world play in ours"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No its not effictive im not a part of the target audience.

2
What is the company?
Budweiser
Who is the target audience:
sports fans (male)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor, cute horses
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
replay
What is the slogan/message for the company?
No slogan
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, it was funny.

3
What is the company?
Chrysler
Who is the target audience:
Women
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
different camera angles that are very elegant sleek design
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"Drive and Love"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, I am a girl.

4
What is the company?
Pepsi
Who is the target audience:
People that watch relaty shows
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
celerbity, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
special effects of zipper.
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"its a twist on a great thing"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Not really, it was ment for older people because i didnt really understand it.

5
What is the company?
Fedex
Who is the target audience:
peopel who have seen the movie castaway
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor, movie parody
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
dramatic music flash back to when he was on the island
What is the slogan/message for the company?
none
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
yes, it was very funny.


6
What is the company?
Dodge
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Action, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
dramatic, action shots intense. driving fast. making the truck look very manly and tough
Slogan?
none
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i am not part of the target audiance.

7
What is the company?
Gatorade
target audience?
Men who like sports 18-45
persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
close ups on bastetball shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"Is it in you?"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No i didnt get it at all.

8
What is the company?
ESPN
Who is the target audience:
Men who like sports
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity, humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
frantic. short shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"This is sports center"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No, i didnt really understand it.

9
What is the company?
H&R block
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
cuts to different places
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"dont get bad advice"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No, i didnt understand it.

10
What is the company?
Bud light
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Parade shot, clown coming in from the parade
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"make it a bud light"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
kind of, it was funny.

11.
What is the company?
Visa
Who is the target audience:
Men
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
humor Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
shots of different people.
What is the slogan/message for the company?
"its where you want to be"
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
n, i didnt understand it

Journalism Notes

Definition:
Define “Journalism” in 1-3 sentences.
The telling of current events that are news worthy, via Internet, radio, newspaper, TV, and magazines.


List and describe the six criteria of newsworthiness.

TITLE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
1. Timeliness-care about things that are happening NOW. ex. health care bill, natural disaster(Hati), weather, traffic, sports scores.

2. Significance-events, the more people that are effected by it the more people care about it. ex. super bowl, 9/11, Obama, Katrina.

3. Unusualness- "man bites dog" things that dont happen every single day. ex. earth quakes, hurricane, mass crime, octo-mom.

4. Prominence-important or famous people(we care about famous people)ex. Obama getting a dog, Btitney Spears shaving head.

5. Proximity-how close something is to us. (local news paper vs. world newspaper)ex. Weather, traffic, local sporting events.

6. Human Interest Stories- heart warming stories (warm fuzzies) show you something positive. ex. baby whale born at the zoo, Opra, person saves aother persons life




What are the advantages of print journalism?
1. Control over what type of news you get

2. Control over when you get it.

3. Print is more detailed and in depth.


What are the advantages of broadcast journalism?

1. Visual "picture says a thousand words" video is more interesting to viewers

2. Live. happening right now dont have to wait untill the next day to hear about it, it could change by then.

3. More accessible


Why has online journalism (convergent media) become so popular?
Because it is the best of both print journalims and broadcast journalism with in depth stories and videos. You have control over where you read it and when it is very asy to acess always around a computer or phone that has acess to it. We are a "want it now" nation.