·
In press releases with headlines, don’t treat
the lead like the second sentence of a story
o
Include all of the important and necessary
information in the lead, even if it was already stated in the headline
·
Advertising vs. Press releases
Advertising
|
Press Releases
|
Paid
|
Picked up by media
|
Don’t have to tell the whole truth
|
Should cover issues with more depth
|
Tailored for TV or radio (or other media outlets)
|
Written the same way for any media outlet
|
·
“Mad Men” scene
o
Don Draper used very few words, lots of emotion,
and perfect imagery
·
Writing for print vs. broadcast
Writing
for print
|
Writing
for broadcast
|
Written for the eye
|
Written for the ear
|
Read
|
Heard
|
Past-tense verbs
|
Present-tense verbs (when accurate)
|
Attribution can go before or after
quote
|
Attribution must go before quote
|
Titles can go before or after someone’s
name
|
Titles must go before people’s names
|
Inverted pyramid style
|
Oval format (beginning, middle and
end)
|
·
Tips for broadcast
o
Still should be concise
o
More freedom to be creative or funny
o
Lead doesn’t have to contain all 5 Ws
o
Should be easily spoken
o
Don’t confuse leads with headlines or tenses
§
Correct: “A Bethesda fire captain has landed in
hot water after using a city fire truck to water his own lawn.”
§
Incorrect: “Bethesda fire captain lands in hot water.”
(VIDEO AT 11!)
o
Paraphrase direct quotes, or use “…he said –
quote – I’m not responding to that garbage – unquote.”
o
Use short, simple sentences
o
Use active, not passive voice
o
Avoid numbers whenever possible, and round off
when you can
o
Don’t use abbreviations
§
Spell our state names
§
“N-double A-C-P” not “N-A-A-C-P”
o
Audience is in a hurry, get to the point quickly
o
Active and present tense verbs get and maintain
audience attention
o
Avoid jargon
o
Must be easily understood
·
Handouts: “Honorary Degrees” press release
·
Homework
for 11/8
o
Read: http://www.stevepiacente.com/blog/2012/10/27/8-free-tips-on-how-to-write-press-releases-that-make-news/
and post a comment (optional)
o
Read Ch.
9 (on broadcast journalism)
o
Pick two
stories from this semester and rewrite the leads as broadcast leads. Bring in
hard copy.
o
Google Angie
Goff; watch at least two of her news videos. Bring in hard copy of two
questions related to her work being a broadcaster. Try to think of questions
she won’t naturally cover when she speaks to class.
For fun, the video we watched in class: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHun58mz3vI
No comments:
Post a Comment