Approaches to news writing PDF

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Approaches to news writing-conversational style 

Don’t give orders.

Don’t tell listeners to do this or do that. Don’t tell them to listen, or watch, or stay, or fetch. Just give them the news. When a radio anchor says, “Don’t touch your dial,” I wonder, “Why, is it dangerous? 

Don’t characterize news as good, bad, interesting or shocking.

Just report the news. Let the listener decide whether it’s good, bad, interesting, amazing, surprising, disturbing or shocking. What’s good news for some is bad for others. 

Don’t start a story with as expected.

When I hear an anchor say “As expected” at the top, it’s usually a story I had not expected. Hadn’t even suspected. Most listeners tune in to hear the unexpected. 

Don’t start a story with: the name of an unknown or unfamiliar person.

Names do make news, but only if they’re recognized. An unknown name is a distraction. It can’t be the reason you’re telling the story; you’re telling it because that person figures in something unusual. If the name means nothing to listeners, they’re not likely to pay close attention, and they’ll miss the point of your story. 

Don’t cram too much information into a story.

Too many facts, too many names, too many numbers, too many words are just too much for too many listeners. They can’t process such a steady flow of facts. 

Don’t lose or fail to reach a listener.

The best way to keep a listener is by talking to the listener, not at the listener. And by working at your job, not forcing the listener to do your work. She won’t, so you must.

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Don’t make a factual error.

That’s the deadliest sin of all. It causes you to lose your credibility. And eventually your listeners. Perhaps even your job.

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Sentence construction A strength of broadcast news is proximity. Therefore, broadcast news writing stresses present tense “President meets ...” rather than “President today held a meeting.”

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Radio stories should not be longer than 45 seconds. Usually three or four sentences.

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Keep your sentences to about 15 words. Don’t clutter them with multiple facts.

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Write just a little more formally than you speak. Try for a conversational (familiar) tone.

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Keep sentence structure simple – basically one idea to one sentence.

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Edit your compound-complex sentence down to two or three simple sentences.

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Keep to to the 20/25 rule, which limits hard-news story leads to 20 words and all other hard-news story sentences to 25 words. But also remember to vary your sentence length. THE SIX “CS”:

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CLEAR:

You must ensure your audience understands your copy the first time they hear it. Your listener cannot go back and read it. Work at writing in a simple, understandable style; write to express an idea, not to impress your audience. Basically limit sentences to one main thought. Don’t make your listener work to understand your copy. 

CONCISE:

Broadcast copy is short. You must learn to express many thoughts in few words. Thomas Jefferson once said, “The most valuable of all talent is that of never using two words when one will do.” Get to the main point. Use only essential words. Eliminate wordiness (long words). Make your point and move on. 

CONVERSATIONAL:

We basically “converse” using simple, common language. Why not write “for the ear” in the same style? Write a story much the same way you’d tell it to a friend. 

COMPLETE:

Your copy must answer the five Ws (who, what, when, where, and why), except, perhaps, “why.” That may be unknown at airtime. But don’t raise new questions or leave old questions unanswered.

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CURRENT:

Current copy is timely copy – both in content and the way it sounds. Last week’s events, accidents, and incidents are not today’s news. One way you can make your copy sound much timelier is by using (but not forcing) one of the present verb tenses whenever it’s possible (and correct). 

CORRECT:

You must ensure your copy is correct. One mistake could potentially ruin a career. That’s one reason why this is the most important “C.” Simply stated, your copy must be free of factual errors. Double check for correct names, dates, times, etc. And don’t forget that correct copy also means correct use of spelling and grammar. Learn the basic grammar rules, and use a dictionary. WORD CHOICE Always an important process, choosing the right word becomes even more critical when you are writing for the ear. Writing for the ear means using words that are conversational and easily understood. For example, would you ask to “utilize” or “use” the computer? Do YOU ask someone to “consummate” a form or “complete” it? Would you report on a “conflagration” or a “fire”? Writing for the ear means using those same simple words when you write for your audience. ELLIPSIS The ellipsis is a series of three dots indicating a pause longer than a comma. The pause is for dramatic effect.

PUNCTUATION: Use punctuation in your broadcast script to aid readability and clarify meaning. Do this by following the same basic rules you learned in grammar school, with a few exceptions. For instance, you’ll add the otherwise optional comma prior to the coordinating conjunction in a series of three or more. This helps clarify meaning.

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CLICHÉS They are expressions that have been worn out through constant use in journalism. Example, in the pipeline, the powers that be, and orders from above, Time will tell etc. Jargon is the specialized, often official, language that is used by people in a particular field, profession, or social group. WRITING NUMBERS IN BROADCAST STYLE 

1 thru 11:

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12 thru 999:

ONE; TWO; THREE (i.e., spell out) 12; 131; 614 (spell out to start sentence, e.g., “Forty-three others remain

hospitalized in serious condition.” 

Over 1000: 125-THOUSAND;

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Dates: AUGUST 1ST; JULY 4TH; DECEMBER 25TH

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Time: 8:00 THIS MORNING (OR, 8:00 A-M);11:15 P-M; NOON or MIDNIGHT

Voice pieces / Radio dispatches Radio dispatches, or ‘voice pieces’, are essential of radio news programmes. They are short inserts written and voiced by a reporter or correspondent either out in the field or in the studio. They may be live or recorded; contain short clips of interviews or actuality and may be anywhere between 30 and 90 seconds.

Basic rules for copy presentation and layout Your newsroom may already have a style for the way in which copy should be presented. If your newsroom does not have a style, this is a good one to use. These are the basic rules:

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The first page of each story or feature should have three pieces of information in the top left-hand corner or – if your newsroom computer has a standard template for writing stories – in the appropriate field:

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a) your surname; b) the date;

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Leave good margins on the sides and bottom of the page.

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Write the word "more" or the letters "mf" (more follows) at the bottom of each page if the story is not finished.

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Write the word "ends" at the end of the story or "###" depending on the house style of your organisation.

Radio style For radio copy, the style must be slightly different. 

Try to keep stories short, with the whole story on one sheet of paper if possible.

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Every word must be spelled correctly and be grammatically correct, otherwise it may cause the newsreader to stumble.

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Type proper names in capital letters.

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Do not split phrases from one line to another.

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Write the pronunciation of difficult or foreign words in brackets immediately after the word.

Television style For television copy, you need a special style, so that the script can synchronize with film reports, captions and other visual effects. The copy must include details of timing, studio instructions and details of accompanying film or video clips. Phoning copy It is not always useful for reporters to write their stories in the newsroom. If they are at the scene of a news event, and if time is pressing, it is usually better for them to write the story where they are, and send it in to their newsroom by telephone.

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This is very efficient, but it depends upon having the right equipment (which is quite expensive) and upon having dependable telephone lines. The cheaper alternative is for the reporter to dictate his or her copy by telephone to a typist in the newsroom, who will type it as it is spoken.

Recording Equipment – On Location Setup Outside Broadcasting (OB) is when you take the apparatus of broadcasting (cameras, sound, video/audio mixing, etc.) away from the studio and use it in a remote environment. It may be a stadium for sports, a theatre for arts / entertainment, a political location, a news story location, etc. The type of equipment used depends heavily on the type of sound effect you want to record. The following five methods are among the best ways to record in a non-studio setting.

1. Choose Location with Care Many broadcast choose to record at a particular location due to its optimal acoustics. Some places are known for poor sound while some locations may enhance vocals. If you’re recording indoors, it’s essential to prevent leakage from heating or cooling elements from through to your microphones and muddying the clarity of your recordings.

2. Field Recording If you are in a situation where the natural sounds of your setting won’t interfere and may even complement your live recording, you can opt for field recording. Zoom Handheld Recorders are now popularly used for many types of field recordings.

3. Microphones—Best You Can Buy There’s always a lot of hype about various recording programs—the latest and greatest upgrades Pro Tools has to offer. Examples, condenser microphones, Dynamic microphones are good for vox pops, outdoor streaming and interviews

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4. Mobile Studio Today, there are many recorders (vans) you can easily move from place to place and remain well in budget. Today’s technology will allow you to record with a laptop given the right software. Whether you are going with a minimum of gear or a bus-full of recording equipment, you can now bring the studio to just about any setting you want to record at.

5. Self-Recording Keyboards Keyboards like the Korg MS-1 that specialize in sampling can also record music. Typically keyboards—that can record themselves along with other sounds is another interesting method to use when on location. Its built-in microphone is also handy and its editing capabilities and software make this particular keyboard ideal for recording situations.

Recording on Location Recording outside of the studio setting is more popular than ever. Given the right equipment for your plans, you can capture a performance anywhere.

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