Second half of class notes 1/29

First off, here is the homework for next Monday:

• HW for 2/5:
1. Read Ch. 5-7, Do: P.11, 1.13 (brevity), 1.14 (wordiness), 1-5; P.63, 4.1 (AP Style / do in workbooks) Plus, top three takeaways per chapter
2. Read three articles by Lauren Markoe of Religion News Service

                                               i.     http://religionnews.com/author/laurenmarkoe/

                                              ii.     Write and be prepared to ask two questions that you cannot find the answers to online (Like, where did that story idea come from?

We spent the second half of class focusing on our opening night stories. There were several helpful tips I got from the night and here they are:

- When writing leads ask yourself the question "what is the news?" How does this effect the reader? 

- Use the inverted pyramid form of writing where the most important information comes at the beginning of the sentence.

- When you get new information to write a story about, write out the five Ws and rank which is most to least important (this will especially help with lead writing)

- Make sure every sentence has a purpose and is telling something to the reader. If the sentence is meaningless, cut it.

- Always remember your reader and what, in your story, effects him or her. 

- The BIGGEST tip of all is to be as simple and to the point with your writing as possible 

Class Notes 1/29/2018

Class Notes 1/29/2018 (First Half)

Writing Coach/ Tutor:

Daniel Lagnado

dl5540a@student.american.edu

Office Hours:

Tuesdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Wednesdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Fridays 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

And by appointment

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Digital News Takeaways

Only 25% use Snapchat

Local TV Takeaways

Political campaigns help local news grow

Larger audiences are subdivided

Writers make less money than other people

Audio and Podcast Takeaways

10 out of 29 radio channels are owned by the same parent company.

Radio and podcast have had a steady growth.

Chapter 1

-       Simplicity is key.

-       Importance of editing and rewriting.

-       Willingness to improve your drafts.

-       Reading good writing improves one’s writing.

Chapter 2

-       Consider the reader doesn’t have much time and understand the needs of the public.

-       Target specific audiences.

-       Avoid difficult and fancy language.

Chapter 3

-       Be aware of the common Grammar mistakes.

-       Properly use active and passive voice.

-       Take into account the general rules of punctuation.

Chapter 4

-       Always take into account the rules of the AP Stylebook regarding capitalization, punctuation, abbreviation, numbers, ages, dimensions, spelling, dates and usage of certain words.

First class writing assignment feedback

-       Start off writing by figuring out the 5 Ws.

-       Important to write using the inverted pyramid!

Print lead rules

-       Put the most important information first.

-       25 words or less.

-       Use past tense.

-       Do NOT reveal your personal opinion.

-       Include attribution from an official source.

-       No spelling, grammar or AP style errors.

*Tip for Proofreading*

Read your last edit as if you were the intended audience.

Broadcast Lead

-       Move to present, to make more conversational.

Quoting/Paraphrasing

-       Quote if it’s unique information or if it is uniquely said. Otherwise, paraphrase.

Other tips:

-       First reference of a person: full name and title. (AU President Sylvia Burwell)

-       All subsequent references last name only (Burwell)

Class Notes 1/22/18 - Welcome!

1.22.2018

Current event quizzes: Beginning of each class!

Read the Washington Post: Online or Print everyday

Sections to focus on:

-a  

-metro

-style

-sports

GSA/PSA Exercise:

• Last way anyone in communications wants to find out about something is from a reporter→ you always want to be a part of the strategy, communication, and planning

Writing Challenges: (We got this!)

• More concise
• Learn new style
• English (Native)
• Structure
• Deadlines
• Less repetitive
• The starting point
• Clarity
• Shorter
• Audience analysis
• Creative nonfiction
• Professional approach to writing
• Active voice

In the era of fake news:

• Need to be objective→ leave your voice out of it
• Striving to be as fair as possible
• Or as neutral as possible

*Your opinions are NOT for publication*

• Let your readers draw their own conclusions
• Have attribution from official source so the audience does not think it is your voice
• Use “said” when including an attribution so no bias is detected

Be precise in the words that you use:

• Brand new and new is the same thing
• Totally destroyed and destroyed is the same thing
• Write from most important to least important (inverted triangle)
• Where, When, Who, Why, Where
• When is rarely the most important

Why the “-30-”?

"-30-" is the traditional journalistic closing which probably came to be during the Civil War when telegraphers tapped "XXX" at the end of a transmission, which is the Roman numeral for 30.

HW for second class:

1. Read: http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/state-of-the-news-media/

• Pick one fact sheet ( digital, public broadcasting, local TV news, etc.)
• List your top 3 takeaways / be prepared to present next class

B. Read Text, Ch 1-4 (List top 3 takeaways for each chapter)

C. P. 9-11, Do: 1.1 (Autobiography), 1.4 (Incident), 1.10 (Shoelaces)

D. Read WPost section fronts (A, Style, Metro & Sports)

*Remember your inner ear is different than your outer, focus on the important information at hand, and prove those fake news believers that integrity is alive and well.*