Transcript News reporting

Writing the news
3 C’s
Clear - simple language
Concise - short
Correct - uses facts and be objective
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Kiss and Tell: Writing hard news
• KISS (Keep It Short and Simple) never use more than one word,
when one will do.
• Don’t use too many adjectives (describing words) or adverbs usually
have (LY) in it are used rarely in hard news.
[1] Mary sings beautifully
Examples [2] David is extremely clever
[3] This car goes incredibly fast
Keep it simple: Mary sings or the car is fast
TELL: Use simple language and short sentences.
When asked to write a news story containing 300 words, every word counts.
Journalism is a completely different style of writing, here are some tips to keep your
writing Clear, Concise and Correct:
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Avoid first and second person writing — we, our, you, your, I, me — except in quotes
should not be used (it should be third person and be objective) You should not be using
I think, or passing comment.
Words need to be concrete not abstract
PEOPLE, PLACES and THINGS should be capitalised i.e. Bognor Regis, David Beckham. If
you are unsure check other newspapers for guidance.
Words to avoid: rather, quiet, very, really, I feel, you, think, as, sort of or kind of,
a lot and just. Remember these words don’t add to anything if something is great
it is just great, really great doesn't add to anything.
Editors look for these sentences so you should try and avoid them.
When shortening sentences down the word “that” can often be taken out of a
sentence i.e.: The defendant admitted that he was guilt; should be the defendant
admitted he was guilty”
Words to avoid where possible “a, an, the, that”
Further, the use of look at rewriting text to make it shorter i.e using of “in the
southern part of England” could be simplified to “in southern England”.
Example Lichfield Mercury
• PUPILS and staff at both of Rugeley's high schools had fun
raising money for Children In Need last week.
• At Fair Oak Business and Enterprise College on Penkridge
Bank Road, students donated £1 to wear non-uniforms with
some not bothering to get dressed at all, arriving in
nightwear!
• The sum of £800 was generated for the charity.
• A group of Year 8 students separately raised almost £200
after being sponsored by family and friends
• How many avoided words are in here i.e. a, an, the, that or adjectives
and adverbs: rather, quiet, very, really, I feel, you, think, as, sort of or
kind of, a lot and just?
Words to watch out for
• Remember words can sound the same, but
mean different things i.e.:
• Weather or whether
• There or their
• Draws or drawers
• Affect or effect
• It and It’s
The intro
The intro is the opening paragraph and the most
important as it draws the audience in. Intros are
different in redtops, broadsheets and local newspapers
rough guide:
Red top: 20 max, Broadsheet 40, and local newspapers
16-22 in the intro and all will contain the 5ws.
• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• Why
Example
• LICHFIELD Cathedral has launched a toy appeal to
help support the Pathway Project, which works
with women and children who suffer domestic
abuse ( Source: Lichfield Mercury).
• Who?
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• Why?
• (what is the human interest angle of this?)
Inverted Pyramid
Using the 5ws in the intro and beyond
• When: Hard news stories need to be up to date, it
would not be necessary to say at 3.pm today, it would
be better to say earlier today or last night.
• Where: local papers focus on the ‘where’ because of
the local human angle. National papers would leave
the where to later in the story.
• Why: remember there is not always a why.
• Use positive language and active verbs and strong
nouns, but be true to the story
• Intro’s for hard news story never start with quotes.
AA: Angle and Audience
• When structuring a story remember, news
stories will always focus on the human angle,
remember we should always focus on the
human element in the story. The angle should
focus on the people i.e
• ‘The London Underground grew to a standstill
when 300 people were injured.’
• Should be: ‘300 people were injured after a
bomb exploded in the London Underground.’
Active / Passive words
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Active words
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving
the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]
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Michael
Subject
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Passive
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In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the
thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence
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Passive (The car is driven by Michael)
drives
verb
the car
objective receiving the action
• Keep it ACTIVE
Lichfield Mercury example
• Rail campaigners step up fight
MORE than 200 residents attended a meeting to discuss
controversial high speed rail plans. The tail end of published plans
for HS2 suggest the line cuts into the county as far as Lichfield,
where it joins the existing West Coast Main Line. Last month, the
Government announced a new "Y" shaped taking the line further
north than previously planned. That adjusted route is expected to
be released before Christmas. In the meantime, hundreds of
residents flocked to Whittington Village Hall on Friday – donating
£113 in aid of Children in Need despite the pressing concerns.
"Well over 200 very concerned local people attended Friday's
meeting to discuss the highly controversial plans for a high speed
rail line," said county councillor Robert Marshall, cabinet member
for regeneration and infrastructure.
Interviewing people
• A tape recorder would be best or learning
shorthand.
• Remember when quoting people you must
write down their names and ages, and where
they are from i.e. Lichfield, Birmingham and
check and double check with them that these
spellings are correct.
• Further, do not change what they have said
directly quote what they have said.
Using Quotes
• When reporting speech in hard news stories speech is
always reported in the past tense i.e. she said.
• Said is the word most used when attributing quotes,
however this can become boring throughout the article
so other words you could use include: commented,
pointed out, replied, claimed or alleged.
• Claimed and alleged would only be used for
controversial statements, you MUST not use these.
• Admitted: again would be used to admit guilt.
• Added: should only be used after a interviewee has
been quotes i.e. he added.
Quotes
• Katie Price, 22, and her husband Alex Reid. Here after
would be Mrs Price and Mr Reid. Here after Miss Price and
Mr Reid.
• When using quotations marks remember that a (,) oe (.)
should come inside the quotation mark not outside i.e:
• “I’ve had enough of him,” she said.
• “I really loved Peter, what else can I say.”
• Reporting ages will depend on the newspaper’s house style
i,e (22) or , 22.
Leicester Mercury example
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Debt collector mugged as she left man's home
A robber who mugged a female debt collector for a handbag containing £400 has been jailed.
Dean Randle, who has 54 previous convictions, carried out the attack from behind so that the woman
would not recognise him as a customer, Leicester Crown Court heard yesterday.
The victim, who is employed by Provident Personal Credit, had been to his home to collect £100 from his
partner, who was also a client.
Randle (27) lay in wait with an unknown accomplice outside his house in Larch Street, near Humberstone
Road, in the city, and pounced as she walked to her car.
Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said that Randle made a grab for the victim's bag, which had a shoulder strap
across her body.
She put up a determined struggle and, although she could not see Randle, she recognised his voice when
he said, "Give me the bag," the court heard.
The bag ripped but the victim refused to let go of it.
The accomplice then approached with a raised fist and, fearing she would be hit, she let it go.
Leicester Crown Court was told the bag contained a total of £400 in cash and a mobile phone worth £200.
The victim suffered a grazed neck caused by the shoulder strap being tightened during the struggle.
Witnesses at the scene recognised Randle as one of the muggers.
He admitted the robbery on July 19 this year, as well as breaching a one-year suspended jail sentence for
an earlier offence of theft of charity money from a pub.
The suspended sentence was activated, and he was jailed for five years in total, with an extended twoyear licence period.
Ms Rose said that Randle had 54 previous offences on his record, including robberies.