TASK #1: Journalistic writing style is different from fiction or poetry or script writing. Let's brainstorm some ways that it is different...What do you notice from reading non-fiction news articles (like the ones you read last class or from your reading of your chosen book) that seems different from short stories, novels, and poetry, for example? Jot your observations in the COMMENT section of this blog post.
Throughout this unit, we will be working on improving your journalistic writing style. How do we do that? Let's find out:
How to Write an Effective Lead:
The opening of a news story is called the lead. It is usually one paragraph, and sometimes only one sentence. The typical lead is called a summary lead or straight summary lead, and it summarizes the story; it tells the entire story in miniature as specifically and concisely as possible. The journalist's goal, as a general rule, is to write a clear, fairly short sentence that reveals all the important facts/details of the story--this would include telling the end result of the story as well. A reader should be able to read the lead and be informed about what happened without reading the rest of the story. This is occasionally what happens when people read newspapers and magazines.
A news story essentially has two parts, the lead, which gives the gist of the story, and the body, which adds details which expands on information given in the lead. The body is written in inverted pyramid style (see details below): short paragraphs in descending order of importance.
A summary lead should answer two or more of the 5W's and H: who, what, when, where, why and how. Include those that are important to inform the reader and to tell the story clearly. Usually, however, the lead will include, as a minimum, the who, what and when.
In deciding what to include in the lead, ask yourself: What is the first question a reader would ask? What is the first thing you would tell another person about the situation or event? This is often called the news peg; it is the reason for writing the story. In other words it is the aspect that makes an event or occurrence newsworthy. See previous post for details about newsworthiness.Your lead might also focus on what journalists call the whammy, which is a fact or facts that make the story unique.
When writing the lead, you should attempt to feature the feature: put the most important aspect or main point first in the paragraph. Grab the reader's attention with the news immediately, without making your reader read through introductory words to find out what happened. This isn't radio or television news, where the reporter may slide into the heart of the story after an introductory sentence or two, which may be necessary so the listener will not miss important information. The written news story needs no such prompt, and if you slide into the story slowly you'll lose your reader. Newspaper readers expect to be informed about what happened immediately--no beating around the bush here.
In general Leads should:
- open with bright, interesting, colorful nouns and verbs
- be brief (often only 20-30 words)
- be, for the most part, one sentence in length
- be concise, specific, and to the point
- effectively summarize the story
- "feature the feature" (see details above)
- include attribution (the source) if needed for credibility
- give the title or position for any person mentioned
- should not include personal pronouns such as "we" and "you"
- should not include a reporter's opinion. News articles are not an editorial. Ever. Keep your own opinions to yourself. [note: we will be practicing the editorial and review later in this course!]
Depending on what you decide is most important, any one of the 5W's or H could be featured, which means it is placed first in the opening sentence. Take a look at the follow facts:
Who: Washington television station
What: withdrew from a project to construct a 1,200-foot television transmitting tower
When: today
Where: in Silver Spring
Why: declining revenues
How: board of directors decided
The lead might read: A Washington television station announced its withdrawal today from a project to construct a 1,200-foot television transmitting tower in Silver Spring.
Whichever of the 5W's is mentioned first is featured in the lead.
- When the who is featured, it is called a name lead. The example above is a name lead. It features the Washington television station.
- When the what is featured, it is called an event lead. Ex. Withdrawal from a project to construct a 1,200-foot television tower in Silver Spring was announced today by a Washington television station. This lead, however, is awkward because it is in passive voice; in other words, the one doing the action (the Washington television station) is at the end of the sentence as the object. Active voice requires that the subject of the sentence is doing the action, which means placing it first in the sentence, as in the original example.
- When the when is featured, it is called a time lead. Ex. Today a Washington television station announced its withdrawal from a project to construct a 1,200-foot television transmitting tower in Silver Spring.
- When the where is featured, it is called a place lead. Ex. A Silver Spring project to construct a 1,200-foot television transmitting tower was canceled today by a Washington television station. This, too, is passive rather than active voice. Avoid writing in the passive voice.
- When the why is featured it is called a cause lead. Ex. Because of declining revenues, a Washington television station announced its withdrawal today from a project to construct a 1,200-foot television transmitting tower in Silver Spring.
- When how is featured, it is called a manner lead. Ex. After a decision by the board of directors of a Washington television station, a project to construct a 1,200-foot television transmitting tower in Silver Spring has been canceled.
Below are examples of leads which feature the various 5W's & H. The words that make up the "W" that is featured are in bold face type.
EXAMPLES. PLEASE READ & NOTE:
WHO (name lead)
- "Many gay and bisexual teens know plenty about AIDS and still don't protect themselves against the disease, two studies indicate."
- "A railroad worker threw a switch too soon and sent an Amtrak passenger train crashing head-on into a parked freight train, killing two people and injuring 44 others, investigators said Saturday." (However, even though this begins with the who, the lead co-features the why, the cause of the train wreck.)
- "Reckless drivers who don't seem to be drunk may well be high on cocaine or marijuana, according to roadside tests that indicate drugs may rival alcohol as a hazard on the highway."
WHAT (event lead)
- Jars and cans tumbled off store shelves and telephone poles swayed when an earthquake that was a "real good shaker" rumbled through Central California yesterday.
- A pack of wild monkeys terrorized a seaside resort town south of Tokyo last week, attacking 30 people and sending eight of them to the hospital with bites. (This also co-features the who or NAME LEAD.)
- A would-be victim turned the tables on a suspected burglar early Sunday, sending him running from her house with a bullet wound to his chest, police said. (This also CO-features the who or NAME LEAD.)
WHY (cause lead)
- With more amateurs cutting wood for use as an alternative to high-priced heating oil, hospitals are coping with an increasing number of injuries due to chain-saw accidents, reported the American College of Surgeons.
- Two railway technicians who overlooked a wheel problem may be charged with negligent manslaughter in Germany's worst rail disaster, a news magazine reported Saturday. (This also co-features the who or NAME LEAD.)
- Louisiana-Pacific Corp. plans to sell seven out-of-state lumber mills and expand production at 17 others in order to boost output by up to 40 percent. (The how in this lead is also the what or EVENT LEAD.)
We can learn how to "feature the feature" and avoid other mistakes by looking at examples of poorly written leads. Here are a few examples of the kinds of things to avoid:
- Ineffective: Sen. Robert Brown spoke to the assembled student body of Oakdale High School at 3 p.m. in the high school gym.
- Who spoke is usually secondary in importance to what was said. And, the mechanical details -- time, date and place -- do not necessarily have to be included in the lead, since the event has already taken place. They can be worked in later, perhaps the second or third paragraph. "Assembled student body" is a burdensome, unnecessary phrase, and "high school" is used twice in one paragraph. Avoid repetition.
- Ineffective: At 3 p.m., March 18, in the high school gym, Robert Brown spoke.
- Time and date (the when angle) are almost never important enough to merit first consideration in the lead, yet they are often used to kick off a speech story. The heart of this story is not included in the lead at all. Note, too, that in this reference the title for Robert Brown (senator) has been omitted. Titles should always be included on the first mention of an individual in the story.
- Ineffective: To further our interest in ecology, Sen. Robert Brown spoke today in the high school gym.
- The why angle is usually not the most important aspect of a story and, therefore, it seldom works as the take-off point for a news story. Also, the use of second person (our), unless it's in a direct quotation, should be avoided in news writing.
- Ineffective: Last Friday, March 18, all of the sophomore, junior and senior students assembled in the gymnasium. After Student Body President Gary Winchman led the students in the flag salute, Vice Principal Barry Jones presented Sen. Robert Brown, who talked about ecology.
- This lead is filled with details that don't belong. It is basically written in chronological order rather than focusing on the "feature." It is dull, too long, and needs severe copy editing. In fact, it needs complete rewriting. It is also more than one sentence; most leads can be written as one smooth, flowing sentence.
- Ineffective: "We must clean up our rivers and streams and get the internal combustion machine out of the automobile and sit hard on the Food and Drug Administration to remove additives from our foods if we are ever going to clean up the air we breath and make our world a pleasant place to live in again," stated Robert Brown, senator, to the assembled student body of Oakdale High School on Friday, March 18, in the gym at 3 p.m.
- The quotation is too long, covers too many subjects for the lead. In addition, mechanical details such as date and time, can be worked in later. Since the event has already happened it is not necessary to tell the readers the place and exact time in the lead. "Stated" is a stuffy, greatly over-used word for attribution. Save it for quoting material from official documents rather than people.
TASK #2: Choose two articles from an online news source and examine each article's lead. Write the headline and author, the newspaper or source you found the article, and write out the lead of the article. Finally, identify the type of lead used and explain whether or not the lead is effective or ineffective and why. Turn in this work by the end of class today!
TASK #3
- Examine your partner's 300 word article and identify the type of lead you used. Write the type of lead you partner used on the copy.
- Mark all your partner's mistakes/grammar or formatting errors on their article. Do this together while your partner watches. (If you're not sure there is a grammar/formatting error call me over to help).
- Once you are done, please revise your OWN article and turn in the new draft for credit. Revise your article to avoid common or ineffective errors like the models mentioned above. For example: Change passive voice to active voice. Clarify long sentences. Rewrite introductions. Rearrange your structure. Use the inverted pyramid structure to restructure your work. Call this draft your second draft (draft #2) and turn in WITH YOUR MARKED ORIGINAL. Note: your original draft should have your identified lead clearly marked as well.
- Watch and learn more about The inverted pyramid style here at the link.
The five W’s (Who, What, Where, When, and Why) are considered foundational elements for storytelling and information gathering. They are important (and expected) from journalists.
The 5 W's are used to piece together important story elements to describe events. Everyone from journalists to crime scene investigators use them to help understand what happened in a given scenario.
TASK #4: At at least 1:20, when attention is called, please get together in your reading group and do the following in-class activity:
1. Each group member will take 1 chapter he/she read from the book. Try to spread this out so that all chapters that have been read are represented.
2. Using the five W's, identify the five elements/information in that chapter: who is the chapter about, what happens in the chapter, where does the chapter take place, when does the chapter take place within the reported story, and possible reasons why (what does the author give the reader as way of explanation of events in the story for that chapter?)
3. Turn in your answers either by the end of class (possible) or at least next class (probable). Complete this task #4 for homework.
HOMEWORK: Keep reading your chosen novel. Complete task #4 if you did not complete this during class. Please take a look at the inverted pyramid style for news writing. Use this format when writing your own articles.
Newspapers are different than other forms of writing because the main purpose of an article like that is to inform the reader, using words that can seem to address readers. Novels, poetry, scripts, etc, can also inform but usually have a plot that would be used to most importantly entertain, while articles are nonfiction that can be done
ReplyDeleteThe difference between journalism and fictional works is that journalism is fact based and usually non-opinionated whereas fictional works are emotion filled and not true. Real journalism is cold and well written to portray what is really happening. Readers connect personal and true events with nonfiction. So in a way they are connected.
ReplyDeleteJournalism differs from fiction and poetry is that it feels more real. News articles report in real time on semi-factual topics. News articles are also usually trying to influence our bias or make us look at the situation in a certain way, like an op-ed article. We have to be clear and concise to reach an audience... all while being entertaining for the reader and reeling them in (hooks). Hooks feel even more important in journalism, if only I could make a good one.
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ReplyDeleteJournalism is based on facts and observations whereas many other genres of writing are about appealing to emotion. In journalism you don't create anything new but report on what is already there, unlike say fiction when the author creates the story. Journalism can include more than one point of view, whereas other non-fiction is usually trying to prove something.
ReplyDeleteI notice that they are set up different and in non fiction articles they stretch out information and be straight forward with the information and it real but in fiction stories they kinda beat around the bush to give information
ReplyDeleteJournalistic writing is different than fiction and poetry, because it's non-fiction. Fiction and poetry are more for entertainment while journalistic writing is to inform the reader. While journalism is fact based and tend to report on events that has happened. Fiction is created to appeal to a certain audience or genre while journalism is not. Journalism is raw and it's main focus it to tell the story of what happened.
ReplyDeleteI notice that non-fiction stories have more details then in short stories and they take awhile to get to the point longer. Short stories are shorter in lengths as well compared to non-fiction ones. They are written in different form as well.
ReplyDeletearticles and newspapers are different from other stories like short stories and stuff because the articles and news paper are basically telling something that already happened and short stories and novel explain some made up things and also explain a story that will interest the readers.
ReplyDeleteI notice that non-fiction stories have more details then in short stories and they take awhile to get to the point longer. Short stories are shorter in lengths as well compared to non-fiction ones. Its also has some evidence and opinions, of other people and their comments.
ReplyDeleteWriting journalism differs from writing in the other genres like fiction and poetry because you are writing to inform others and it is based on fact. When you write fiction you could make anything happen because you are the author and the creator. However, writing for things like newspapers and reports it is very direct and informational to everyone because it is dealing with real life times and challenges or good news that people should know to inform them or make them see the good in the world.
ReplyDeletethe difference between journalism and fiction is that, journalism is a real observation of something and fiction is completely made up. fiction can be created out of anywhere and can be about literally anything that comes to mind. journal is real facts about something studied upon.
ReplyDeleteI think story writing and journalism are very different but still, similar in their own ways. I think journalism and articles have a more direct tone and more facts because...well, it’s news. It’s because news journalists have to write exactly what happened and not use their own creativity to make the article “better” because that’s not what people want, or even, NEED. Articles and journalism are information, while short stories and novels are entertainment. But there are still some grey are between these two where both crossover.
ReplyDeleteJournalistic writing style is different from fiction, poetry, or script writing because journalistic writing is mostly facts and some opinions too. It is used for a different reason than the other types of writing forms. Fiction is made up, and poetry can be about something true or you can write about something you made up as well. Script writing is different than journalistic writing because you have characters and a dialogue etc.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the two is that playwrights can be based off of anything even things from the imagination like unicorns and fairies but journalism has to be at least realistic
ReplyDeletethe difference between journalism and fiction is that journalism is a real account of something that took place around the world and now it being used to create an article based off it and fiction is made up it's a different style of writing and can be made up from anything.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the many ways that non-fiction news articles different from short stories, novels, and poetry because when it comes to non-fiction, it’s more about being truthful and authentic to the story whereas in fictional pieces of work, although the writing could be based on some truth it’s overall fictious. From characters to even the setting that the story takes place at, in the book. Another thing is that journalism often tries to make an impact on our ideas or morals by trying to emphasize just how important a particular situation is, which is something that isn’t necessarily intended when comes to fiction writing. Although some nonfiction works do have similar aspects to it as fiction writing.
ReplyDeleteJournalism and writing stories are different because when you write a story, you make it up but when you write journalism, it is about things that actually happened and real things. Writing fiction is different because you have to make up the characters but in journalism it is about real people or something that really happened.
ReplyDeleteLike most would say (and have said) Journalism is MEANT to be the gathering of facts of events that have occurred to inform the public/people of current news and keep people up to date, without any bias, only the facts, at least that is what journalism is supposed to be. As for Short stories, novels, and poems, these are all vast forms of literary entertainment and while there can be moment where the two intertwine, for the most part these two styles of writing couldn't be any more different
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ReplyDelete