Jounalism Exercises 1-4 (Chap. 7)

1) Identify the who, what, where, when, why, and how in the following:
The United Jewish Appeal is sponsoring its first ever walk-a-thon this morning in Springfield to raise money for The Soup Kitchen, a place where the hungry can eat free.

WHO: United Jewish Appeal
WHAT: a walk-a-thon
WHERE: in Springfield
WHY: to raise money for The Soup Kitchen
HOW:sponsoring a walk-a-thon

2) Here are four versions of the same lead. Which of the four answers more of the six questions basic to all stories? Which questions does it answer?
My answer is "A": "What began twelve years ago with a federal staff investigation and led to hearings and a court fight culminates today with a Federal Trade Commisiion rule to prevent funeral home rip-off." This version of the lead answers the questions how, when, who, what.

3) Rewrite two of the leads in exercise 2 as "you" leads. Which are better, the third-person or second-person leads? Why are they better?
I rewrote choice "C" to form the new lead: A new disclosure law going into effect today will make it easier for youto determine the cost of a funeral.
I also chose to rewrite choice "D" to form the new lead: Twelve years after first being proposed, a federal regulation goes into effect Monday to require funeral homes to provide you with an itemized list of services and materials offered, along with the cost of each item, before you choose to agree or disagree.
I feel that the second-person approach is more effective because it allows for the writer to speak directly to the reader; it allows the writer to tell the reader why he or she should care, and what kind of benefits are in it for him or her.

4) From the following facts, write a lead.
WHO: A nuclear weapon. . .
WHAT: Detonated
WHERE: 40 miles from a meeting of pacifists. . .in the Nevada desert.
WHEN: Tuesday
WHY: To test the weapon
HOW: NA

My lead: On Tuesday a nuclear weapon with a yield equivelent to 150,000 tons of TNT was detonated 2,000 feet beneath the surface of Pahute Mesa in the Nevada desert as part of a weapons test.