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.

Extra Credit Blog Post

Rule 1 - Use commas in compound sentences when clauses are separated by a conjunction such as "and," "but," "for," etc. 

ex: She managed the restaurant, but he did the cooking

She didn't like the Orioles, nor did she like the Redskins.

Rule 2 - Use commas to separate elements in a series. 

ex: I like the colors red, orange, yellow, and green.

The tall, dark, handsome man came over and said hello.

Rule 3 - Use commas when attributing from quoted material.

ex: He said, "It's a beautiful day outside."

She said, "I completely agree with you."

Rule 4 - Commas follow introductory matter, such as after an introductory adverbial clause.

ex: When the team was forced to kick, the coach sent in his best players.

After they won, the coach bought the team ice cream.

Rule 5 - Commas follow the salutation of a friendly letter and the complimentary close of any letter. They also follow capitalized elements, like the complimentary close.

ex: Dear James,

Sincerely, Jill

Rule 6 - Commas follow all items in a date or full address:

ex: January 1, 2009 was New Year's Day.

I lived in Baldwin, NY until I was 10.

Rule 7 - Commas surround nonessential words or phrases:

ex: Well, we will just have to walk home.

Unfortuantely, it rained on my birthday.

Rule 8 - Commas surround words or direct address

ex: Maria, please pass the butter.

I can see, Fred, that you're lazy.

Rule 9 - Commas indicate omitted verbs, usually expressed in another part of the sentence

ex: Talent often is inherited; genius, never.

Men are from Mars; women, from Venus.

Five Most Common Grammar Problems

1.       Punctuation – using characters to separate parts of a sentence and make them clearer

a.       Rule 4: following introductory matters - - When the team was forced to kick, the coach sent in his best players

2.       Subject and Verb Agreement – when singular subjects agree with singular verbs or when plural objects agree with plural verbs

a.       Nouns that appear plural - - Checkers is an ancient game.

3.       Correct Use of Pronouns – words like “he,” “you” or “they” that stand for proper nouns

a.        Agreeing with antecedents - - Marianne said she would never color her hair.

4.       Sentence Structure – correct arrangement of words in a sentence

a.       Modifiers - -

­ Wrong:  When wheeled into the operating room, the nurse placed a mask over my face.

­ Better:  The nurse placed a mask over my face after I was wheeled into the operating room.

5.       Word Usage – correctly using English’s unorthodox spelling and distinct usage

a.       Affect – verb

b.      Effect – noun 

Chapter 4 - Leads and Examples

A summary lead reveals important or interesting aspect of a story

• Specific as possible - interesting/important?
• Avoid backing in - introductory clauses or phrases shouldn't be first
•  Be concise - no more than 30 words
•  Active voice - Subject undertakes an action (passive: subject acted on)

Examples:

1. NYT: Consumers in U.S. Increase Savings While Spending Less:

Economic data released on Monday shows consumers and businesses embarking on an era of thrift as the recession deepens.

• ·        Explains what is happening to the recession 
  
• ·        Explains when (Monday)
  
• ·        Explains how they know about embarking on era (economic data)
  
• ·        Appeals to consumers (majority of readers qualify as consumers, so if it’s about them they’ll read on)
  
• ·        Less than 30 words

2. NYT: Across Generations, Traces of a Poor Maid’s Murder:

Every now and then, a crime lingers in the public consciousness, such as the murder of Ellen Smith in Winston-Salem, N.C

• Mentioning ‘murder’ leaves the reader wanting to read more]
• Specifies what (murder), who (Ellen Smith) and where (N.C)
• If it just said something as broad as the first half “Every … consciousness…” it wouldn’t be that interesting

3. NYT: Paying Taxes, and Fearing Deportation:

A campaign in Colorado to seize the tax returns of illegal immigrants has caused concern at the I.R.S.

• Straight to the point
• Clear as to what story will focus on (campaign)
•  No confusion or too much information