reporting exam #1

lecture material AP style grammar and punctuation hog wild silent escape

four main functions of news media

report, explain, entertain and lead

news

anything that interests a large part of the community and has never been brought to its attention before

what is news

a change of consequence in the status quo

what reporters and editors say it is

good framework for a news story

2nd most important at the beginning, and the most impactful punchline of the story goes at the beginning

big story examples

pandemic, economy (inflation, costs of living), politics, healthcare, weather, conflict, crime, sexual harassment, sports, oddities, whack jobs and criminals, and wardrobe malfunctions

first 50 percent of a story

what has happened?

what is happening?

what is going to happen?

second 50 percent of a story

how does it affect the reader?

how could it affect me? (directly, indirectly, vicariously)

lottery numbers should go where?

at the end of a story

news can be

changing relationships

events of community consequence

disruptive events

news value

impact

timeliness (is it recent?)

prominence (do people care?)

proximity (is it nearby?)

conflict

weirdness

currency

audience

what decides importance to readers?

extensity

intensity

proximity

recency

consequences

variety

basic ap number rule

use figures

use figures for…

ages

percentages

dimensions

money

times

scores

starting a sentence with a number

always spell it out (even if larger than ten) unless it is a year

all ages

go in numeral form unless it is at the beginning of a sentence

percentages

numeral (8% not eight percent)

but write out at start of a sentence (one hundred percent of the lab…)

dimensions

use numerals like 8 feet 2 inches tall

distances

use numerals (walked 4 miles)

but write out at the start of a sentence (six miles is a long run…)

money

always use figures

$1.00 is wrong

$1.15

when you get to millions, you spell it out

time

use numerals

3:30 a.m.

when writing thousands, always…

use commas

avoid which kind of words?

many, a lot, most, etc

steps of the writing process

conceive

report or research

plan or organize

draft

revise

all stories begin with

an idea

if reporting doesn’t follow your theory…

go back to conceive

planning a story

decide whats important

modify your idea and reporting

establish a lead

revising a story

edit and rewrite

adjust nouns and verbs

places to conceive story ideas

look at calendars

holidays, allergy season, back to school, meetings, panels, protests, festivals and events

unscheduled events

good places to find a story

weather, deaths, disasters, events that dont turn out

human interests

comedy

tragedy

sex

animals

good deeds

bizarre

conflict

a good story idea on a slow news day is…

invaluable

other news sources

gainesville sun

the alligator

npr

ap

reuters

usa today

magazines

radio/tv

entertainment

suggestions for getting ideas

always be looking

stories beget stories so update them

read

read ads

vary your communte

eavesdrop

study maps

always do what when it comes to names?

use full names and some sort of id

Professor Mike Foley, 77, etc…

the second reference of a name

if kids under 15, use first name

then just use last name

titles

do not use ms., mrs., mr., etc

earned titles

dr. and sgt. etc can be used on first reference abbreviated then not used on second reference

do you use italics in ap?

nope

true titles

capitalized before the name

Senator Foley

false titles (job descriptions)

lower case

astronaut John Glenn

commas and names

no commas are used with a name or title unless it precedes title

The mayor, Keith Richards,

Mayor Keith Richards

ideas should come from

trends, experiences and eyewitnesses

attribution

the source of a news story or of a fact in a news story

to attribute is to…

indicate the source of a story f

four points to attribution

where to put it

when to use it

proper word order

how specific you need to be

three places for attribution

beginning

end

somewhere in the middle

attribution in the beginning

napier said, “we need to win.”

napier said the team needs to win

attribution at the end

“winning is important,” stricklin said.

middle

“win,” stricklin said, “or you’re fired.”

first person

no first person in your story unless in quotes

two types of attribution

direct quote

indirect quote

direct quote

exactly what someone said

you need to quote exactly, don’t correct grammar or punctuation

indirect quote

you paraphrase what someone says

structure of a direct quote

name said, then comma, then always start quote with capital letter

using commas in a quote

look for a pause

pause gives space for an attribution

commas and periods

go inside quotation marks

beginner attribution mistakes

using too much or too little

overuse of the speaker’s name

one attribution…

per paragraph

pronouns

use he, she, or they

if someone is non-binary, be sure to introduce in the story

word order for attribution

noun-verb

long title with attribution

put the attribution before the long title

if a quote is more than one sentence long…

put the attribution at the end of the first sentence

identify the speaker…

the first time his or her name is used

don’t attribute quotes…

to more than one person

what tense do you use in your story?

past tense

which word should be used for quotes?

said

do not use synonyms

attribution can be used at the beginning when…

the speakers change

punctuation that follows a quote…

usually goes inside the quotation marks

attribution is set off by…

commas

partial quotes do not require commas

caution with anonymity

no anonymity in class

they cannot be held accountable

the when of a story

not the first word of a lead

use as close to the verb as you can get

rule to remember about dates and times

use the day or date in the story but not both

think in terms of the day the story will published

when do you do days

if seven days before or after

when do you use dates

if the date falls out of the 14 day range

tomorrow and yesterday

do not use

only use today

years and dates

if the event you refer to happened or will happen within one year of publishing, don’t use the year

days of the week are always…

spelled out

if the month is used with a specific date…

abbreviate (if it is a month that can be abbreviated)

rd, th, nd, etc

do not use with dates

use of time in stories

exception to general number rule

use numbers almost always

writing am and pm

a.m.

p.m.

12 o’clock

noon or midnight

ways to write time

4 a.m.

4:01 a.m.mo

months to abbreviate

jan.

feb.

aug.

sept.

oct.

nov.

dec.

correct date example

spet. 11, 2001, is a day that won’t be forgotten.

abc’s of news writing

accuracy

brevity

clarity

inverted pyramid

most important = lead

middle = most important facts

bottom = background

lede

hook the reader

explain the lede

next important fact etc

how to start with reporting

understand your subject

no questions left unanswered

avoid jargon

explain everything not obvious

3 ways to get info

research

observation

interviewing

check and double check…

numbers

who said what

who did what

other basic facts

spelling of names

addresses

number rule

abbreviate

use figures for numbers in addresseson

only abbreviate what in addresses

street —> st.

boulevard —> blvd.

avenue —> ave.

and only abbreivate when used with a number attached

correct address examples

234 SW sixth st.

10355 paradise blvd.

southwest 12th street

incorrect addresses

3100 redbug rd.

cleveland st.

bayshore blvd.

cities and states

refer to city and state if not well known

if well-known like miami, no need to include fla

exception to well-known city rule

use the two-letter abbreviation w/ postal mailing addresses

3 ways to interview

in-person

email

phone

write …

10% of what you knowthe

5 w’s and the h

who, what, when, where, why, how