Studied by 12 people
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
phone
write …
10% of what you knowthe
5 w’s and the h
who, what, when, where, why, how
Note 
Flashcard (104)