News Media and News Writing
What is News?
News media decides how best to deal with news.
Columnists determine the best approach to presenting news.
Charles Dana (New York Sun): Definition of news.
The New York Sun, like many newspapers, may cease to exist in a few years.
Classic Definition of News
Dog bites man: Not news.
Man bites dog: News (unusual).
Unusual events are newsworthy.
Example: A person biting a dog might get arrested for animal cruelty.
Leading a Story
How to create an interesting lead when all the news is available.
Focus on someone directly affected by the news.
Economic news, such as the price of eggs, affects everyone.
Conflict, spectacular crimes, and open-ended videos are newsworthy.
Oddities and Weirdness
Weird or odd occurrences often constitute news.
Newsworthiness and Celebrity
Halftime at the Super Bowl story: Robbery, victim feared for her life.
Some people are inherently newsworthy (celebrities, politicians, rock stars).
Celebrity actions are often news.
Elements of News
50% of news is events that have happened, are happening, or will happen.
Event-driven.
How news affects people is important.
Direct effects: Taxes, price of eggs.
Indirect effects: Changing relationships.
News is expected to affect the audience directly and indirectly.
Rules of Numbers in Writing
Basic rule: Spell out numbers zero through nine.
For numbers 10 and above, use figures.
Example: Write "nine" instead of "9", but use "10" instead of "ten".
Exceptions to the basic rule:
Ages
Percentages
Dimensions
Money
Times
Scores
Specific Number Rules
Almost all exceptions to the zero through nine rule use figures.
If a number starts a sentence, it should be spelled out.
Miscellaneous Discussion
Discussion about June 4 and planning for an event.
Considering working together on stories or individually.
Dog adoption event as a potential local news story.
Local, positive events are good news.