I’m mentioning Lab Report 4 today in order to remind you it’s due, but the slot in Turnitin.com will be open until May 7.

A reminder — May 7 is also the final deadline for the Online Lab Report.

On the EL150 site, I posted a news writing primer. (If there are any references to word count or anything like that, please note that I’m repurposing a document I created for another class — any conflicts between this document and the EL200 website should tip in favor of the EL200 instructions.)

Rubric:

• Structure (headline, lead, inverted pyramid structure)
• Content (focus on the news; quality and number of sources [at least 3]; required length/depth/timeliness)
• Format (accurate spelling/grammar/punctuation; general AP style)
• Craft (snappy prose; effective use of quoteworthy quotes; of interest to the intended Graduation Magazine readership)

Headline

About 30-40 characters (good examples of news headlines ); choose an active verb; emphasize the news)

• Here’s a good overview: Headline Writing
• Bad examples of news headlines

Quicklist of 10 questions to ask while writing a headline:

1. Is the headline accurate?
2. Does it work out of context?
3. How compelling a promise does it make?
4. How easy is it to parse?
5. Could it benefit from a number?
6. Are all the words necessary?
7. Does it obey the Proper Noun Rule?
8. Would it work better as an explanatory headline?
9. Does it focus on events or implications?
10. Could it benefit from one of these 10 words? Top, Why, How, Will, New, Secret, Future, Your, Best, Worst.

Lead

Great summary, from Purdue OWL

1. The Five W’s and H: Before writing a lead, decide which aspect of the story – who, what, when, where, why, how – is most important. You should emphasize those aspects in your lead. Wait to explain less important aspects until the second or third sentence.
2. Conflict: Good stories have conflict. So do many good leads.
3. Specificity: Though you are essentially summarizing information in most leads, try to be specific as possible. If your lead is too broad, it won’t be informative or interesting.
4. Brevity: Readers want to know why the story matters to them and they won’t wait long for the answer. Leads are often one sentence, sometimes two. Generally, they are 25 to 30 words and should rarely be more than 40. This is somewhat arbitrary, but it’s important – especially for young journalists – to learn how to deliver information concisely. See the OWL’s page on concise writing for specific tips. The Paramedic Methodis also good for writing concisely.
5. Active sentences: Strong verbs will make your lead lively and interesting. Passive constructions, on the other hand, can sound dull and leave out important information, such as the person or thing that caused the action. Incomplete reporting is often a source of passive leads.
6. Audience and context: Take into account what your reader already knows. Remember that in today’s media culture, most readers become aware of breaking news as it happens. If you’re writing for a print publication the next day, your lead should do more than merely regurgitate yesterday’s news.
7. Honesty: A lead is an implicit promise to your readers. You must be able to deliver what you promise in your lead.

Inverted Pyramid Structure

Don’t build to a conclusion.

Lead

News

Background

Details

More Details

Even More Details

Content

• Recognize than an editor who needs to make room for breaking news may simply chop your story off from the bottom. Write so that a busy reader can be informed even if he or she stops after the first paragraph.
• Remember to start with the news — the most recent development.
• After you’ve delivered the news, you can flash back in time, but only give enough details on the background so that your readers can understand the newsworthy current events. The background details exist in order to explain the news.

Sources

In the first few paragraphs, and throughout the story, quote the direct words of newsmakers (the most credible, most in-depth sources you have; quotes from random people who have no special knowledge in your subject are not valuable).

Instead of quoting boring facts, paraphrase.

Let your best quotes do the heavy lifting.

Some journalism teachers get annoyed when they read submissions from students who waste words that summarize information they are about to deliver through quotes. One such teacher is Dennis Jerz, who teaches at Seton Hill University. “The next student who introduces a quote unnecessarily gets thrown out the window,” he said.

If you’d like to avoid going through the window, just write:

“The next student who introduces a quote unnecessarily gets thrown out the window,” said Dennis Jerz, who teaches English at Seton Hill University.

Accuracy/AP Style

Proofread. (Have a friend read your text out loud; or, use your Macbook’s text-to-speech function [select text; right-click and select "Speech; Start Speaking"]).

While I did not try to mark every single AP style issue I found with your Ex 3 submissions, your Paper 2 Draft assignment asks that you to start applying the basics of AP Style.

Check Moodle for a copy of the “Basics of News Writing” presentation that I showed you before break.

Prefer “said”. (Not “says” or “claimed” or “insisted” or “opined.” If you are quoting from a written message, see below — don’t write “said.”)

Here’s a quick primer on how to attribute quotes:

“A journalist usually starts with a quote, and then identifies the speaker,” said Dennis Jerz, who advises the student paper at Seton Hill University.

“If you stick with the same source, you can add details that establish credibility,” said Jerz, who has taught journalism classes at the southwestern Pennsylvania school since 2003.

Jerz asks his his students to quote instances of emotion, opinion or speculation, but to paraphrase dry facts.

“I know I say plenty of boring things that aren’t worth quoting,” Jerz told his “Intro to Literary Study” class Tuesday.

Another primer

• “Blah blah,” Smith said.
  (Don’t write “said Smith” unless you are introducing more details about Smith.)
• “Blah blah,” said Gus Griffin, a freshman biology major.
  (Note placement of two commas; only the proper name is capitalized.)
• “Blah blah,” said sophomore math major Sally Student.
  (Only one comma.)
• “Blah blah,” Gertie Griffin wrote in an email. Griffin, a Spanish major, is currently studying in Mexico.
  (Write “said” only if the person spoke out loud to you, in person or by phone. Responsible journalists will not fudge by writing “according to Gertie Griffin,” because that might falsely give the impression that the journalist spoke to her personally.)

General Pointers

In AP style, we never write “Dr. Smith” or “Professor Smith.” The proper format is “Zachary Smith, a science professor” or just “Zachary Smith.”  If a student says “I have Dr. Smith for advanced robotics,” then you would of course include that quote. We do refer to “Gov. Mary Jones” or “Capt. James T. Kirk,” but AP style does not extend that honor to university faculty members. And remember, while we would capitalize the subjects English or Spanish, we don’t capitalize math, biology, history, computer science, etc.

Journalistic paragraphs are 1-3 short sentences long. Start a new sentence for each new quote, and for each new idea. (This is very different from a traditional composition paragraph, which is supposed to weave together multiple supporting thoughts to support a topic sentence.)

Journalism is written in the past tense, so use “said” rather than “says.”

Journalism is about reporting verifiable facts; so don’t write about what a person “believes” or “thinks.”  Instead, write about what they say and do. (You can include a quote from someone who says “I wish… I think… I believe… I hope…” — but you are reporting that the person “said” something, not what a person wishes, thinks, believes, hopes, etc.)