Monday, March 1, 2010

Topic and Angle of Story

The impact/credibility and suspicion of transfer rules and eligibility requirements on high school sports.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Writing a News Story
1. What can I write about? What is news?

On the surface, defining news is a simple task. News is an account of what is happening around us. It may involve current events, new initiatives or ongoing projects or issues. But a newspaper does not only print news of the day. It also prints background analysis, opinions, and human interest stories.

Choosing what's news can be harder.

The reporter chooses stories from the flood of information and events happening in the world and in their community. Stories are normally selected because of their importance, emotion, impact, timeliness and interest. Note: all these factors do NOT have to coincide in each and every story!

2. Identify what kind of a story it is

Hard news (+/- 600 words): This is how journalists refer to news of the day. It is a chronicle of current events/incidents and is the most common news style on the front page of your typical newspaper.

It starts with a summary lead. What happened? Where? When? To/by whom? Why? (The journalist's 5 W's). It must be kept brief and simple, because the purpose of the rest of the story will be to elaborate on this lead.

Keep the writing clean and uncluttered. Most important, give the readers the information they need. If the federal government announced a new major youth initiative yesterday, that's today's hard news.

Soft news (+/-600 words): This is a term for all the news that isn't time-sensitive. Soft news includes profiles of people, programs or organizations. As we discussed earlier, the "lead" is more literary. Most of YPP's news content is soft news.

Feature (+/-1500 words): A news feature takes one step back from the headlines. It explores an issue. News features are less time-sensitive than hard news but no less newsworthy. They can be an effective way to write about complex issues too large for the terse style of a hard news item. Street kids are a perfect example. The stories of their individual lives are full of complexities which can be reflected in a longer piece.

Features are journalism's shopping center. They're full of interesting people, ideas, color, lights, action and energy. Storytelling at its height! A good feature is about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a certain angle (i.e. Black youth returning to church) and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusions from that information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through comments from people involved in the story.

Hint: Remember to "balance" your story. Present the opinions of people on both sides of an issue and let the readers make their own decision on who to believe. No personal opinions are allowed. The quotes from the people you interview make up the story. You are the narrator.

Editorial: The editorial expresses an opinion. The editorial page of the newspaper lets the writer comment on issues in the news. All editorials are personal but the topics must still be relevant to the reader.

3. Structure for your article

The structure of a news story (hard & soft news & features) is simple: a lead and the body.

The lead
One of the most important elements of news writing is the opening paragraph or two of the story. Journalists refer to this as the "lead," and its function is to summarize the story and/or to draw the reader in (depending on whether it is a "hard" or "soft" news story - See below for the difference between these two genres of news stories).

In a hard news story, the lead should be a full summary of what is to follow. It should incorporate as many of the 5 "W's" of journalism (who, what, where, when and why) as possible. (e.g. "Homeless youth marched down Yonge St. in downtown Toronto Wednesday afternoon demanding the municipal government provide emergency shelter during the winter months." - Can you identify the 5 W's in this lead?)

In a soft news story, the lead should present the subject of the story by allusion. This type of opening is somewhat literary. Like a novelist, the role of the writer is to grab the attention of the reader. (e.g. "Until four years ago, Jason W. slept in alleyways...") Once the reader is drawn in, the 5 "W's" should be incorporated into the body of the story, but not necessarily at the very top.

The body
The body of the story involves combining the opinions of the people you interview, some factual data, and a narrative which helps the story flow. A word of caution, however. In this style of writing, you are not allowed to "editorialize" (state your own opinion) in any way.

Remember:

The role of a reporter is to find out what people are thinking of an issue and to report the opinions of different stakeholders of an issue. These comments make up the bulk of the story. The narrative helps to weave the comments into a coherent whole. Hint: Stick to one particular theme throughout the story. You can put in different details but they all have to relate to the original idea of the piece. (e.g. If your story is about black youth and their relationship with the police you DO NOT want to go into details about the life of any one particular youth).

As a reporter, you are the eyes and ears for the readers. You should try to provide some visual details to bring the story to life (this is difficult if you have conducted only phone interviews, which is why face-to-face is best). You should also try to get a feel for the story. Having a feel means getting some understanding of the emotional background of the piece and the people involved in it. Try to get a sense of the characters involved and why they feel the way they do.

Okay, got it? Let's look at two examples as a way of summarizing the essentials:

Youth are banding together to start an organization. You want to show why are they doing that and the changes are they trying to make in the world. You want to say who they are and the strategies they are using.

An artist is having her first show. Why? What is it that she believes about her art? Is her artistic process rational or from the soul? What does the work look like?

4. Further tips for news writing

Finding story ideas

Keep your eyes and ears open; listen to what your friends are talking about.


Read everything you can get your hands on; get story ideas from other newspapers and magazines.


Think of a youth angle to a current news story.


Research a subject that interests you ask yourself what you would like to know more about.


Talk to people in a specific field to find out what is important to them.
Newsgathering

Begin collecting articles on your subject.


Talk to friends and associates about the subject.


Contact any agencies or associations with interest or professional knowledge in the area.


Create a list of people you want to interview; cover both sides of the story by interviewing people on both sides of the issue.


Collect government statistics and reports on the subject get old press releases or reports to use as background.
Interviewing do's and don'ts

Be polite.


Explain the ground rules of the interview to people unfamiliar with how the media works - this means that you tell them the information they give you can and will be published. If they do not want any part of what they say published, they need to tell you it is "off the record."


Tape the interview (so if anyone comes back at you, you have the proof of what was said).


Build a relationship with the person being interviewed.


Start with easy questions; end with difficult questions.


Read the body language of the person you're interviewing and if they get defensive, back away from the question you are asking and return later.


Don't attack the source.


Keep control of the interview; don't let the subject ramble or stray from the subject.


On the other hand, don't let your "opinion" of what the story should be colour the interview. Always remember that the person you are talking with knows more about the subject than you do.
Organizing the information

Gather your notes, interviews and research into a file.


Review your notes.


Look for a common theme.


Search your notes for good quotes or interesting facts.


Develop a focus.


Write the focus of the article down in two or three sentences.

Writing and editing

Remember you are the narrator, the story teller.


Don't be afraid to rewrite.


Be as clear and concise in the writing as possible.


Avoid run-on sentences.


Be direct.


Tell a good story.


Tell the reader what you think they want to know.


Always ask yourself what the story is about.


Read the story out loud; listen carefully.



Kreb's 6 Steps

1. Find a Topic
2. Find an Angle
3. Collect Information
4. Conduct Interviews
5. Organize and Write
6. Review and Edit

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Notes on Freedom

5 Freedoms of the first amendment:
-Speech
-Assembly
-Press
-Petition
-Religion

The Tinker Standard:
Says that student speech can not be censored as long as it does not "materially disrupt class work or involve substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others."

The Fraser Standard:
Because school officials have an "interest in teaching students the boundaries of appropriate behavior," they can censor student speech that is vulgar or indecent, even if it does not cause a "material or substantial disruption."

The Hazelwood Standard:
Censorship of school-sponsored student expression is permissible when school officials can show that it is "reasonably related to legitamate pedagogical concerns."

Frederick Standard:
School says that during a school authorized event, same rules of the Hazelwood Standard apply. Example, Field Trip.

Libel has 3 components:
1) It's something that defames someones character or reputation
2) It has to be published
3) It's false.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Superbowl Commercials

What is the company?
Playstation
Who is the target audience:
Videogame Players (Roughly Males 13-25)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Not very special, normal camera shots. Quick cuts
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Live in your world, play in ours
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yes, it was the last thing the audience saw to remember the commercial

What is the company?
Budweiser
Who is the target audience:
Beer Drinkers (21 plus both sexes)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor, Human interest
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Slow pace of the commercial
What is the slogan/message for the company?
There isnt one in this commercial
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
The name brand was the last piece of the commercial

What is the company?
Chrysler
Who is the target audience:
Car Drivers (16 plus)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Celebrity and possibly human interest
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Dramatic black and white camera shots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
The car name and company
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
No. I will never by a chrysler because of this commercial alone

What is the company?
Pepsi-Cola
Who is the target audience:
Anyone who drinks Pop
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor and Celebrities
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Flashbacks and Faceshots
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Its a twist on a great thing
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
I thought it was funny

What is the company?
FedEx
Who is the target audience:
Adults. People who you FedEx
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor and Irony
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Flashbacks and Dramatic Pauses
What is the slogan/message for the company?
FedEx is Committed. Something like that
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yeah I thought it was funny

What is the company?
Dodge
Who is the target audience:
Male Truck Drivers (16 plus)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor and intense situation
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Quick Cuts. Shots inside and out of car
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Grab life by the horns
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yeah it was funny

What is the company?
Gatorade
Who is the target audience:
Athletes (Any age)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor and Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Quick Cuts
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Is it in you
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yeppppp

What is the company?
Sports Center
Who is the target audience:
Sports Fans
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor and Celebrity
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Close ups
What is the slogan/message for the company?
This is Sports Center
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Liked the ending

What is the company?
H and R Block
Who is the target audience:
Adults (24 plus)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor and Celebrities
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Close ups
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Double check
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Funny yeah

What is the company?
Budlight
Who is the target audience:
Beer Drinkers (21 plus)
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
Had a fake parade which explains the clown
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Make it a Budlgiht
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
I cant drink. No

What is the company?
Visa
Who is the target audience:
People who have credit cards
What persuasive method used (humor, action, celebrity, human interest, etc.)?
Humor and Celebrities
How were camera shots and editing used to enhance the message?
High camera angles and quick cuts
What is the slogan/message for the company?
Its everywhere you wanna be
Was the message effective? Why or why not?
Yeah funny

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Stupid Notes

Definition:
Define “Journalism” in 1-3 sentences.

Current events that are news worthy that are displayed through newspapers magazines television radio and/or the Internet.

List and describe the six criteria of newsworthiness.

TITLE DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
1. Significance. Important events that impact a wide variety of an audience. Haiti.

2. Timeliness. Things that are occurring right now. Weather traffic current events.

3. Unusualness. Things that are out of the ordinary, different. Fires murders etc.

4. Proximity. Most relevant to the community/area you're in. Vikes Wild Twins.

5. Prominence. Important people. The news cares about celebrities. Celebrities.

6. Human Interest. A feel good story that raises spirits and evens balance. T-crops.




What are the advantages of print journalism?
1. You can read it when you want to. You can pause whenever.

2. Something tangible that you can take with you. Portable.

3. You can jump around to the exact news you want. You choose the order.

What are the advantages of broadcast journalism?

1. Visual references. A-roll and B-roll. Sound and sight. Appeals to more senses than print.

2. Much more current and fast. Life news. Quick updates.

3. More details. Able to expand ones knowledge of the current news.


Why has online journalism (convergent media) become so popular?

Convergent media contains the elements of print journalism and brodcast journalism all rolled into one. You have the capability to choose when where and at what time you get your news, along with the wide variety of visual references and sounds to increase the quality of the news.