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Chapter Summary
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JUST THE FACTS
  • When you write a story, you must try to be objective, truthful and fair.
  • When you select your facts carefully and arrange them skillfully, you can communicate without inserting your own opinion.
  • Where opinions belong in a newspaper.
THE FIVE W'S
  • Who
  • What
  • When
  • Where
  • Why
  • and How
THE INVERTED PYRAMID
  • This newswriting format summarizes the most important facts at the very start of the story.
  • Advantages: (a) It condenses information efficiently so readers can grasp facts quickly, and (b) it allows editors to trim stories from the bottom.
  • Disadvantages: (a) It gets repetitive, and (b) it doesn't always organize the story material logically or engagingly.
WRITING BASIC NEWS LEADS
  • It's the essence of journalism: the key facts told in the most concise way.
How to Write an Effective News Lead
  • Collect all your facts.
  • Sum it up. Boil it down.
  • Prioritize the Five W's.
  • Rethink. Revise. Rewrite.
Checklist for Writing News Leads
  • Nine suggestions for writing compelling news leads
BEYOND THE BASIC NEWS LEAD
  • It's not mandatory to begin every story with a summary of essential facts; there are other options.
Leads That Succeed
  • Basic news leads
  • Anecdotal/narrative leads
  • Scene-setter leads
  • Direct-address leads
  • Blind leads
  • Roundup leads
  • Startling statement leads
  • Wordplay leads
AFTER THE LEAD...WHAT NEXT?
  • Briefs and Brites: news stories in a condensed form
  • Second paragraphs
  • Nut grafs
STORY STRUCTURE
  • There is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution for organizing stories. Every story unfolds in a different way.
The Most Common Shapes
  • Inverted pyramid
  • Martini glass
  • Kabob
As You Move from Paragraph to Paragraph, Remember:
  • Keep paragraphs short.
  • Write one idea per paragraph.
  • Add transitions.
Alternatives to Long, Gray News Stories
  • Bullet items
  • Subheads
  • Sidebars
  • Other storytelling alternatives

REWRITING

Five Reasons to Hit the Delete Key
  • Passive verbs
  • Redundancy, and repeating yourself
  • Long, long, long, wordy sentences
  • Jargon and journalese
  • Clichés
EDITING
  • Reporters have a love-hate relationship with editors. Every story needs editing, and every newsroom needs good editors: copy editors, photo editors, design editors, online editors—they all play a part in making your efforts as effective as possible.
  • How editors play a part in the stories you write: before, while, and after you write the story.
NEWSWRITING STYLE
  • Every newsroom adapts its own rules when it comes to punctuation, capitalization, etc.
  • The Associated Press Stylebook: An Industry Standard
  • Highlights of the AP style
MAKING DEADLINE
  • When you're a reporter, you live by the clock.
  • Deadline checklist: accuracy...fairness and balance...writing style
66 ESSENTIAL NEWSWRITING TIPS
  • A collection of rules, guidelines and helpful advice to make your stories more professional (writing leads, the rest of the story, editing and style, rules of grammar, word choices, punctuation).







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