Changing Concepts of News: Module 1
In today’s market you need to know how to present information for print, broadcast and online media. This mixture of media is called _______blank______. This can also be considered the merger of print, audio, video and interactive elements in an online form.
convergence
At the beginning of the story, the hook that tells the reader what the story is about is called the _____blank____ A good one entices the reader to continue reading. In a hard-news story, it usually is written in one sentence — the first sentence of the story — and gives the most important information about the event.
lead
_____blank_____, short for Web logs, are online journals or columns in which the writer expresses opinions or describes personal experiences. Many media blogs are commentaries about news topics.
blogs
Newswriting needs ____blank_____ to make the story credible and readable. Information from eyewitnesses and participants lends immediacy to a story, and direct quotes and sound bites make a story interesting.
human sources
In most cases you will want to start with ________blank________ questions. However, if you have only five minutes with a source, you may have to ask your toughest question first or whichever one will yield you the most crucial information for your story. Ask follow-up questions using a conversational technique.
nonthreatening
The concept of involving readers and viewers in reporting and disseminating news is called ______blank_______. The contributors are often called this because they are not staff members of the news organization, even though they may write blogs on a regular basis for the media website.
citizen journalism
The ______blank_______ is a sentence or paragraph that states the focus — the main point — of the story. It should tell in a nutshell what the story is about and why it is newsworthy. The term was coined more than 50 years ago by The Wall Street Journal in a memo to its staff. The memo said a story must have one central theme that must be expressed in a “nutshell summary”.
nut graph
How to write blogs: Be _____blank_______. Blogs are not meant to be term papers.
brief
As more news organizations convert to digital delivery of their publications, data are becoming more common additions to news stories, especially on the Web. In the past databases were primarily used in investigative reporting, but these days ______blank______ are readily available in publishable formats, including charts and infographics.
data sources
Keep Quiet. Do not _____blank_____ or try to impress your source with your knowledge. Let the source talk. You need to quote the source, not yourself.
talk too much
Economic forces created significant changes in partnerships (news organizations that were once fiercely competitive joining forces) and _____blank_____ (walling off, or blocking access to, certain news content).
paywalls
After the lead, the body of the story should support the focus with information from sources, quotes or facts that explain the main idea. If you have a good quote or sound bite from a source, it should be placed high in the story after the lead or nut graph. The first quote that backs up the lead is called the ____blank____ or the “augmenting quote.”
lead quote
How to write blogs continued: Be interesting. Provide something _____blank______ if you are writing an opinion about news. Write about a topic that would be of interest to other people in your age group or community.
new or evocative
Many people will be willing to talk to you if you promise not to use their names. An _____blank______ is one who remains unnamed. (The terms “_____blank______” and “confidential source” are used interchangeably by most people.) But should you make this promise? Most editors today would say no, unless there is no other way to get the information.
anonymous source
Don’t insert your comments or opinions into your questions. You should remain ____blank____ and strive for fairness. If you have to ask a controversial question, use the “blame others” technique: Your opponent says that . . . How do you respond?
neutral
A study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism revealed that more than 62 percent of executives from print and 67 percent from broadcast media think ______blank_____ is declining due in part to the speed of producing news and to social media.
accuracy
Supporting points related to the main issue constitute ______blank_______ These can be statements, quotes or more detail to explain what happened, how and why the problem or action occurred, and reactions to the event.
elaboration
How to write blogs continued: Be _____blank______. Don’t spread rumors or information that may not be truthful. The basic guidelines of accuracy and fairness that apply to news stories apply to blogs as well.
accurate and fair
Many government records, such as data from state and local agencies, may be obtained from databases consisting of _____blank______. For example, if you want to find out who earns the highest salaries in each department at your university or college, you could spend days sifting through a printed version of the budget and trying to compare salaries. But if the budget is available on a database, you can use a computer program to analyze this information for you in minutes.
public records
Control the Interview. If your source rambles or prolongs an answer, and you want to move the interview in another direction, don’t _____blank_____. Wait for a natural pause before asking your next question.
interrupt
Readers are drawn to color photographs first, then headlines, cutlines (captions), briefs (stories abbreviated to one to three paragraphs) and a number of other graphic devices called _____blank______ — points where the reader enters a story.
points of entry
The most common type of ending includes one of these elements: _____blank______, a statement or quote that summarizes but does not repeat the previous information or more elaboration. If this is a key factor in the issue, it should be placed higher in the story.
future action
____blank____ your audience. Consider the people you are trying to reach, and write about topics they would want to read, especially on social network blogs. If it is a personal blog, what do your friends and family want to know? If it is a blog intended for a public audience, ask yourself why anyone would want to read your comments.
target
The ______blank________ was established by Congress in 1966 to make federal records available to the public. It applies only to federal documents. In addition, the act allows for several exemptions that prohibit the release of documents. Records classified by the government because their release would endanger national defense or foreign policy are exempted.
Freedom of Information Act
What should you do if the source gives you an evasive or incomplete answer? The best tactic is to drop the question and continue the interview. After you have discussed a few other points, _____blank______ the question you want answered, but state it in a slightly different way. Sometimes a source will recall or share more the second time the question is raised.
repeat