Class Notes -- Oct. 5

Class 5 –Journalism 175
10/5/08

1. News Quiz
2. Review Ch. 6 – Story Structure
3. Lead exercises
4. Discuss Centurion stories
5. Assignments

Ch. 6 – Story Structure
1. Ask yourself: “What do I want to say?”
2. “What order do I put the information?”
· Lede
· Grafs explaining and supporting the lede – often a quote; answers to remainder of 5Ws and H
· Background
· Secondary information
3. Transitions
· Repeating a word or a name
· A single word, indicating relationship – contrast, another similar element
· Time element, place.
4. Lead on page 125 – too long. So what (“has once again demonstrated …”)
5. Rule of thumb: Put everything about the same subject together. Not always.
6. Soft or delayed ledes need a Nut Graf.
7. Story telling – also needs to get to point quickly
8. Background – page 131: women priests
9. Story basics
· IDs: name, age, address, job (student’s major or year)
· Where, when, why, how
· UNIQUE ELEMENT – what distinguishes this story from others
10. Attribution – set of by commas, occasionally by colon


Assignments
1. News clip – In a news story, note use of quotes, including punctuation, and how the reporter leads into the quote. Also note transitions.
2. 500-700 word Centurion story
3. Read Ch. 16 of text.