4/2/18 Class

Broadcast Journalism

Broadcast Journalism is meant to be dramatic, conversational, and enforce immediacy. 

Think of broadcast as stories for the ear and print as stories for the eye 

The do's and don't's of Broadcast Journalism:

DO:

• use present tense
• round off numbers, stats, etc.
• place titles before names
• use phonetic spelling for difficult names 
• use attribution first IF you want to use past tense
• i.e. "His daughter says he was..."
• get creative with it
• use adjectives 
• (optional) start the lead with a question- a "throw away lead"

DON'T:

• use abbreviations 
• use direct quotes, just paraphrase 
• extended descriptions 
• use symbols 
• make the news seem like a teaser
• put clauses before the actual news
• be vague 
• i.e. "local man" vs. "48-year-old man"

The Four C's of Broadcast Journalism:

Clarity: writing for the ear means that the audience should understand what you are saying as you are saying it.

Conciseness: writing for broadcast is similar to print in that leads should not exceed 25 words. 

Color: you are painting a picture for the audience as they are listening, so be descriptive and creative!

Circle: involves climax, cause, and circumstances of a story- you are "completing the circle" when you tell a story.

1. Climax: the so what
2. Cause: why it happened 
3. Circumstances: context and insight 

Example of Writing for Broadcast vs. Print:

Print: Two-year-old Theresa James was returned to her mother Monday after D.C. Police said a neighbor found the little girl playing with a dog in her backyard.

Broadcast: Two-year-old Theresa James is back in her mother’s arms tonight after the neighbor found the missing child playing with a dog in her backyard.

Homework: Watch 3 news stories with David Culver & come up with questions to ask Culver for next week.