runnymede workshop communications & journalism 2

Noviembre 2016Impartido por Saul A. Hill

WORKSHOPCOMUNICATIONS

& JOURNALISM

Producing information: writing a news piece

“Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism what will be grasped at once. Cyril Vernon Connolly, staff writer at The New Statesman and head critic at The Sunday Times

In other words… writing a news piece is different from writing a story. There are rules regarding length & order. Be clear, be concise, & place the info where it is supposed to go

When you tell a story do you...?

a) Tell what happened in order of how they happened

b) Start at the end

c) Start at the middle

Journalists do not tell stories in chronological order

They tell stories in the ORDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INFORMATION

Producing information: writing a news piece

The inverted pyramid is a metaphor used by journalists and other writers to illustrate how information should be prioritized and structured in a text (e.g., a news report). It is a common method for writing news stories(and has adaptability to other kinds of texts, e.g., blogs and editorial columns).

THE LEDE - The opening line of the story containing the most important info

Inverted pyramid style

?

-Most people don’t finish articles, especially long ones. -This trend is even more evident in web and online reading. So…-Start strong and deliver most of the info at the beginning. -Those who are more interested can find additional details at the end

Why use the pyramid?How people read

Inverted pyramid styleLET’S APPLY THE INVERTED

PYRAMID: Let’s suppose the City Police Department reports that an accident occurred at 2:30 a.m. today. This is the information the police provided to the press: A car driven by Joe White, 29 years old, hit a curb on Main Street, smashed into a tree and overturned. Police say White was speeding and lost control of his car. He was hospitalized for minor injuries. A passenger in White’s car was killed. The passenger was Amanda Smith, 22 years old. She was pronounced dead at 2:45 a.m. “We are conducting toxicology tests to determine if alcohol was involved,” Police Chief Jack Russell said.

What are the 5Ws?

1st: WHAT is the most important outcome?

Most important outcome: A woman died. THIS fact is even more important than the accident itself

When: 2:30 a.m. today

Where: On Main Street

Why: The driver, Joe White was speeding and lost control

How: The car hit a curb, smashed into a tree and overturned

Inverted pyramid style

Where did the information come from?

All of the information must be tied directly to the source where it came from: THE POLICE.

This is called attribution.

Inverted pyramid style

SO… put it all together in a lede:

A 22-year-old passenger (what) was killed early today (when) after a car hit a curb, crashed into a tree and overturned (how) on Main Street. (where)

Inverted pyramid style

Inverted pyramid styleThe rest of the story would look like this:

According to the City Police Department, the driver Joe White, 29, was speeding and lost control of his car, causing the death of Amanda White. (Why the news happened and who was the source)

Inverted pyramid style

The last part of the story as follows:

White was hospitalized for minor injuries. (This covers an additional provided fact.) “We are conducting toxicology tests to determine if alcohol was involved,” Police Chief Jack Russell said. (This includes a quote from a source and attribution)

Inverted pyramid styleTHE WHOLE STORY LOOKS LIKE THIS:

A 22-year-old passenger (what) was killed early today (when) after a car hit a curb, crashed into a tree and overturned (how) on Main Street. (where)

According to the City Police Department, the driver Joe White, 29, was speeding and lost control of his car, causing the death of Amanda White. (Why the news happened and who was the source)

White was hospitalized for minor injuries. (This covers an additional provided fact.) “We are conducting toxicology tests to determine if alcohol was involved,” Police Chief Jack Russell said. (This includes a quote from a source and attribution)

Headlines: the only rule

“Never write a headline longer than a newsboy can shout”. Bill Rising, Chicago Daily News

What would YOUR headline be for the piece in the previous slide?

Producing information: writing a news piece

Activity 2: write a news piece using your 5Ws1H and the inverted pyramid

Producing information: writing a news pieceFinal activity: let’s make a newsletter!

Newsletter templateshttp://www.creativebloq.com/career/10-free-newsletter-templates-your-design-work-11410393

Newspaper templateshttp://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/03/wonderful-free-templates-to-create.html?m=1

Producing information: writing a news pieceFinal activity: let’s make a newsletter!

Workshop bloghttps://runnymedejournalismworkshop.wordpress.com/

User: runnymedeworkshop@mail.comPassword: Workshop1

Producing information: writing a news piece

EXTRA MATERIALS:http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/news/write-stories.html

CREDITS:Inverted pyramid example & worksheets: http://www.schooljournalism.org/