I'm back!

Hey, I'm back! Unfortunately I wasn't really into blogging much this summer, but one of my goals for this semester is to get into blogging more often and become more familiar with emerging media and social networking. I want to enhance my writing skills, particularly in feature writing, and familiarize myself with web design.

Eye of the Tiger

I know this is kind of hard to see, but it's our mascot's eye with the sun shining right over it. If that was more visible it has the potential to look more aethstheticly pleasing. 

Stephens Hall

I like this picture because of its shadows and of its depth of field. You see the curved path in the front, the lightpost and the buildings in the back.

100 Word News Story

A 3-year-old girl was accidentally trapped in a laundromat washer yesterday afternoon, Rockland Police Chief Ralph Robinson said.

After Jennifer Childs climbed into the machine, her 7-year-old sister Elizabeth closed the door. When Elizabeth realized her sister was trapped because of the automatic door locks, she ran to Janice Childs, the girls’ aunt.

Janice Childs approached local resident Paul Hecker for help. Hecker stopped to buy groceries when he heard screaming from the laundromat.

Jennifer was trapped in the washer for more than five minutes before Hecker smashed the door, according to Robinson.

Since Jennifer’s admission to the hospital, she’s been listed in good condition.

 

TIP SHEET - writing your first news story

BEFORE covering an event or going to an interview:
• Obtain any available advance information
•Speeches often offered to journalists in advance
•News releases and agendas often handed out in advance
•From these documents, try to determine what event will mean to the public
• Conduct research
•Find out as much as possible about speaker or interviewee
• Prepare questions
•Use research to form questions
•Short and to the point

DURING an interview or speech:
• Ask clarifying questions
•Make sense of things for your readers Most important: clarify spellings of names up front - it’s better to have the source repeat something on the spot than have it be incorrect later
• Listen and take notes
•Pay attention, jot down important information
•Write information even if it pertains to another reporter's question
•Recorder is helpful for accuracy
• Watch for sparks
•Faces of participants
•Tone of voices
•Posture, facial expressions
• Check details
•Estimate number of people
•Confirm affiliations/names of major players
•Make a contact who's connected to the event



AFTER an interview or speech (writing your story)
Lede: opening sentence in a news story that introduces the reader to the story’s angle
• Properties:
• 30 words or less
• Active voice
• Past tense
• Subject, Verb, Object structure
• Formula: WHERE - who did what when, attribution (ex: source said).
• Things to remember when writing a lede:
• Be as specific as possible
• Avoid backing in - sentences start with subjects, NOT introductory phrases

• Blind lede: refers to someone by their title, not by their name
• Delayed lede: introduction that doesn’t flash major facts, catches reader’s attention in a more creative way *referred to as feature lede or soft lede
Use inverted pyramid style: writing that does away with building suspense and puts the most important information at the top
Nut graph: second paragraph of a story that tells the reader what the story is all about (adds more information than the lede can comfortably hold)
When working with quotes:
• Make sure quotes add to the story and are placed in context to what’s being discussed at that particular point in the article
• Make sure the quoted words are the person’s exact words **If you find yourself editing too much of a quote (using ellipses, replacing “I” with “she”, it’s better to just paraphrase what was said
• Don’t put words in a speaker’s mouth
• Choose verbs carefully (most of the time use: source said)

At the end of the story:
• DOUBLE CHECK FACTS: names, dates, places, titles, numbers

Congratulations -- You just wrote your first news story!

More Lede Practice

Lede #4
The U.S. Department of Justice is calling identity theft the crime of the century.

Lede #5
Maryland will award its school districts more than $30 million, according to an announcement made by The Maryland Department of Education.

Practicing Ledes

Lede #1

The mayor's husband was injured in a three-vehicle accident Thursday afternoon.

Lede #2

Members at a city council meeting proposed an overseeing of changes to historic district buildings.

Lede #3

The head of the Department of Energy said Monday afternoon that the Senate's approval of a nuclear storage plan is a safe haven.