Notes from the third class (9/13/12)

Review of News Values

• Proximity
• Unusual
• Prominence
• Immediacy
• Impact
• Conflict

*memorize these!
*not all stories will have all of these values but the more they have the more likely they will be on the front page

US Ambassador Killed In Libya

• story started on A10 when those killed were unknown
• story moved to front page with death of US Ambassador
• international/national prominence
• ups the ante
• high position in government

Arrested Hero Story - Sentence Review (Main Points)

• "home-cooked" dinner: necessary because it covers all the angle of the story, element of appreciation
• we are striving for PRECISION AND CLARITY
• "evening" irrelevant: when else do we eat dinner?
• be CLEAR AND CONCISE
• you don't know what anyone "believes"
• correct: "Neuman said he believed" or "Neuman said"
• there are times to paraphrase and times to quote
• we quote when a quote is unique or said uniquely
• this writing is more of an art than a science, all situations are unique
• home-cooked meal "at her house": unnecessary, where else would it be?
• tip: don't turn something in until you've read it out loud
• what is a "water rescue attempt": say it in plain English
• organize the W's in order of importance
• it is more descriptive to say "a 48-year-old man" than "Neuman": no one knows Neuman
• attribute information to your sources! don't put yourself in the story
• refer to days of the week, not "yesterday"
• don't shift the focus of your sentences to unimportant points
• leads can only be 1 sentence, 25 words or less, containing as many of the W's as possible
• when there's a natural pause, put a comma
• factual errors are bad!
• "said" is the preferred attribution word
• other words hint/suggest things to the reader
• back to back quotes need transitions ex: "Neuman replied"
• don't make yourself a focal point, there will  be a time and a place for that (not here and now)
• no need to explain what a quote is saying, readers find this condescending/irrelevant
• you don't know anyone on a first name basis
• exceptions: Cher, Madonna, etc.
• "Mr." unnecessary

Rules and Regs

• numbers 1-9 are spelled out (unless they start a sentence), numbers 10 and above are not
• keep leads to 1 sentence, 25 words or less
• stress the unusual
• stay in past tense for print as much as possible
• use "said" when quoting someone
• use the title and full name on first reference
• use last name only on subsequent references
• keep subsequent graphs to one or two sentences
• "short and punchy"
• set off all quotes by making them their own grafs
• use a new graf when you introduce someone new, quote someone else, etc.
• don't engage in linear story-telling
• use the inverted pyramid
• punch line comes first
• you should get the gist of the story from the first 25 words
• don't try to summarize or force a clever ending
• no conclusions!
• keep your opinions out of your stories
• why do we use headlines?
• takes the place of a lead
• extra place for information
• cheating of sorts (no extra 10 words to work with)
• "let's walk before we run"
• read aloud

Stephen King excerpt

• use active voice, not passive
• "I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs..."
• to do: re-read the excerpt on your own

Homework due next class

• Read Ch. 5,6
• Do P. 11 "Rewriting" exercise, 1.12
• Do P. 32 "Agreement" and "Comma Splices" exercises 2.10 and 2.11