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Journalism Study Guide
Textbook Material: Inside Reporting
Chapter #1 – pgs
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o But it’s a history full of heroes, too: men and women risking their lives to tell stories of
war and tragedy, risking imprisonment to defend free speech
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o (2) Nellie Bly: called the best reporter in America in the late 1800s, she pioneered
investigative journalism with her bold undercover adventures, including locking herself
up in an insane asylum and traveling around the world in 72 days (real name is Elizabeth
Cochrane)
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L
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o (4) Ernest Hemingway: he developed his straightforward prose style while covering
crimes and fires for the Kansas City Star, where he learned from editors to use short
sentences, short paragraphs and vigorous English
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Thompson: not an exemplary role model, but for good or bad,
Thompson’s blend of satire, profanity and hallucinogenic exaggeration should be known
by every reporter – constituting his “gonzo journalism”
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o (2) Reporters routinely solve mysteries before the cops do, especially after their editors
yank them off the stories
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o (4) reporters celebrate big stories by drinking whiskey bottles hidden in their desks
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• The birth of journalism: when scholars analyze journalism’s rich history, some view it in
terms of technological process, such as the dramatic impact of bigger, faster printing presses
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o Others see it as an inspiring quest for free speech, an endless power struggle between
Authority (trying to control information) and The People (trying to learn the truth)
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J
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• Timeline of journalism pages 8-9 (birth of printing press etc
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He
fled to Boston in 1686 where he wrote a popular spelling primer, ran a successful bookshop, and
in 1690 produced the first and only issue of Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and
Domestick
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Harris had failed to obtain a printing license and

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authorities claimed the paper contained criticism of military policy, so it was shut down
by the governor after one issue
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o His attorney Andrew Hamilton argued that citizens have a right to criticize the
government and that libel only occurs when printed words are “false, malicious and
seditious
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The Stamp Act came in 1765 by the British Parliament which imposed a heavy tax on all
printed matter
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o One of most notable journalists of the time was Isaiah Thomas who was a master
printer and an articulate agitator
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▪ His account of the Battle of Lexington, reprinted in newspapers throughout the
colonies, was a mix of outstanding reporting and persuasive propaganda
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o (2) innovations in printing: cheaper paper and faster presses made news affordable
and available like never before, especially to America’s growing urban population
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James Gordon Bennet crafts a new style of journalism by launching the New York Herald
in 1835 with little money and no staff
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Golden Age of Yellow Journalism: as NY population exploded, the city became the nation’s
media center
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o Both men reshaped American journalism in the late 1800s with a style of newspapering
known as “yellow journalism” taking its name from the Yellow Kid, the first color
comic, which ran in both the Journal and the World
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Crusades
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And rumors disguised as
news – such as those that led to war with Spain
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Hearst spent millions in family fortune to hire away Pulitzer’s top staffers, and he used his
genius for sensationalism to concoct bigger, bolder stories
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Hearst and Pulitzer inflamed
readers, pressured politicians and the day after a Navy battleship exploded in 1898,
they published the two competing pages
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News in the 20th century: radio and television brought an end to newspapers’ media
monopoly, since the competition had more appeal
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Next, movie newsreels added visuals to the voices in the news
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In the 1990s, a new rival evolved: online news via the internet
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Today’s news media are more accessible and engaging than ever
before
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His
paper, The World, launched courageous crusades against corruption in government and
business
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And to encourage journalistic excellence, he established the
Pulitzer Prizes
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Today, prizes are awarded
in 21 categories
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Radio
was entering its golden age
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▪ During WWII, dramatic reporting by legendary newsmen like Edward R
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After WWII ended, Americans began buying televisions – 1000 sets a day
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o Television journalism came of age in the 1960s
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As the century progressed, newswriting became more fact-based, less biased
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Reporters were trained to use the
inverted pyramid, a story structure that stacks the big facts first, the lesser facts later
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But their power and prominence gradually faded (along with the attention
spans of most Americans)
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Digital journalism offers new tools and challenges: by converging text, images,
interactivity and customizable data, digital media are transforming journalism, making news
coverage more engaging and accessible than ever before
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The losers
are old media – TV, print, and radio journalists are scrambling to keep their audiences
happy and their ad revenues flowing
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o (1) Traditionalists 46%: the biggest segment, and the oldest, with a median age of 52
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o (2) Integrators 23%: use traditional media as their primary news source (mostly TV),
but go online for news too
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o (3) Net-newsers 13%: use the Web as their main news source
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o (4) the Disengaged 14%: just aren’t interested in news
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They use media for entertainment, not news
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17-33
• News judgment: journalists’ ability to determine which stories are most interesting and
important to readers
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o Top of the page: we use this spot to sell single-copy papers, so we always want to have
a “talker” something a lot of people are talking about and are probably going to want to
read more about
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o Refers: send readers to other parts of the paper for stories that might interest them
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19): storm warning,
county fair, tuition hike, volleyball bill, flu shots, Bolivia bus crash, girl scout cookies, lottery
winner, and Jay-z sex change
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o The small community weekly: we have limited resources and a tight regional focus –
local people, local sports, issues that affect our community
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• What makes a story interesting to readers? For a story to qualify as “News” it usually contains
one of these values:
o Impact: does the story matter to readers? Will it have an effect on their lives or their
pocketbooks? The bigger the consequences, the bigger the story becomes
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o Proximity: how close is this story? Local events will matter more to readers than events
in other cities, states or countries *usually*
o Prominence: is something new, odd or surprising going on? Readers enjoy news that’s
intriguing or unexpected
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o Emotions: does this story makes us sad / happy / angry? We all respond emotionally to
human-interest stories that are poignant, comical or inspiring
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Media companies often hire consultants or employ their own
research staffs to monitor readers through:
o Focus groups: readers convene in small groups to critique a publication or react to new
prototypes
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o Phone, mail and web surveys: researchers compile a series of questions, then
distribute questionnaires or conduct phone interviews with respondents who have been
selected and screened to ensure the survey’s accuracy
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Cons: respondents lie and editors often don’t know what to do with
statistical results
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Pros: the eyes don’t lie as we can see where people
actually look
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5 things to remember about readers as a reporter: (1) readers are in a hurry; (2) readers
have short attention spans; (3) readers want stories that personally connect; (4) readers want
stories told in a compelling way; (5) there’s more than one type of reader
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o You often spend 90% of your time chasing a story, and just 10% writing it
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Not everything is what it seems
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Newsrooms streamline the work flow so
staffers can produce the best possible stories in the fastest, most efficient way
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o Reporters and editors: reporters are assigned to beats, but in big newsrooms, beats
are organized into teams such as business, sports, living, family & education, etc
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o Copy editors and page designers: once stories are edited, they are sent on to copy
editors and designers
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o Editorial board: the editorial department usually works independently of the
newsroom to produce the paper’s opinion pages
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Papers often employ an additional cartoonist, too
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These are digitally
sent to the presentation team for layout
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Meanwhile, graphic artists receive information from editors and reporters
with which they build charts, graphs, maps, and other graphic elements to accompany
stories
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Dozens of staffers may work in several areas, including classified ads
(processing ads for homes, cars, jobs, pets, etc
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o The production department: these staffers transfer news and advertising into pixels
and ink
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Camera and composing is where workers prepare pages for
printing, turning them first into negatives then into plates that are mounted on the press
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At most papers, writers are either general assignment reporters: who cover an
unpredictable variety of topics, depending on what news events occur from day to day; or beat
reporters who cover a specific topic, like politics, crime, education, sports, and movies
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Reporter terminology: your stories will be spiked or killed if they’re unpublishable; if
they’re too long – if you’ve written a thumbsucker or a goat-choker – an editor may cut or

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trim a few grafs (paragraphs)
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Important vocabulary for parts of a story & parts of a page (pages 28-29):
o Byline: the reporter’s name, often followed by credentials
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o Dateline: the location of a story, especially if it’s written outside the paper’s usual
coverage area
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Here, this news lead condenses the key
facts of the event into the first paragraph
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o Attribution: a phrase that tells readers the source of a quote, or the source of
information used in the story
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o Photo: photos are usually shot by staff photographers, free-lancers, or wire services like
the associated press
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o Liftout Quote: also called a pullquote, it’s a quotation from the story that’s given special
graphic emphasis
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o Flag: this is the one front-page element that never changes – the name of the paper set
in special type
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o Infographic: informational graphics – maps, charts, lists, diagrams, timelines – display
key facts from the story in a visual way
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o Deck: a subheadline, written by copyeditors, that supplements information in the main
headline
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When text is set into columns of type, it’s measured in inches
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o Jump Line: when a long story is continued on another page, editors run this line to tell
readers where the story continue or jumps
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o Teaser: also called a promo or skybox
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o Refer: this alerts readers that there’s another story on the same topic in another part of
the newspaper
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o Mug Shot: a close-up photo of someone’s face
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o Centerpiece: also called a lead story
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o Index: one of the last page elements that copy editors produce before sending the paper
off to the press
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Tools every reporter needs: most essential is a notebook, use spiral-bound pads as they give
you better control when you flip pages while scribbling notes
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Digital voice recorder
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Camera
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Chapter #3 – pgs
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When you select them carefully and present
them properly, you can communicate without inserting your own opinion
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o Reporters shouldn’t take sides on controversial issues
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o Simple mistakes (like stating that June has 31 days instead of 30) can cast doubt on every
other fact in the story
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o If a story relies entirely on one source, then it’s far too unbalanced to be trustworthy
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▪ Additionally, avoid using urban legend: folklore commonly believed to be true
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o Never inject yourself into a news story
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▪ Lastly, misspelling names or words causes the reporter to undermine the
credibility of an entire story
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37)
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It
is sometimes appropriate however to add emotion and attitude to newswriting, so most
journalistic writing can be placed on a continuum that ranges from rigidly objective (breaking
news) to rabidly opinionated (movie reviews)
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o Sports stories often add flavor and attitude to the reporting, since sports fans (unlike
readers of hard news) accept some colorful spin on their stories
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Attentive readers understand the difference between commentary and news
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• The ten most common factual newspaper errors (ranked in order of frequency:
misquotation, numbers wrong, misspelling, job title wrong, name wrong, location wrong, time
wrong, date wrong, address wrong, and age wrong
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o Who: readers love stories that focus on people, such as celebrities, movers and shakers,
the rich and powerful, as well as the weird and the wacky
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▪ Journalism provides a perfect excuse for letting you ask intimate questions of total
strangers
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It’s a journalist’s job to monitor and explain the stuff that matters most toy our
readers, whether you hear it at a news conference, uncover it on the police beat, or watch
it on a football field
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This matters because news stories become dry and dull when
they focus too much on meetings and money (the “what”) and forget to connect
them to real people (the “who”)
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Timeliness is essential to
every story, since your audience wants news that’s fresh and immediate
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▪ Being a reporter means constantly keeping your eyes on the clock for two
reasons: so you can include the “when” in every story, and so you can finish every
story before the deadline
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USA Today for
example calls itself “The Nation’s Newspaper” and covers the entire world
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▪ But explaining the “where” of a story isn’t necessarily simple
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o Why: good journalism reports the news, but great journalism explains it
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o How: good reporters are also good teachers, as they know how to explain things in a clear,
concise way
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▪ For short stories and news briefs, the “how” is often omitted to save space
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Newswriting should be formatted by summarizes the most important facts at the very start of
the story (unlike 19th century journalism)
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This formula is known as the inverted pyramid
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o Anytime you write a story, you need to decide how to stack the facts
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▪ In chronological stories, things get resolved at the end
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You start as strongly as you can,
summarizing what’s newsiest, then you add additional facts in descending order of
urgency or importance
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But it also
helps you write news stories quickly and efficiently, too
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Inverted pyramid: (1) the Lead, which summarizes the story’s most important facts; (2) next
paragraph adds more details or background; (3) next paragraph adds even more details; (4)
more details; (5) more details, etc
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The main advantages of the inverted pyramid are that it condenses information
efficiently, so readers can grasp facts quickly; it allows editors to trim stories from the bottom,
since the details in the text become gradually less essential
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Their
reasons for despising it: (1) it gets repetitive and stale; (2) it doesn’t always organize
story material logically or engagingly
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If you take too long to
get to a point, readers will stop trying to read it
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Writing basic news leads: news leads are the essence of journalism as they summarize the
key facts in a concise way
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o (1) collect all your facts – this is essential for two reasons: if you don’t know the whole
story, your lead can’t accurately summarize what’s going on, and the more you know
about the story, the easier it is to sum it up and boil it down
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o (3) prioritize the 5 W’s – the lead needs to contain the facts that are most important,
and only those facts that are most important
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o (4) rethink, revise, rewrite – write a first draft, even if its not perfect, just to get things
rolling
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It may seem morbid, but it helps readers gauge the
seriousness of the event
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One exception to this is if a recognizable name can leap to the lead if
that person is newsworthy, otherwise, non-recognizable names don’t belong in the lead
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Leading with the “What”: beginning a lead with a tired phrase like “there was” or “it is”
makes the sentence weak and uninspired, almost like you are backing into the story
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o There’s no rule that requires a lead to be only one sentence, but if you can construct one
clear, compact sentence, then do it
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Leading with the “When”: timing typically does not have much significance as a lead,
especially for stories about accidents or disasters, unless it had been a tragic week at a particular
location, which is unlikely to be the case
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Leading with the “Where”: the “where” is crucial, but it’s very rarely the juiciest fact of any
news story, so it is unlikely to ever become the lead of a news piece
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Note that the “why” lead is often very similar to the “what” lead
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Beyond the basic news lead: it’s not mandatory that you begin every story with a summary
of key facts
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o But not every story is a timely news event, as some stories examine political issues or
profile interesting people
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▪ Remember that the most important sentence in any article is the first one; if it
doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence, your article is dead; if
the second sentence doesn’t induce him to continue to the third, it’s equally dead
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Newswriting basics checklist: (1) be concise, as the weakest leads are those that are vague
and wordy; (2) be accurate; (3) remember what day it is when readers read your story, and be
careful to put the date in the right place;
o (4) avoid naming names in your lead, unless everyone knows who it is, in which case try
to add a touch of description as well; (5) use strong verbs and make sentences active, not
passive, and don’t let your leads bog down in meeting speak;
o (6) be sure to ask “why should I care?” write from the reader’s perspective as often as
possible so you don’t just report, that way you emphasize why things matter which often
makes the best lead;
o (7) sell the story and find out what makes this story different or special and use that to
punch up the lead; (8) don’t get hung up by a problem lead; (9) move attributions to the
end of the sentence
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▪ A lead that lists a name, such as a public figure or celebrity, is known as an
immediate identification lead
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Ideally, the anecdote will have a
beginning, middle, and end; it will be a mini-story that points us toward the bigger story
you’re about to tell
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These are called narrative leads
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They’re a
device borrowed from fiction and they’re usually reserved for long feature stories, where
descriptions of sights, sounds and smells transport you to another place
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You deliberately tease readers by withholding a key piece of
information, then spring it on them in a subsequent paragraph
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Smokers inhale cheaper cigarettes
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o (6) direct address leads – virtually all news stories are written in an objective, thirdperson voice; stories refer to him, her, they them
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▪ For a feature about “missed connection” classified ads, a direct address lead may
be the best way to explain the story’s topic for example
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It is also referred to as a “zinger” or as a “Hey, Martha!”
o (8) wordplay leads – this catch-all category encompasses a wide range of amusing
leads, including bad puns, scene-setters with sound effects, portraits painted with
typography, or witty wordplay
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These are weak because
they convey no actual news, instead they say to readers that something happened, or
maybe not, we’re not sure
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Question leads are just weak, irritating stalls – sometimes
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o (3) quote leads, seldom is a quote so terrific that it becomes the smartest, most engaging
way to launch a story
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Quotes typically work better in the second paragraph,
following a newsier lead
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A brief is any
news story that is brief, such as a paragraph long
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o If they’re any bigger than that, they’re called stories
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▪ Brites provide more personality and more comic relief than standard news briefs,
where the lead tries harder to provoke interest, and the ending often serves as the
“kicker”
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The paragraph that condenses the story idea into a nutshell is called the nut graf, and it’s vital
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o Nut grafs are helpful for feature stories, but for news stories, your second or third
paragraph may have other duties to perform, as you may need to supplement any of the
five W’s missing from the lead, or to provide background for the action described in the
lead, or to add a supporting quote
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o Or try something more detailed like this: (1) look – this person has a problem; (2) the
problem is everywhere; (3) what the experts say; (4) what the future holds; (5) what it all
means for that person we met at the start of the story
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To save time and effort, crafty reporters automatically pour
their stories into that tried-and-true shape
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o How it works: summarize the key facts in a concise lead
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End the
story when you run out of facts (or room)
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o How it works: begin with an inverted-pyramid summary of the story’s most important
facts
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(Try setting it up with a phrase
such as Police gave this account of the accident)
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If possible, end with a kicker (a surprise twist or strong closing quote)
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The kabob: also known as the Wall Street Journal formula or the circle; it is best used for stories
on trends or events where you want to show how actual people are affected or involved
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Then
it broadens into a general discussion of the topic, before ending by returning to that
specific person again
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Example on page 231 of textbook
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Some reporters
have even trained themselves to write just one sentence per paragraph
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As long, wordy
sentences stack up, your eyes seek a place to rest
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Parcel out your information in short, paragraph-sized
chunks, and consider hitting the return key every time you type a period
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▪ Examples of good transitions include: however, in addition, finally, meanwhile,
previously, or on a related issue, etc
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This job for modern journalists boils down to: (1) teaching; and (2) storytelling
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▪ This is done by starting with a boldface phrase, then using parallel construction,
making sure to run at least three items
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Sidebars usually run in boxes beside or beneath the main story
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▪ Sidebars often have higher readership than the stories they accompany simply
because they’re shorter and easier to access
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They can visually divide the text in
a sidebar, and they break long stories into short, accessible chunks
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▪ These italics add bulk but no extra meaning, just like these double speak phrases:
grateful thanks, true facts, personal opinion, all-time record, end result, serious
danger, totally destroyed, very unique, first time ever
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o (4) jargon and journalese – bureaucrats love to use words like utilize, finalize, and
structured
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▪ Good reporters relentlessly filter out bloated, convoluted jargon and officialese
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o (5) clichés – beyond the shadow of a doubt, you should work 24/7 to avoid clichés like
the plague
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The Fog Index was developed by Robert Gunning 50 years ago to measure the readability of
your prose
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o To calculate your Fog Index: (1) find a typical sample of your writing, one that uses
around 100 words; (2) calculate the average number of words used per sentence; (3) now
count the total number of “hard” words you use (those with three syllables or more, not
counting proper names); (4) add those 2 figures together; (5) multiply that sum by 0
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▪ The resulting number is your Fog Index, the number of years of schooling a reader
needs to understand what you’ve written
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How editors play a part in the stories you produce: editors assign the story by matching
it to the right reporter; planning the angle of the story; estimating the scope of the story and its
length; as well as anticipating the packaging before you write the story
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o After you write the story: editors will examine the structure and substance of your
story to ensure its readable, logical and fair; copy editing is where any errors in spelling,
grammar, punctuation or style get fixed, and when that’s done they write a headline that
summarizes and sells the story to readers; cutting or padding the story to fit; as well as
possibly assigning follow-up stories for the reporter
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o It’s the copy editors job to standardize the style in your stories, but it saves time if you
know the rules, too
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S
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o Numbers: spell out one through nine, then go to figures 10 and up
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Figures for years, however, are
an exception: 2008 was an election year
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For dimensions,
use figures and spell out inches, feet, etc
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▪ Write percent, not per cent or %
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▪ Both dollars and cents are written lowercase, but use a dollar sign ($) and numerals
for an exact figure
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• Use a $ sign and numerals to two decimal points for amount of $1 million
and up: the plan costs $79
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Also spell out casual uses such as “I
loaned her a dollar
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Some titles are descriptive of occupations and are not
capitalized, ex: astronaut Tom Swift, assistant coach Janet Johnson
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▪ Some titles are a bit more complicated, such as former President General Ford, or
acting Major Jill Fox
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▪ For long titles, its best to put them after a name for easier readability: Jim
McMullen, president of the association, wants taxes lowered; or you can say The
president of the association, Jim McMullen, wants taxes lowered
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▪ Some words derive from a proper noun and depend on that word for their meaning,
so they should be capitalized as well: Christian, English, Marxist, etc
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are
capitalized, including prepositions or conjunctions of four or more letters: Gone
With the Wind
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,
Gov
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, Mrs
...
, the Rev
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When used before a full name, spell out all except
Dr
...
, Mrs
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▪ After a name, abbreviate junior or senior as Jr
...
after the name of a business,
abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated, and limited
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m
...
m
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D
...
C
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, Feb
...
, Sept
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, Nov
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spell out months when
used alone or with a year only, such as December 2007 vs
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14, 2008
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Eight states are never
abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah
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whether in datelines
or in text
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Other designations, such as court, lane, and road
are always spelled out
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Spell out first through ninth if they’re
street names, then go to figures after that
...
S
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but without an address,
it’s just Southeast Jones Street
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When listing web addresses,
use the following format: http://www
...
com
o Parentheses: when a phrase in parentheses is inside a sentence, place the closing
parenthesis inside the period
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Vs
...
(Unfortunately, they still lost
...
) Morning Call
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Instead, use commas:
Joan Jeffries, D-Fla
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o Prefixes: use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with
the same vowel: re-entry, anti-inflammatory (cooperate and coordinate are exceptions)
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The stylebook lists exceptions to Webster’s Dictionary for pre- words, including
pre-empt, pre-exist, and pre-election
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Do not use a hyphen in other cases: coexist,
coeducational, cooperate
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Newswriting tips: try to limit paragraphs to 60 words or fewer, or no more than 10 typeset
lines, or one to three sentences
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o Avoid introducing new information at the end of a news story, as all aspects of a story
should be introduced within the first few paragraphs
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These are weak transitions, just
report what was fucking said
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o The correct writing order for when and where is time, day, and place: The concert begins
at 8 p
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Friday in Fox Hall
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m
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o If none means no one or not one, use a singular verb: none was found guilty
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o For arrests, write arrested in connection with, sought in connection with, charged with
or arrested on charges of
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Buildings are also
damaged lightly, moderately, or heavily
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To raze a building is to level it to the ground
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If it’s awkward, then use a plural pronoun like they, them,
their, or theirs
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o Use a comma with according to
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When in doubt about
using a comma just leave it out
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They may go inside or outside of question marks
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67-91
• News stories typically originate from events that are sudden and unpredictable; from scheduled
events; from news releases alerting the media to noteworthy events or topics; from ideas
generated by readers, editors, or reporters
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o The bigger the story, the more you need to be on the scene as it happens
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Move fast: for breaking news stories, quick reflexes and writing
speed are crucial
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• Scheduled events: most events happen on a schedule or recur predictably, such as campaign
elections or Halloween approaching
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o Scheduled events are easier to cover than breaking events in many ways: you know when
they’ll start and finish, you can often predict what will happen, you can decide in advance
how important they are, which allows you to plan the timing and scope of your coverage
...

o But beware of publishing too many stories that rehash meetings and replay speeches as
they can bore your readers, so instead you need to generate more of your own story ideas
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Many handouts are
generally newsy, such as a golf team hiring a new coach, a popular professor retiring, or a student
winning a national award
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But to
develop these into legitimate news stories, you’ll need to add your own research
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o Quotes that appear in news releases have often been sanitized, pre-approved, even
fabricated
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Better yet, contact sources mentioned in the release for real quotes
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Sources can illuminate
and explain, or they can confuse, distort, even lie
...

The more sources you use, the more your reporting provides: depth, your story will offer more
information and insight; context, readers broaden their understanding when you approach the
topic from different points of view; reliability, there’s less chance of inaccuracy or bias when
you gather facts from a variety of sources
...
Their
recollections, opinions and emotions validate stories and give them life
...

▪ Usually one person (or office) is responsible for disseminating information to the
media
...

o Experts: whatever the topic, you can usually seek out an expert – a professor, an author,
a government official – to provide analysis or opinion
...

o Official records: all institutions collect and store massive amounts of information
...

▪ Private companies are often secretive, but most public records are available under
the Freedom of Information Act
...

o Ordinary folks: not every source in every story must be an authority with an officialsounding title
...
Whether reacting to an event or typifying a trend, quotes
from ordinary people add authenticity that resonates with readers
...
It identifies where the idea used in an
article came from, which is important to specify
...

▪

•

•

•

•

•

•
•
•

•

o Anonymous sources can also be used, as granting anonymity to nervous sources if
often the only way to get information into a story
...

Reporter resources: bartleby
...
net – the fastest link to all
city, state, or country agencies, wherever you’re searching in US; journaliststoolbox
...

o Journalism tips and tools: national press club online library – a clearinghouse of
resources for reporters, with links to everything from phone directories to FBI crime
reports; newslink
...
org – helpful advice and engaging discussions on all aspects of the journalist’s
craft; and journalist express for more links for resources
...

Crowdsourcing: using the eyes and ears of the community to help you report a story
...

Observations to capture while reporting: sight, sound, action and emotion
...

o (2) sound – capturing sounds on the printed page isn’t easy, but skilled writers employ
all their senses to capture the smells, tastes and sounds of their stories
...

Obviously the best way to record the facts and quotes you gather for a story is by taking notes
...

o Advantages of a notebook: low-tech, written notes are easy to access & transcribe
later; you keep a permanent record of what you heard and saw
...

o Advantages of recording: most accurate way to capture every word spoken in an
interview; you have proof of what was said in case anyone tries to challenge you; it lets
you post interview audio on your paper’s website
...


•

•

•

•

•

o Advantages of typing: fastest way to turn notes into a story; most efficient way to
gather last-minute details or fill holes in a story on deadline; you can conduct an entire
interview using chat or email; most computer note-taking takes place in the newsroom
...

Interviewing: anytime you talk to someone to gather material for a story – facts, quotes,
opinions, reactions – it’s some kind of interview
...

o (2) a quick phoner – where you seek fast facts to plug into a story
...

o (4) an on-the-fly chat – with a newsmaker (such as a politician or athlete) where you
fire off questions as they whisk through a public place
...

In-person interviews: advantages are that it’s the best way to build rapport and encourage
sources to cooperate; a subject’s physical surroundings often provide useful information; you
can pick up on cues by watching a person’s gestures or body language; people take you more
seriously when you’re right in front of them
...
distractions (people, phone calls) often interrupt the interview; if
you’re uncomfortable/unlikeable/unpleasant, face-to-face interviews can go badly
...

o Disadvantages: it’s impersonal and you can’t tell what people look like, what they’re
doing, or how they’re reacting; it’s difficult to record a phone conversation; you’re much
more likely to mishear or misquote someone
...

o Disadvantages: no personal interaction; the lag time between questions and answers
makes immediate follow-up questions difficult to ask; some people take forever to type;
can’t be certain it’s who the person claims to be
...

o Preparing for the interview: continue your research; organize your questions;
prioritize; rehearse your interview with a friend; get to the interview on time and dress
appropriately
...
budget your time; begin with softball questions, like big-picture,
nonthreatening stuff; focus your questions and keep it simple;
▪ Limit questions that can be answered with yes/no – close-ended questions;
instead ask open-ended questions to reveal thoughts and feelings that explain
why and how things happened
...

o After the interview: review your notes before you end the session; ask “who else should
I talk to?”; ask permission to call back later in case you have more questions; ask
interviewees to call you if they think of anything else that might help; say thank you and
mean it; review your notes again privately;
▪ Check back with your sources after the story runs as they may offer useful feedback
or tips for new stories
...
Off the record: the information cannot be published
in any form
...

o On deep background: the information can be used, but the source cannot be revealed
– note that publishing unattributed speculations may be risky as you cannot run quotes
...

Direct quotes: direct quotes state exactly, word for word, what someone said or wrote
...
Use direct quotes
when a source’s entire sentence presents ideas or opinions in a concise, coherent way
...

o Paraphrase quotes: when you summarize what a source told you without using the
exact words or adding quotation marks, its called an indirect quote or paraphrase
...

o Dialogue: to capture a conversation between one or more speakers, you can reprint their
actual dialogue
...
Use
parentheses to supply missing words; capitalize the first word of a direct quote, but don’t
capitalize partial quotes
...

Math for journalists’ section is on pages 86-87 if needed (includes pie charts, line charts, bar
charts, fast facts, calculating percentages + mean + median + working with polls and surveys)
...
93-113
• Most common categories of beats: business, children/families, education, environment,
feature writing, health care, obituaries, police and courts, religion, science, state government,
sports
...

o (3) achieve a mini-meld with your editors: find out what type of coverage they
expect, and more importantly, what types of stories readers want, such as whether you
should cover every public meeting and bureaucratic announcement, or just focus on
major issues
...

▪ Bosses and bigshots may get their names and quotes in the papers, but its often
lowly clerks who provide background information and alert you to stories – once
you gain their trust
...
Constantly update your lists of key sources (names, titles,
areas of expertise, email addresses, and phone numbers), upcoming meetings and
events (when sessions will convene, reports released, budgets prepared, decisions due),
and story ideas (profiles, backgrounders, trend pieces, analyses)
...
Study how they apply to all governmental organizations on your beat
...

o Follow the money – who controls it/where does it go? Study the budgets on your beat
to see where the real power lies, as well as opportunities for fraud and incompetence
...
It enhances your credibility and it keeps you humble
...

Keep things simple by writing with the voice of a teacher, not the voice of a bureaucrat
...

Working a beat – DON’Ts: get too cozy with sources; be careful about promising to write
favorable stories or keep damaging information off the record
...

o Don’t get used as public figures attain power and prominence by learning how to spin
gullible new reporters
...

o Don’t waste sources time with idle chitchat when they’re working
...

o Don’t simply mimic what your predecessors did
...
Take a fresh approach and
be original to make the beat your own
...

o Generally, death notices are brief announcements providing basic facts about a local
person’s death (name, age, memorial service)
...
Publications often charge for
these too, but they’re more frequently written by funeral homes or families, not staff
reporters
...

▪ When prominent citizens die, it’s news, so their obituaries become written by
reporters
...


•

•

•

•

o (2) cause of death – most families want embarrassing causes of death omitted from
obituaries and most editors agree
...

o (3) past personal problems – not everyone leads a blameless life, but an obituary is
not the place to air past grievances
...
” Don’t speculate about the
deceased’s celestial activities
...
People die unexpectedly, not suddenly, since all deaths are
sudden
...
A man is survived by his wife, not his widow
...
) the more prominent the person is, the more detailed
the obit is
...

o If the cause of death is natural, most of the story will focus on the deceased’s personal
history
...

Covering accidents & disasters: critics often accuse the media of sensationalizing disaster,
but most editors maintain standards for determining which incidents deserve coverage
...
Another factor is how many people are affected, and
the more local the incident, the more impact it has on readers and viewers
...

When disaster strikes – how to prepare your newsroom: anticipate your worst-case
scenarios, check your history, obtain information on local agencies’ emergency planning, keep a
phone list handy with numbers for editors/reporters/photographers/emergency agencies/even
home numbers of public officials, devise a newsroom battle plan that details who’s in charge and
covering what, prepare a field kit with emergency supplies
...

Covering fires: the bigger the fire, the bigger the story, but for fires where death, displacement
or major damage results, you need to visit the scene – ideally when firefighters are battling the
blaze – to supplement the basic facts with quotes, color and dramatic tales of risk and rescue
...
Introduce
yourself to Command and they’ll either assist you or direct you to a public information
officer (PIO) – ask questions immediately then get the fuck out of the way
...
Wear boots and be
prepared to go home smelling of smoke
...
Watch
your wording and stick to the facts (don’t get poetic about it)
...
Conflagration is used to describe a
raging, destructive fire that’s large (several city blocks) or uncontrolled
...

▪ A fire guts a building by destroying its interior
...

o When covering a fire, remember to include the type of building, how the fire was
discovered, the cause of the fire, number of firefighters required to put out the blaze,
estimated cost of damage, acts of heroism, weather, effect of the fire on evacuees, plans
to relocate victims or rebuild structures, arrests or citations, anecdotes and descriptions,
and any other unusual aspects of the fire
...
Surveys show that a steady
stream of crime reports (especially violent crime) prompts the public to accuse of the media of
sensationalism
...

o Crime-writing style and structure: add color, not clutter, and don’t let copspeak
creep into your articles
...

▪ Avoid sloppy allegations, as anyone is innocent until proven guilty
...

Words like “alleged” and “accused” also imply guilt
...
Crimes involve dramatic
sequences of events, so consider writing the story using an alternative such as the
martini format
...

Find out what information is available from the police department and the court clerk’s
offices
...
Keep a list of ID numbers + codes handy to
decipher transmissions
...
Also talk to victims, but remember if a story
involves a teacher, a coach, a minister or a public official, it’s a big story
...

o Publications tend to omit the following details from stories: minors, victims of
sensitive crimes, endangered victims, suspects, and stereotypes like race, religion or
lifestyle
...

o Tips for reporters covering the court beat: you need to understand how the system
works, who the players are, and what the terms mean
...

▪ Learn to navigate court records, like transcripts and dockets
...


•

Study the background of every case before you enter the courtroom
...

▪ Don’t trust everything attorneys tell you, as lawyers are paid loads of money
to manipulate facts and swap people’s opinions
...
Attribute all testimony
accurately: the prosecutor alleged, the witness said
...
Verdicts may surprise you
...
Make sure all personal information – names,
ages, addresses, occupations – is accurate, and that all charges are worded
correctly
...

▪ Be a storyteller: be balanced and careful, but if you have dramatic dialogue,
colorful characters or explosive revelations to report, play them up
...

▪ Contempt of court can result anytime a judge believes you’ve disobeyed a court
order or undermined trial procedure, such as the following:
• Using a camera when it’s forbidden or talked to jurors or witnesses while a
trial is under way
...

• Spoken loudly, used a cellphone, read the paper or just behaved in any rude
way that annoys the judge
...

▪ A person is either cited or arrested – if arrested, the government must either file
charges or release the defendant within 72 hours of an arrest
...

▪ At the arraignment, the defendant appears before a judge to hear the official
charges
...

• At the pretrial motions, both sides can file requests to narrow the trial’s
focus or limit evidence
...

▪ In the verdict/sentencing, sentencing for misdemeanors usually occurs
immediately after a guilty plea or verdict
...

o Felonies: serious crimes (such as murder or rape) with more severe punishments –
payment of fines and/or imprisonment for a year or more
...
From here, proceedings usually move to
either a grand jury, a preliminary hearing or an arraignment
...


•

•

Preliminary hearing: a judge hears arguments from the prosecutor and
the defendant to determine if there’s enough evidence to bring charges
...
Anyone convicted of a crime may appeal the decision,
asking a higher court to review the conviction, the sentence or the court
proceedings for legal errors
...

o Civil suits: in civil cases, an individual or group moves against a defendant to resolve a
dispute, recover a right or obtain compensation for an injury
...
The defendant
then files an answer admitting or denying the charges
...

▪ The case then moves to a pretrial conference, where the court encourages both
parties to reach a compromise that avoids a trial
...

• Some actions require court trials (where a judge decides the case), while
others permit jury trials
...

Or a judge or jury may require the defendant to pay damages
...

Covering speeches: speech stories are relatively easy to report and write as the events are
prearranged, and unlike an interview, the speaker does all the work preparing, organizing and
explaining the material
...

o Tips for covering speeches: research the speaker and topic as well as request an
advance copy of the speech before the actual event
...

▪ The second paragraph is often a powerful quote from the speech that reinforces the
point you made in your lead
...
While
the rest of the story combines quotes, descriptions, background information and
audience reaction to covey the speaker’s message and to characterize how it was
received
...
Avoid
topic leads (the Big Idea is important, not the topic), include a minimal amount of
background information
...

Arrange these points in order of descending importance, and don’t arrange them

•

•

chronologically unless the speaker’s organization of the speech works for your
story
...
If a speaker makes a claim that is untrue, either omit it or supply facts
that refute the claim
...

o Be sure to include: relevant credentials, reason for the speech, the sponsor of the
speech, a description of the audience, comments from those in attendance, responses to
critical remarks or allegations if necessary, and the speaker’s fee if the amount is
exorbitant and newsworthy
...
Private, nongovernmental organizations hold meetings and conferences too that
provide useful material for stories
...
Identify the key players
on both sides of the important issues, whether official or unofficial
...

▪ Encourage readers to attend meetings by giving them a graphic nudge
...
Dress appropriately in order to blend in as unobtrusively as you
can, as you need to do your job without drawing unnecessary attention to yourself
...

▪ Distill all the meandering malarkey into meaningful news – tell readers why it
matters, what it costs, who wins, who loses, and how to get involved at the next
meeting
...

o Reporters have no legal right to attend meetings of private groups, and they must leave if
asked
...

Covering politics: the press plays a crucial role in public affairs and is protected under the first
amendment given its importance
...

▪ The election process: who the candidates are, what they do to get elected, and
how they perform once they’re in office
...

o Where to go for facts to trust: meetings, speeches, news releases, news conferences,
your network of sources, and most importantly documents for following paper trails
...

• Get to know the candidates up close and personal – discover their goals,
their message, their support, their finances, etc
...


Anticipate canned responses from politicians and follow-up with hard facts and
tough questions that demand real answers
...

o Five unfortunate truths about covering politics: (1) politicians lie; (2) politicians
will schmooze you so they can use you; (3) everybody thinks your stories are biased –
readers & public officials will forever accuse you of distorting the “truth”;
▪ (4) people don’t want to read about government process, they want to hear from
RPs – “Real People” commenting on how legislation affects them; (5) you must
peel away layer after layer to get to the truth, and two good sources for information
are paper records and enemies
...
Sports
writing requires accuracy, insight, statistical savvy and cool nerves on tight deadlines
...

o Most sports coverage takes the form of game stories: news reports that recap who won
and what the highlights were
...

▪ For important games, you need to witness events in person, taking detailed notes,
compiling statistics, interviewing players and coaches
...

Analysis stories explain how steroids work, why the new coach is a genius, what the
new stadium will cost
...

▪ Profiles are stories that give readers a glimpse of the guy beneath the helmet, etc
...

o Columns: the best sports stories contain lots of emotions and opinions, though not the
writer’s
...
Columnists are
different from regular reporters because it’s their job to get fired up and honked off like
ordinary fans do, only more so
...

More on sports coverage on pages 112-113, including AP style for writing sports stories and tips
for reporters covering the sports beat, such as never engaging in cheerleading – taking sides
at sports events, as you are not an ordinary fan as a reporter
...
115-137
• News stories usually focus on events that are pressing and public: government, crime,
disasters
...

o News stories tell you what happened, while feature stories offer advice, explore ideas,
make you laugh and cry
...

o Publications often produce specialized pages for kids, seniors, golfers, bowlers, pet
owners, etc
...

Hard news: serious breaking news events like murder, war, a fire in a nursing home, etc
...

Top ten popular types of feature stories: features come in all sizes, shapes, and styles –
brief and in-depth, humorous and heartbreaking – but these popular formats are the ones
feature writers use the most
...

o Human-interest stories, when you’ve got a tale to tell about real people, a situation
that’s tragic, funny, odd or inspirational
...

o Backgrounders, also called an analysis piece, when you focus on an issue or event in
the news, explaining how it happened and why it matters and what comes next
...
These stories keep readers plugged in to the people, places, things and
ideas affecting today’s culture
...

▪ For controversial topics, it provides a way for key players to tell their side of the
story
...

o How-to: this popular, interactive format teaches readers how to do something like play
poker, buy a dog, invest money, quit smoking
...

o Personal narrative: editors usually discourage stories written in the first person, but if
you have a gripping tale to tell, such as a romantic travel adventure or a brush with
disaster, writing a personal narrative may be the best way to re-create the drama
...

o While these ideas may be true they are also overly simplistic, because when it comes to
feature writing, the varieties of story ideas are endless
...

Organize your ideas by topic (people, places, trends) or by treatment (profiles, photo
stories, how-to guides)
...

o The best places to look for ideas: your publication’s archives; your competitors (look
for ways to add your spin to their stories); TV, magazines, newspapers, websites (seek out
national trends, issues and statistics you can localize for your own readers); news releases;
reader suggestions; and lastly brainstorming
...

o How to tell if your idea is a good one: (1) where did your idea come from? (if it came
from reporting, it’s probably a stronger idea than one that just popped into your head);
▪ (2) is the idea original? If it has been written on already, then look for
opportunities to find a new angle or local perspective on the subject
...

▪ (5) is there a story there? Is there a tale in your idea that will draw the leader along,
like a beginning, middle and an end?
▪ (6) is there tension? Tension comes from conflict, a problem to overcome, a
mystery to be solved
...

▪ (7) is the story true? Obviously do some research, but if something that everyone
thinks is true turns out not true in some way you can prove, then you’ve got a great
story
...

o The process for evolving a good idea into a story: (1) see if it’s been done (some
story ideas never get old, even when they run year after year);
▪ (2) focus your angle (beware of vague generalizations that sound more like boring
essays than inviting features);
▪ (3) talk to your editor (you don’t own the story, it’s always a collaboration);
▪ (4) do your research (feature stories require the same degree of accuracy, fairness
and attention to detail as news stories do);
▪ (5) plan the package (Maestro session: final story conference that gives editors,
photographers and designers another opportunity to reshape your story’s
presentation before you start structuring it in writing);
▪ (6) write the story – the best writers find ways to evaluate the success of every
story by relentlessly asking “how can I do better next time?”
Feature style: (page 120)
▪

•

•

Chapter #7 – pgs
...
157-179



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